Senior Electrical Automation Systems Engineer - San Leandro, CA

Senior Electrical Automation Systems Engineer

In this highly specialized role, you’ll bring deep hands-on expertise in industrial automation, electrical systems, and IT/OT integration to support the startup of our new sauce manufacturing area while strengthening and modernizing automation across the broader factory. You’ll work closely with Operations, Maintenance, IT, and Engineering to translate complex technical systems into reliable, safe, and supportable solutions that perform in real-world manufacturing environments.

Reporting to the Principal Automation & Controls Engineer, you’ll act as a technical leader, owning automation and electrical system design, commissioning, troubleshooting, and lifecycle support. You’ll also mentor junior engineers, guide contractors and integrators, and help establish standards and best practices that build long-term capability across the Engineering team.

Success Factors (First 12–24 Months)

• Automation & Electrical Systems Leader: You’ve played a critical role in the successful startup and stabilization of the electrical and automation systems supporting our new sauce manufacturing area. From power distribution and control panels to PLCs, SCADA, and industrial networks, you ensured systems were designed, implemented, and commissioned to meet performance, safety, and reliability expectations. You brought strong technical judgment to both new installations and upgrades of aging equipment, helping the plant scale capacity while reducing risk and downtime.
• IT/OT Integration Specialist: You served as a key bridge between manufacturing operations, maintenance teams, and IT partners—bringing clarity and practical solutions where traditional IT or OT approaches alone were not sufficient. By applying strong IT/OT integration skills, you supported secure and reliable connectivity across PLCs, SCADA, historians, databases, managed switches, and enterprise systems. Your work ensured data flowed effectively from the factory floor to business systems while maintaining appropriate cybersecurity and operational safeguards.
• Project & Contractor Leadership: You successfully led electrical and automation scopes within capital and improvement projects, managing timelines, budgets, technical deliverables, and change control. You coordinated system integrators, panel builders, and installers by reviewing designs, overseeing installations, and ensuring documentation and standards were met. Through clear communication and technical leadership, you helped projects transition smoothly from engineering into operations with minimal disruption.
• Operational Support & Reliability Partner: Following startup, you became a trusted technical partner to Operations and Maintenance by supporting day-to-day troubleshooting, system optimization, and lifecycle management of automation platforms. You helped teams understand system behavior, supported root cause analysis of complex failures, and implemented improvements that increased reliability, maintainability, and efficiency. Your presence helped ensure automation systems were not only sophisticated, but also practical and supportable.
• Continuous Improvement & Technical Evolution: You actively identified opportunities to modernize and improve automation platforms, addressing reliability gaps, simplifying architectures, and extending the useful life of critical systems. You contributed to automation standards, object-oriented programming practices, documentation, and asset management strategies that improved consistency across the plant. Through data analytics, historian tools, and system insights, you supported continuous improvement efforts tied to performance, quality, and operational excellence.
• Technical Mentor & Team Multiplier: You shared your expertise generously mentoring junior automation engineers and serving as a technical resource to the broader Engineering team. Through coaching, design reviews, and hands-on problem-solving, you helped elevate technical capability, reinforce best practices, and promote knowledge transfer. Your leadership strengthened the team’s ability to support complex systems independently and sustainably.

What You’ll Bring

• BS in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, or Computer Engineering, or equivalent combination of degree in related technical field plus industry experience.
• 10+ years of experience in electrical and industrial automation engineering
• 5+ years of experience embedded in a manufacturing plant environment supporting live production systems
• 5+ years working with or for system integrators delivering automation solutions
• Proven experience leading automation and electrical scopes for medium-to-large capital projects
• Deep hands-on expertise with Rockwell Automation platforms (ControlLogix, CompactLogix)
• Strong PLC programming skills using structured text, ladder logic, SFC, and modular design
• Experience with FactoryTalk View SE SCADA and manufacturing historians (e.g., Historian SE, OSI PI)
• Working knowledge of industrial networks and protocols (EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, AS-i, VFDs)
• Experience integrating OT systems with IT infrastructure (SQL databases, Active Directory, managed networks, virtual environments)
• Familiarity with food manufacturing processes and utilities (HTST, CIP, RO water preferred)
• Experience with automation commissioning, validation, and startup support
• Strong understanding of electrical codes and standards (NFPA, NEC, ISA)
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with Operations, Maintenance, IT, and external vendors
• A safety-first mindset with experience supporting compliance and risk assessments