Senior Automation Engineer

Job Description

Senior Automation Engineer

About the Opportunity
Our client is an industrial technology company turning end-of-life magnets into a domestic source of critical materials, cutting the country's reliance on overseas supply. It's early-stage, well-funded work with real strategic weight behind it.

As they scale toward commercial deployment, they're looking for a Senior Automation Engineer to lead the engineering team and take their proprietary systems from prototype to production. This is a chance to lead engineering at a high-impact, early-stage company, with real room to grow into a bigger leadership seat as the company scales.

What You'll Do
Lead Engineering on Scaling a Mechatronic System

• Lead and manage the project and team across all aspects, from R&D to commercial-scale implementation.
• Develop deep working knowledge of the company's proprietary machinery, which integrates hydraulics, pneumatics, mechanical assemblies, and PLC-based control systems.
• Serve as the primary internal engineering point of contact, acting as a technical thought leader and systems-level problem-solver across the process and system.

Systems Integration and Troubleshooting

• Understand how the mechanical and electrical subsystems interact, including solenoid valves, pneumatic actuators, linear guides, hydraulic pumps and cylinders, sensors, and control logic.
• When issues come up, such as unexpected machine behavior, lead root-cause analysis and coordinate troubleshooting, drawing on hands-on diagnostics, system logs, or vendor input as needed.

Represent the Technology with Customers

• Act as a technical point of contact for customers, including on-site interaction with sophisticated hyperscaler clients.
• Communicate system capabilities, performance, and troubleshooting clearly and confidently to a demanding technical audience.

Oversee and Coordinate External Technical Partners

• Manage the work of outside automation and systems integration firms, making sure their deliverables align with system requirements, certification goals, and project timelines.
• Provide clear technical direction, weigh engineering trade-offs, and ensure outsourced work stays aligned with the product roadmap and constraints.

Guide Commercialization and Production Readiness

• Lead efforts to evolve the current prototype into a commercially robust, scalable, and compliant system.
• Ensure the design meets manufacturing, field servicing, and certification requirements (e.g., UL, CE), including documentation, BOM finalization, and design-for-assembly.

Deployment and Field Learning

• Support and monitor deployments, making sure field performance aligns with expectations.
• Capture real-world feedback to inform design improvements and de-risk future production runs.

Early Manufacturing Strategy and Vendor Engagement

• Work with operations and supply chain teams to plan for small-batch production, including component sourcing, assembly workflows, and QA/QC processes.
• Help qualify external manufacturers and assess production feasibility and cost efficiency.

Operate as a Technical Leader in a Lean Organization

• Navigate ambiguity and operate independently as the primary in-house engineer, supported by technical advisors and outside collaborators.
• Balance strategic systems thinking with a willingness to roll up your sleeves when needed, bridging business goals and technical execution.

What You Bring
Education

• Bachelor's degree in engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, Mechatronics, Robotics, or Manufacturing disciplines).

Experience

• 5+ years of progressive experience in engineering, product development, or manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a small team and drive project execution without close oversight. This role suits a driven self-starter who is comfortable being the senior technical voice on site.
• Proven ability to lead end-to-end equipment manufacturing projects, including planning, budgeting, scheduling, and vendor coordination.
• Track record of managing small, cross-functional teams toward technical milestones and deliverables.
• A hands-on background that bridges design and the field. This isn't a seat for a design-only engineer.

Key Skills

• Strong proficiency in CAD platforms, specifically SolidWorks.
• In-depth knowledge of manufacturing processes, design for manufacturability, and supply chain logistics. The systems here are small-scale electromechanical and precision electronics, rather than heavy industrial equipment.

Preferred

• PLC, controls, and robotics experience.
• Proven project management experience delivering complex engineering initiatives on time and within budget while coordinating multidisciplinary teams and external partners.
• Experience taking custom or prototype industrial machinery from concept to commercialization.
• Familiarity with relevant compliance standards and certification pathways (e.g., UL, CE marking, electrical/mechanical safety standards).
• Comfortable working in agile or fast-moving hardware development environments.
• Strong communication and organizational skills, with the ability to bridge technical and business functions.
• Ready to grow into leading procurement and development teams, with experience reporting directly to senior management and the C-suite.

Additional Requirements

• Legally eligible to work in the United States on a full-time basis. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship, now or in the future.

Why Join

• Health benefits package, with full benefits details shared during the interview process.
• The chance to lead engineering at a high-impact, early-stage company with significant room for career advancement.

A Note on Fit
We understand no candidate will meet every single desired qualification. If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you can bring value to the role, we'd love to learn more about you!

Contact
Laura Fletcher
720-935-3754
laura@mrcrecruiting.com