Automation and Reliability Project Manager

The Automation & Reliability Lead will specify systems, processes, and solutions that can solve current manufacturing issues and provide capacity standardization across manufacturing locations. The primary focus of this role will be on Howmet Engines North American Structural Casting manufacturing facilities in the United States and Europe. The primary objectives of this role include supporting the plants to ensure that reliability plans are in place sustainable capital projects are progressing on time and within budget and to partner with an automation firm and the manufacturing plants to develop opportunities to supplement current plant capacity and lead the implementation of these initiatives quickly and effectively across all locations.

Focus areas include:

• Project Planning and Management:
  • Initiate and oversee automation projects from concept through deployment.
  • Develop detailed project plans including engineering deliverables, timelines, resources, BOM lists, budgets.
  • Generate and present reports on project progress, performance, and outcomes
• Technical Oversight:
  • Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues.
  • Provide technical guidance and expertise to the automation team and plant facilities management.
  • Support the review and approve technical designs, code, and configurations as needed.
• Tool and Technology Selection:
  • Evaluate and select appropriate automation partners, tools and technologies.
  • Stay updated on industry trends and emerging technologies.
• System Design and Implementation:
  • Partner with a third party and the plants to design and implement automation solutions to meet business needs.
  • Ensure solutions are scalable, reliable, and maintainable
• Facilitation of communication and alignment
  • Create connections between the manufacturing locations; act as conduit between location-based automation professionals.
  • Collaborate with plant-level professionals (maintenance, production, continuous improvement, and engineering) on problem solving activities, cost reduction initiatives and the performance efficiency improvement of manufacturing equipment reliability plans, guiding them towards leading solutions in automation.

Major Activities and Key Challenges Include:

• Improve current asset utilization and implement supplemental capacity solutions via automation to address known capacity constraints across the plant level VSMs.
• Ability to identify, clearly communicate and resolve production and equipment issues as part of a team.
• Participate in the development of long-range process and facilities planning, capital expenditure projects and automation programs aimed at capacity expansion to meet customer demand.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering from an accredited institution
• Minimum 10 years of electrical/automation experience
• Minimum 5 years of electrical/automation experience in a manufacturing environment
• Minimum 3 years project management experience related to automation/electrical overhaul of manufacturing equipment (aged equipment, modernization, product tracking systems)
• At least 25% travel will be required for this role
• Employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
• This position entails access to export-controlled items and employment offers are conditioned upon an applicant's ability to lawfully obtain access to such items.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from an accredited institution
• Working knowledge of electrical and mechanical systems to include hydraulic, pneumatic, combustion, control systems and measurement feedback systems
• Working knowledge of Rockwell Automation and Fanuc control systems
• Experience programming industrial robots
• Knowledge of lean manufacturing principles