System Engineer

ATS Automation•Souderton, PA

About The Position

The Systems Engineer is responsible for engineering and integrating automated material handling and packaging systems from initial application concept through detailed engineering and project execution. The role uses a start-to-finish systems approach, ensuring that upstream and downstream processes, product characteristics, equipment capabilities, operating conditions, utilities, and customer requirements are understood and incorporated into the final solution. The Systems Engineer works with Applications Engineering, Project Management, vendors, customers, and internal engineering teams to deliver safe, reliable, efficient, and maintainable integrated systems. The role involves end-to-end process analysis; product and packaging assessment; equipment selection; system layout and design; coordination of controls and utilities; and support for project engineering, troubleshooting, commissioning, and execution. The successful candidate is expected to consider the complete production system, including upstream and downstream operations, product and packaging variability, and system performance during normal production, shutdown, restart, accumulation, recovery, and abnormal conditions. The engineer is expected to validate assumptions, anticipate variation, and design for real-world operating conditions.

Requirements

Proficiency with AutoCAD and industrial system layout development.
Strong understanding of conveyor systems, automated material handling, packaging processes, and equipment integration.
Ability to interpret customer specifications, process flow diagrams, technical drawings, and vendor documentation.
Understanding of sensors, motors, pneumatic devices, industrial controls, electrical interfaces, and utility requirements.
Working knowledge of throughput, accumulation, metering, product spacing, transfers, and production flow.
Ability to understand, develop, and refine sequences of operation.
Familiarity with Lockout/Tagout principles and industrial safety requirements.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel.
Systems thinking and end-to-end process analysis.
Technical documentation skills and mechanical and technical aptitude.
Cross-functional collaboration, problem solving, analytical thinking, and project and priority management.
Attention to detail, customer-focused engineering, risk identification and mitigation, and clear verbal and written communication.
Equipment and process integration skills, accountability, and ownership.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mechatronics, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Equivalent technical education combined with relevant automation or system integration experience may be considered.
Experience in automation, conveyor systems, material handling, packaging equipment, or industrial system integration.
Experience integrating multi-equipment automated systems and working with OEM or third-party equipment vendors.
Experience in food, packaging, manufacturing, distribution, or similar automated production environments.

Responsibilities

Analyze the complete customer process, including upstream and downstream operations, product flow, equipment interactions, interruptions, and production impacts.
Develop and refine process flow diagrams and sequences of operation.
Evaluate product presentation requirements, including rates, temperature, orientation, spacing, accumulation, metering, transfers, inspection, labeling, and sanitation.
Define shutdown, clearing, recovery, restart, overflow, rejection, and product reintroduction requirements.
Identify bottlenecks, failure points, capacity limitations, alternatives, redundancy opportunities, system risks, and integration concerns.
Review customer product and packaging specifications and assess package characteristics, variability, tolerances, and suitability for the application.
Evaluate and select equipment such as conveyors, case packers, erectors, sealers, printers, labelers, inspection equipment, metering devices, transfers, accumulation equipment, and automated handling devices.
Review equipment footprint, function, orientation, rates, speeds, spacing, pack pressure, transfers, utilities, operating limitations, access, consumables, environmental requirements, and sanitation needs.
Review customer preferred vendor lists, mechanical and electrical specifications, application requirements, NCC engineering standards, and vendor exceptions or non-conformities.
Develop and review system layout drawings in AutoCAD, including equipment placement, elevations, access, clearances, material flow, conveyor functions, product transfers, numbering, layers, and drawing-space conventions.
Identify and document system devices and coordinate preliminary device tags, wire-number placeholders, I/O designations, and final numbering with Electrical Engineering.
Identify plant utility requirements and secondary power, pneumatic, and communication connections within the NCC system.
Review Lockout/Tagout requirements, utility access, plant air connections, filtration, regulation, and safety dump requirements.
Coordinate device layouts, I/O requirements, schematics, and system functionality with Electrical Engineering.
Participate in formal project handoff reviews with Applications Engineering, Project Management, and Project Engineering.
Review process flows, system layouts, sequences of operation, estimating workbooks, equipment specifications, purchased components, conveyors, devices, and special functions.
Confirm product flow requirements, including speeds, rates, accumulation, empty-space percentages, metering, overflow, rejection, reintroduction, and catch-up rates.
Refine sequences of operation based on approved process flows, completed system layouts, and device layouts.
Maintain project engineering actions and support the Action Registry Log or other assigned tracking tools.
Review vendor drawings and documentation for compliance with system and project requirements.
Identify scope gaps, engineering conflicts, non-conformities, and project risks and communicate them to appropriate stakeholders.
Support system troubleshooting, commissioning, and project execution as required.