Automation Reliability & Performance Manager

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Automation Reliability & Performance Manager owns the performance and reliability of the robotic assembly equipment at our Florence, Kentucky production facility. This role leads a team of Automation Engineers, reports to the Site Operations Director, and serves as the link between the production floor and Bright Machines’ Automation/Controls, Software, Systems Engineering, Mechanical Design, and Quality teams, as well as equipment vendors. You’ll use downtime data, structured loss analysis, and hands-on troubleshooting to turn every stop and fault into prioritized improvements, raise machine availability, and build the maintenance program, rapid-build shop, and spare parts storeroom that sustain those gains. Strong leadership, data discipline, and experience in automated manufacturing environments are key to success.

This role supports a 24/7 manufacturing site. Your Automation Engineers cover a primary on-call rotation, and you serve as the final escalation point outside standard hours.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

• Own technical availability for all robotic and automated equipment on site
• Standardize downtime capture, including failure reason codes, stop definitions (including microstops), and structured shift logs from Automation Engineers
• Pareto losses by frequency, duration, and impact; maintain a ranked top-loss list and drive countermeasures to closure, verified with before/after data
• Partner with Automation/Controls, Software, Systems Engineering, Quality, and vendors on fixes, and feed recurring failure modes into the Bright Machines equipment and software roadmap
• Report weekly on availability, MTBF, MTTR, top-loss closure rate, PM completion, parts availability, and data capture completeness; represent technical performance at daily standups and gemba walks
• Lead, hire, and develop a team of Automation Engineers covering 24/7 operations, including scheduling, on-call rotation, and coaching on root cause analysis
• Own maintenance safety for robotic equipment, including LOTO, NFPA 70E, robot cell safety (ISO 10218 / ANSI/RIA R15.06), and verification of safety systems during PM and acceptance
• Build and run a full-spectrum maintenance program (autonomous, preventive, corrective, and predictive), including criticality ranking, PM schedules, calibration, and the CMMS
• Serve as technical lead for final acceptance of new equipment, ensuring documentation, backups, spares, and safety validation are complete before production
• Run the on-site rapid-build shop for fixtures, jigs, and end-of-arm tooling, and manage spare parts inventory, budget, and vendor relationships

WHAT YOU BRING

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Mechatronics Engineering (or equivalent hands-on experience)
• 7+ years in reliability, maintenance, or automation engineering, including 3+ years leading a technical team in a high-mix robotic or automated environment
• Proven record of improving equipment availability through structured loss analysis, with before/after results
• Experience building or improving downtime data capture, including reason codes, stop definitions, and data quality discipline
• Strong root cause analysis skills (5-Why, fishbone, PFMEA) and working knowledge of OEE loss structures, TPM, and criticality-based maintenance planning
• Hands-on familiarity with automation hardware (servo systems, pneumatics, vision, conveyors, end-of-arm tooling) and the ability to troubleshoot PLC logic and industrial robot controllers
• Solid grounding in maintenance safety, including LOTO, NFPA 70E, and robot cell safety systems
• Experience with a CMMS (SAP PM, Fiix, UpKeep, or equivalent)
• Ability to drive improvements through teams you don’t manage, using data rather than escalation
• Clear written and verbal communication, with concise reporting and well-framed escalations
• Availability outside standard hours as the final escalation point for a 24/7 operation

IT WOULD BE NICE IF YOU HAD

• Experience with a CMMS (SAP PM, Fiix, UpKeep, or equivalent)
• Experience building a full-spectrum maintenance program (AM, PM, CM, and PdM) from scratch
• Experience with data-driven or AI-assisted predictive maintenance, including turning equipment data into maintenance triggers
• Experience leading technical machine acceptance, including schematics, spare parts lists, PLC backups, and license documentation
• Experience standing up or managing a spare parts storeroom with accountability for availability and cost
• Proficiency with data tools such as SQL or Power BI for loss analysis
• Experience developing training for engineers who then coach operators
• Background in electronics, server, or data center hardware manufacturing