{"id":2312782,"url":"https://alion.io/job/astrazeneca-lead-automation-engineer","title":"Lead Automation Engineer","company":{"id":13195,"name":"AstraZeneca","domain":"astrazeneca.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/astra-zeneca","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":94,"open_postings":171,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.415,"repost_share":0.053,"time_to_fill_p50_days":14,"computed_at":"2026-10-12T06:55:09Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Frederick, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":108194,"max":162291,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":162291},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"CAPA","optional":false},{"name":"PID Control","optional":false},{"name":"TCP/IP","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-11T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-11","last_verified_at":"2026-10-12T05:47:14Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":1,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":1},"description":"Our Frederick Manufacturing Center (FMC) creates life-changing medicines for people around the world and has been recognized by our local community as being a Top 50’ Business in Frederick and awarded Frederick County’s ‘Best Place to Work’. This distinctive biologic manufacturing facility, with over 800 employees, makes a direct contribution to treating people with cancer, respiratory and autoimmune conditions across the globe. We work hard to deliver life-changing medicines to patients, and we take time to have fun and celebrate our accomplishments. From catered site festivities to competitive events, community outreach activities, environmental and wellness showcases and team-building functions, we take time to recognize our achievements and celebrate our diversity. We are dedicated to creating a culture of inclusion and collaboration and are committed to continuous learning by offering ongoing skill building and training for our staff. Fueled by our aspiration to deliver accelerated growth for our company and to make people’s lives better, there’s never been a more exciting time to join the team and shape the future of AstraZeneca Operations.\nThe Lead Automation Engineer provides technical leadership for automation engineering activities supporting capital projects, technology transfers, lifecycle management, continuous improvement, and small-to-medium control system upgrades at a biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility. The role is accountable for the design, integration, implementation, commissioning, validation, and ongoing technical support of process control and automation systems, with primary responsibility for Emerson DeltaV DCS and Rockwell Automation PLC/FactoryTalk systems. The Lead Automation Engineer serves as a automation technical authority across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Process Development, Facilities, IT/OT, Validation, and external engineering partners. The role ensures that automation solutions are safe, reliable, maintainable, scalable, compliant with cGMP requirements, and aligned with site and enterprise automation standards. The position will lead automation scope for capital projects and provide hands-on engineering support for smaller system modifications, including troubleshooting, software and hardware changes, system upgrades, control strategy improvements, alarm management, data integration, and obsolescence-related activities. The role also provides technical direction, coaching, and mentoring to Automation Engineers, contractors, system integrators, and project teams. This position may participate in an on-call or escalation rotation to support continuous manufacturing operations.\nResponsibilities\nTechnical ownership: Serve as the automation technical lead for assigned capital projects, process improvements, technology transfers, equipment installations, and control system lifecycle initiatives.\nControl system design: Develop, review, and approve automation concepts, system architectures, control narratives, functional specifications, software design specifications, instrument indexes, I/O assignments, network diagrams, alarm philosophies, and control strategies.\nDeltaV systems: Lead the design, configuration, programming, testing, commissioning, troubleshooting, and lifecycle management of Emerson DeltaV DCS applications, including control modules, equipment modules, phases, unit procedures, recipes, graphics, alarms, historian interfaces, batch functionality, and system infrastructure.\nRockwell and FactoryTalk systems: Lead or provide technical oversight for Rockwell PLC and FactoryTalk applications, including ControlLogix and CompactLogix platforms, FactoryTalk View, FactoryTalk Batch where applicable, HMI applications, communication networks, safety systems, VFD interfaces, and packaged equipment integrations.\nSmall upgrades and modifications: Independently scope and execute control system changes such as recipe updates, sequence modifications, alarm changes, HMI enhancements, instrumentation changes, equipment integrations, software upgrades, reports, historian tags, network changes, and obsolescence replacements.\nTechnical ownership: Serve as the automation technical lead for assigned capital projects, process improvements, technology transfers, equipment installations, and control system lifecycle initiatives.\nControl system design: Develop, review, and approve automation concepts, system architectures, control narratives, functional specifications, software design specifications, instrument indexes, I/O assignments, network diagrams, alarm philosophies, and control strategies.\nDeltaV systems: Lead the design, configuration, programming, testing, commissioning, troubleshooting, and lifecycle management of Emerson DeltaV DCS applications, including control modules, equipment modules, phases, unit procedures, recipes, graphics, alarms, historian interfaces, batch functionality, and system infrastructure.\nRockwell and FactoryTalk systems: Lead or provide technical oversight for Rockwell PLC and FactoryTalk applications, including ControlLogix and CompactLogix platforms, FactoryTalk View, FactoryTalk Batch where applicable, HMI applications, communication networks, safety systems, VFD interfaces, and packaged equipment integrations.\nSmall upgrades and modifications: Independently scope and execute control system changes such as recipe updates, sequence modifications, alarm changes, HMI enhancements, instrumentation changes, equipment integrations, software upgrades, reports, historian tags, network changes, and obsolescence replacements.\nSystems integration: Ensure effective integration among DeltaV, Rockwell PLCs, FactoryTalk applications, MES/electronic batch record systems, historians, building management systems, laboratory systems, enterprise applications, and third-party equipment.\nStandards and architecture: Establish and maintain site automation standards for hardware, software, programming, graphics, alarm management, batch configuration, networking, cybersecurity, naming conventions, source-code management, and system documentation.\nLifecycle management: Evaluate system health, reliability, capacity, maintainability, cybersecurity, vendor support, and obsolescence. Develop and implement lifecycle strategies, including upgrades, migrations, backups, disaster recovery, spares, and replacement plans.\nCapital Project Delivery\nProject leadership: Lead automation engineering scope for small-to-large capital projects from concept development and feasibility through design, procurement, construction, commissioning, qualification, operational handover, and closeout.\nProject planning: Define automation scope, deliverables, resource requirements, schedules, cost estimates, risks, assumptions, interfaces, and execution strategies.\nDesign reviews: Lead or participate in design reviews, including process automation, instrumentation, electrical, network, cybersecurity, data integrity, maintainability, operability, and safety reviews.\nVendor and contractor management: Provide technical direction to system integrators, automation vendors, EPC contractors, equipment manufacturers, and commissioning organizations. Review deliverables for technical quality, compliance, completeness, and alignment with site standards.\nEquipment integration: Ensure that skids, process equipment, utilities, packaging systems, and other automated assets are appropriately integrated into the site control architecture and operational model.\nProject interfaces: Coordinate automation interfaces with Process Engineering, Manufacturing, Facilities, Quality, Validation, IT/OT, EHS, Supply Chain, and other project disciplines.\nCapital governance: Provide automation input to project estimates, schedules, change requests, risk registers, procurement decisions, design reviews, stage gates, and management reporting.\nCommissioning, Qualification, and Validation\nTesting strategy: Develop and approve automation test strategies, test plans, Factory Acceptance Test protocols, Site Acceptance Test protocols, commissioning plans, and qualification documentation.\nFAT and SAT execution: Lead or support FAT, SAT, loop checks, I/O verification, functional testing, sequence testing, alarm testing, interlock testing, communications testing, failure-mode testing, and performance testing.\nValidation support: Provide automation subject-matter expertise for commissioning, qualification, computerized system validation, and computer software assurance activities, and requirements traceability.\nRequirements traceability: Ensure that user requirements, functional requirements, design specifications, risk assessments, test cases, deviations, and acceptance criteria are complete and appropriately linked.\nDefect management: Manage test discrepancies, punch-list items, deviations, and corrective actions through documented resolution and approval.\nHandover: Ensure that automation systems are transferred to site operations with complete documentation, training, backups, licenses, source code, spare parts, maintenance procedures, and support arrangements.\nManufacturing Support and Troubleshooting\nOperational support: Provide technical support to Manufacturing, Facilities, Process Engineering, Quality Control, and Maintenance for automation-related issues affecting process performance, equipment availability, product quality, or compliance.\nRoot-cause investigations: Lead troubleshooting and investigations involving control system software, instrumentation, networks, equipment interfaces, sequences, alarms, batch execution, data collection, and operator interaction.\nDeviation and CAPA support: Support or lead automation-related deviation investigations, root-cause analyses, corrective and preventive actions, change controls, and effectiveness checks.\nReliability improvement: Identify recurring failure modes and implement improvements to increase system availability, reduce unplanned downtime, improve alarm performance, and strengthen operational resilience.\nOn-call escalation: Participate in the site automation support rotation and provide timely escalation support for critical control system, process monitoring, or network issues.\nField support: Conduct field walkdowns, verify instrument and equipment conditions, support loop checks, assess control panels and cabinets, and validate that installed systems match approved engineering documentation.\nCompliance, Data Integrity, and Cybersecurity\ncGMP compliance: Ensure automation activities are executed in accordance with applicable cGMP requirements, site procedures, quality systems, engineering standards, and approved change control processes.\nGAMP and assurance practices: Apply risk-based approaches consistent with GAMP 5, computer software assurance principles, lifecycle management, and site validation procedures.\nData integrity: Ensure that electronic records, audit trails, alarms, batch records, historian data, user access, system time synchronization, backups, and data interfaces support applicable data integrity expectations.\nCybersecurity: Apply applicable OT cybersecurity requirements, including secure architecture, account management, patching, backup and recovery, network segmentation, remote access controls, antivirus or application allowlisting, and change governance.\nAudit and inspection support: Provide technical support during internal audits, customer audits, regulatory inspections, and quality reviews. Clearly explain automation systems, controls, testing, data flows, and lifecycle practices.\nDocumentation control: Maintain accurate and current system specifications, drawings, source-code records, software inventories, network documentation, operating procedures, test records, and engineering files.\nPeople and Functional Leadership\nTeam leadership: Lead cross-functional automation teams and provide technical direction to Automation technicians, contractors, consultants, and system integrators.\nCoaching and mentoring: Train a...","description_format":"text","description_chars":22156,"description_truncated":true,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"high_school","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Continuous learning","Equity","Retirement plans"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Information Security","Oncology Therapeutics","Rare Disease Therapeutics","Cardiometabolic Therapeutics"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-12T02:20:14Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":1,"expected_fill_days":14,"reasons":["conf:1","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-12T06:55:09Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":162291,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/astrazeneca-lead-automation-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/astrazeneca-lead-automation-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-12T15:03:24Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":23772,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-13T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":13195},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=13195"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fastrazeneca-lead-automation-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fastrazeneca-lead-automation-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fastrazeneca-lead-automation-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/astrazeneca-lead-automation-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fastrazeneca-lead-automation-engineer"}]}