Staff Electrical and Machine Safety Engineer

Danaher•Newark, NJ

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Staff Electrical and Machine Safety Engineer provides technical leadership for electrical design, machine safety, field labeling, and European conformity of new and modified manufacturing equipment. The role supports the design, qualification, and ongoing maintenance of safe, compliant automated assembly equipment used in high-volume production of diagnostic disposables. It is part of Cepheid’s Automation Engineering group in Newark, California, and is an on-site position reporting to the Sr. Director, Systems Engineering. The engineer leads electrical and machine-safety work from requirements and design reviews through risk reduction, equipment qualification, and release readiness. The role also develops and implements safeguarding systems and safety procedures; directs internal teams and equipment suppliers; coordinates field labeling and European conformity assessments; and designs, commissions, and troubleshoots control systems and related automation equipment. Additional responsibilities include training support, equipment-platform standardization, upgrades, obsolescence management, supplier and component selection, and continuous improvement. Travel of up to 25% to manufacturing locations is expected. The role requires the ability to lift, move, or carry equipment up to 25 pounds, stand for several hours, and work in a cleanroom, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Requirements

Experience applying ISO 12100 and ISO 13849-1 or IEC 62061 to define risk-reduction measures, determine required performance levels or safety integrity levels, and verify machine-safety functions for automated equipment.
Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of related experience, master’s degree with 3+ years of related experience, or doctoral degree with 0–2 years of related experience in electrical design, machine safety, controls engineering, or industrial automation.
Working knowledge of applicable machine electrical and safety requirements, including OSHA requirements, NFPA 79, UL 508A, and European conformity requirements such as Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC or Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU, and Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 2014/30/EU.
Hands-on experience designing, commissioning, and troubleshooting PLC-based electrical control systems, safety circuits, control panels, and electromechanical equipment in an automated manufacturing environment.
Experience leading machine-safety risk assessments, field-labeling or European conformity activities, and cross-functional technical reviews with engineering, Environmental Health and Safety, Quality, manufacturing, suppliers, or third-party inspection bodies.
Ability to lift, move, or carry equipment up to 25 pounds, stand for several hours, and work in a cleanroom environment, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Ability to travel up to 25% to manufacturing locations.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience with AutoCAD Electrical and/or Agile Product Lifecycle Management software.
Rockwell PLC programming, control-system design, or safety-system development experience.
Industrial automation experience in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-regulated manufacturing environment or experience applying global equipment compliance requirements.

Responsibilities

Lead electrical and machine-safety activities for new and modified manufacturing equipment, including defining design requirements, conducting design reviews and risk-reduction activities, supporting equipment qualification, and determining release readiness.
Develop, review, and implement machine safeguarding systems using safety controllers or PLCs, safety relays, light curtains, interlocks, area scanners, emergency-stop systems, and other risk-reduction measures.
Perform and document machine-safety risk assessments and develop equipment-specific Lockout/Tagout procedures.
Define electrical and machine-safety scopes of work and provide technical direction to internal teams and equipment suppliers through equipment design, build, commissioning, and installation.
Coordinate field labeling and European conformity activities with Field Evaluation Bodies, Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories, and other applicable assessment bodies.
Design, test, commission, and troubleshoot electrical control systems, control panels, power distribution systems, fieldbus networks, and associated automation equipment in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
Support Lockout/Tagout and qualified electrical worker training for manufacturing personnel.
Develop and implement electrical and machine-safety standardization across manufacturing equipment platforms, including equipment upgrades, obsolescence management, supplier and component selection, and continuous improvement activities.