SR. STAFF AUTOMATION PROJECTS ENGINEER

SR. STAFF AUTOMATION PROJECTS ENGINEER - $159,000.00 to $219,000.00 ANNUALLY VulcanForms - founded in 2015 to develop the worlds first industrially scalable laser metal additive manufacturing solution. We build and operate advanced digital infrastructure combining scalable additive manufacturing, precision machining, software, automation, and operations expertise to support aerospace, defense, medical, consumer, and other essential industries. About the Role: Serve as a principal technical leader for advanced automation programs that expand VulcanForms production capabilities. Lead complex automation projects from initial concept through stable 24/7 production release while supporting technology roadmaps, program level KPIs, capital budgets, and factory scalability. This is a high impact individual contributor role focused on project delivery rather than team management. Provide advanced technical mentorship and help convert ambitious automation concepts into reliable, lights out manufacturing systems. Key Responsibilities: - Lead high stakes, multi million dollar automation projects from concept through production release - Ensure projects meet goals for safety, quality, timing, cost, and operational performance - Own program level planning, capital expenditure budgets, resource allocation, and return on investment - Conduct critical design reviews and provide advanced technical guidance to engineering teams - Mentor junior and mid level engineers and support technical hiring and development - Serve as the primary technical and commercial contact for automation integrators, equipment manufacturers, and machinery OEMs - Define complex statements of work, manage vendor milestones, and reduce supplier risk - Support company wide automation standards and frameworks - Ensure interoperability between custom machinery, industrial robotics, control systems, and enterprise platforms including MES, PLM, and ERP - Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness, data continuity, and factory scalability - Partner with Quality, Operations, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and other internal stakeholders - Translate complex technical information into clear project goals, status updates, and recommendations - Deliver completed automation projects to factory operations teams - Capture lessons learned and incorporate them into future system designs and engineering standards Qualifications: - 10+ years of progressive engineering and technical project leadership experience in advanced manufacturing, systems integration, or industrial automation - Demonstrated success delivering large capital engineering programs with budgets from hundreds of thousands to multiple millions of dollars - Bachelors or Masters degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, Robotics, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field - Deep knowledge of industrial robotics, PLC based control systems, automated material handling, and custom machinery - Ability to serve as an escalation point for complex technical problems - Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills - Experience presenting project status and technical recommendations to management and executive stakeholders - Ability to work effectively with Quality, Operations, Maintenance, and Supply Chain teams Preferred: - Experience delivering highly automated, lights out manufacturing for metal additive manufacturing post processing - Advanced understanding of design for manufacturability, reliability, and maintainability - Experience deploying automation in centralized, high precision manufacturing environments - Familiarity with industrial data systems, factory integration, and digital manufacturing workflows - Experience establishing technical standards and governance across multiple automation projects