Director of Automation

Strategic & Technical Leadership

• Lead automation software, hardware, and controls engineering teams delivering batch and material‑handling execution systems.

• Define and execute long‑term automation roadmaps for software and hardware platforms, ensuring alignment with business strategy and emerging technologies.

• Ensure automation designs and engineering practices comply with all relevant industrial and regulatory standards, including GAMP, FDA, CE, ATEX, IECEx, NEC, EN13849, EN62061, and IEC62443‑4‑1.

• Drive continuous improvement in engineering quality across documentation, software, hardware, and control panels.

Department Planning, Capacity & Governance

• Create, maintain, and report on departmental resource and capacity plans to ensure delivery against project milestones and business commitments.

• Conduct regular project reviews with stakeholders, providing governance, issue resolution, and performance transparency.

• Support hot‑prospect planning and ensure the department is prepared for upcoming opportunities.

• Define, maintain, and enforce departmental procedures to ensure efficient workflows and consistent execution.

Budget Ownership & Financial Performance

• Manage and report on departmental budgets, project forecasts, and financial performance.

• Ensure projects are delivered efficiently and within financial constraints, controlling departmental non‑recoverable costs.

• Drive cost‑reduction initiatives internally and in collaboration with project management, supply chain, and other teams.

• Make data‑driven decisions that optimize efficiency, quality, and project profitability.

People Leadership & Capability Development

• Build a strong leadership pipeline and develop future leaders through structured capability‑building programs.

• Drive in‑house competency development to strengthen internal capability and reduce reliance on external resources.

• Develop and maintain external resource partnerships to supplement departmental capacity when required.

• Manage the departmental skills matrix and lead training programs to ensure the team’s technical and leadership growth.

Customer & Commercial Engagement

• Maintain a strong customer‑centric approach, ensuring timely responses, high satisfaction, and professional engagement.

• Support sales teams with technical input for front‑end quotations and proposals.

• Provide expertise to after‑sales service teams for upgrades, retrofits, and maintenance support.

• Travel as required to support customer engagements, project execution, team activities, and company initiatives.

• Education: Degree or Master’s in Automation or related field

• 10+ years of experience in automation engineering, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.

• Extensive experience in automation within life sciences or similarly regulated industries.

• Strong knowledge of automation standards, regulatory frameworks, and functional safety.

• Proven track record of leading engineering teams and delivering complex automation projects.

• Demonstrated experience in budget ownership, financial reporting, and cost‑control initiatives.

• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and decision‑making skills.

• Customer‑focused, quality‑driven, and committed to delivery excellence.

• Collaborative leader who inspires teams, drives accountability, and navigates complexity effectively.