West Pharma Senior Automation Engineer 

United States, Michigan, Walker 

508589169

Job Summary:

Reporting directly to the Principal Engineer or above, this role is responsible for supporting manufacturing and contributing to the development and implementation of the business manufacturing strategy within Global Engineering. Specifying, purchasing, and managing the implementation of new manufacturing solutions to meet the requirements of customers’ new product introductions or improve operational efficiency is also key to this role.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Contribute to new equipment process and product introduction projects.
• Support the development and implementation of manufacturing strategies to meet customer and West’s needs.
• Establish and manage project teams, identifying deliverables, time, and cost, setting priorities, and reporting to meet the needs of the business and the customer.
• Establishes relationships with the customers and equipment suppliers in pursuit of new business, product development, manufacturing process development, continuous improvement, and on-going business development.
• Manage equipment suppliers ensuring delivery meets specification, cost, and time.
• Ensure that new equipment meets the regulatory requirements of the business, validation, health, and safety etc.
• Work with all departments across the business to ensure that new processes meet their requirements.
• Identify, specify, and introduce new manufacturing methods and opportunities into the company.
• Represent West at customer meetings to ensure that the needs of the business are met.
• Assist with the training and development of personnel on new processes or systems introduced to the company.
• Ensure that procedures and systems are in place to facilitate the introduction of new processes and equipment.
• Take the role of technical expert in the field of automated manufacturing processes and develop the understanding and competency of the business to meet the requirements of customers.
• Leading key activities within the operations engineering department.
• Lead a high performing team to deliver defined business goals & objectives.
• Coaching / development of the employees using development and retention plans as appropriate.
• Responsibility for increasing resource flexibility and ability to work across the business through a formal cross training program.
• Compliance to all site Environmental, Health and Safety requirements training, and regulations.
• Compliance to all local site company policies, procedures, and corporate policies.
• Act in accordance with the company’s guiding principles and adhere to the corporate Code of Conduct.

Basic Qualifications:

• Must have a minimum of a NFQ Level 7 Degree in engineering or equivalent. A degree in Automation, Mechatronics or Mechanical Engineering is preferred.
• Must have at least 5 years’ experience in engineering.
• Must be familiar with the hardware and software components of PLCs and vision control systems. Preferably with Allen Bradley or Siemens PLCs and Cognex Vision systems.
• Must have high level knowledge Barcode Scanning & RFID Automatic Identification and Data Capture used in High Volume Manufacturing.
• Must have high level knowledge of Industrial Networks architectures (Ethernet IP, Control Net & Profibus) and have an ability to fault find network problems.
• Must have a very good knowledge of machine control systems and integrated manufacturing control systems including MES and Batch Manufacturing along with practical experience in querying SQL Databases
• Must have a very good knowledge of manufacturing automation, machine design, development, and validation process. Excellent understanding on GAMP 5 guidelines will also be an advantage.
• Must have experience in a customer facing environment.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Preferably have a knowledge of EU-GMP.
• Preferably worked in either the medical, packaging, or technological industries with a good understanding of the regulatory requirements and exposure to serialization.

• Excellent understanding of MS Project would be a distinct advantage as would certification in a project management discipline i.e., PMP (Project Management Professional).
• Aware of all relevant standard operating procedures as per Company policy as they are related to the position covered by this Job Description.
• Lean Sigma certification.

Travel Requirements:

• Must be able to travel up to 10% of the time.

Physical and Mental Requirements:

• This job is classified as light since the candidate will work mainly seated in front of their computer and only occasionally help with hands-on tasks on the production floor.
• Strong decision-making abilities and an ability to be assertive when required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience interacting with senior stakeholders and executive teams.
• Must be able to organize and prioritize tasks; must be detail orientated and self-motivated.
• Must be able to deal with all levels of employees and work across various departments.
• Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment.