JOB DESCRIPTION

Automation / Robot Specialist

Summary

The Automation / Robot Specialist serves as the technical owner of automation performance within manufacturing operations. This position develops, integrates, optimizes, and troubleshoots PLC, robot, vision, motion, safety, and industrial communication systems to achieve target cycle time, throughput, quality, and uptime. The specialist provides hands-on launch and stabilization support, applies structured root-cause analysis to eliminate recurring failures, and delivers reliable systems and documentation to sustainment teams.

Responsibilities

• Own automation system performance and conduct daily optimization of automated cells to improve cycle time, throughput, quality, and equipment uptime.
• Develop, modify, test, and troubleshoot PLC, HMI, robot, vision, motion-control, safety, and supporting automation programs.
• Optimize robot paths, motion profiles, process sequencing, interlocks, alarms, and recovery routines while maintaining safe operation.
• Use structured root-cause analysis and corrective action to permanently eliminate chronic equipment and process failures.
• Configure, calibrate, validate, and maintain vision systems, sensors, error-proofing devices, servo systems, and networked industrial devices.
• Support equipment installation, commissioning, launch, and the first 90 days of stabilization in partnership with the AMA Lead and cross-functional plant teams.
• Perform offline programming, reach studies, cycle-time simulation, risk assessment, and system validation before production implementation.
• Manage program revisions through formal backup and version-control practices and maintain clear technical documentation, schematics, and network diagrams.
• Train sustainment personnel and complete a stable handoff after launch, including known issues, recovery procedures, validated backups, and performance status.
• Track performance against cycle-time achievement, direct-labor reduction, repeat-failure elimination, and stabilization-phase uptime targets.

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