WHAT DOES AN AUTOMATION ENGINEER DO?

The Automation Engineer is responsible for maintaining exceptional customer service to all end users and internal staff while responding to escalated incident requests within defined time frames. Monitors the infrastructure for problems, proactively resolving identified issues, and participates in projects with high operational, tactical, technical, or business impact. Designs and builds automation tests using the Robot automation framework creates scripts for testing and collaborates with QA Engineers and Software Developers to enhance automation testing coverage.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Automation Engineer

1. Automation Engineer Duties

  • Testing: Performing testing to ensure interoperability of components, internal and external.
  • Integration Testing: Integration test scripts will be developed to emulate use of the software under test by users.
  • Regression Testing: Conducting testing against all previous test cases and results.
  • Error Detection: Ensure new code, functionality, or new releases have not introduced errors to existing functionality.
  • Automation: Support the accelerated rollout schedule, automate all regression test scripts using the currently available test tool or an Open Source Agile Tool.
  • Security Testing: Conducting system and application level mandated security control testing and validation.
  • Documentation: Develop and prepare documentation for design control procedures, requirements, test cases, SOPs, IQ/OQ/PQ, and related documents.
  • Research and Analysis: Research and analyze product development projects with engineering tools and report on the progress and conclusions.
  • Production Support: Develop and assist all production departments, including QA, in testing optical, mechanical, and electrical assemblies.
  • Product Transfer: Ensure adequate transfer of newly developed products and associated accounts to all relevant departments.

2. Automation Engineer Details

  • Automation Evaluation: Work with Site Automation Engineers to evaluate, deploy, and support automation and IIoT infrastructure.
  • IIoT Support: Provide IoT/automation technical support and execution of projects from initial concept to closeout.
  • System Configuration: Configure and maintain manufacturing execution systems, process control system historians, collectors, and interfaces between these systems and enterprise resource planning systems.
  • Performance Assurance: Interact with IT Infrastructure & network teams to ensure the performance of the application and systems.
  • Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot and assist users with issues related to MES, HMIs, and related equipment/systems.
  • Device Maintenance: Work with Hub/Site Automation engineers to install, repair, and maintain PLCs, sensors, and IIoT devices.
  • Training: Provide training on IIoT applications and devices for the operations and maintenance teams.
  • Contractor Coordination: Serve as the point of contact with external contractors for automation-related issues and enhancements.
  • Technology Implementation: Implement new technologies through POCs and deployment projects.
  • System Support: Support sites in maintaining automation systems, software, and hardware.

3. Automation Engineer Responsibilities

  • Equipment Support: Support the operation and troubleshooting of manufacturing equipment.
  • Control Systems: Control systems used in the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals.
  • Operational Support: Provide on-the-floor operational support and support the maintenance department.
  • Equipment Qualification: Support qualification of new equipment and upgrades to existing equipment/systems.
  • Maintenance Review: Provide equipment maintenance history review and second shift coverage.
  • Investigations and Audits: Support investigations, change controls, and audits.
  • Testability Champion: Championing testability and providing input and guidance to the organization.
  • Test Strategy: Creating, maintaining, and executing test strategies.
  • Automation Tasks: Identifying day-to-day automation tasks and evolving the test framework.
  • Technical Development: Keep abreast of new technical developments in the market.

4. Automation Quality Engineer Job Summary

  • Test Planning: Perform test planning, test development, validation, automation framework.
  • Test Coverage: Improve test coverage using different testing techniques on assigned projects.
  • Automation Strategy: Automate repeated tasks and test execution as part of the testing strategy.
  • QA Process: Build, execute, and maintain automation, test strategy, and QA process.
  • Metrics Maintenance: Keep and maintain QA & Automation metrics and trend & test data, deployment status, and environment status.
  • Metrics Evaluation: Summarize and evaluate key metrics and provide guidance and direction for automation & QA and follow-on stability.
  • Issue Resolution: Perform issue reporting, research, analysis, confirmation, and support resolution on assigned projects.
  • QA Support: Perform a variety of QA and test-related support tasks for the internal development team.
  • Documentation: Maintain the quality of test activity and generate documentation and reports.
  • Test Organization: Organize test processes, results, and data to be scalable.
  • Test Technique Investigation: Investigate test techniques to develop improved test processes and software.

5. Automation Engineer Accountabilities

  • Automation Solutions: Analysis, design, develop, deploy, and maintain automation solutions such as chatbots, RPA bots, and voice assistants under the guidance of senior automation architects and developers.
  • Process Design: Design and deliver future-state processes that enhance member interactions.
  • Infrastructure Monitoring: Monitor and maintain automation infrastructure and software.
  • Architecture Contribution: Contribute to RACQ automation architecture and roadmap.
  • Production Support: Ensure that the production environments are manned during RACQ required support hours.
  • Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders.
  • Guidance and Troubleshooting: Provide guidance in troubleshooting issues and implementing improvements.
  • Quality Assurance: Check the end-to-end journeys from frontend to backend, ensuring quality is embedded at each level.
  • System Support: Provide support on automation systems for production and ancillary equipment by collaborating with cross-functional teams.

6. Automation Engineer Functions

  • PLC Programming: Programming and installing PLCs, including but not limited to Allen-Bradley and Siemens processors.
  • HMI Programming: Programming and installing HMIs, including but not limited to Rockwell FactoryTalk View, Wonderware InTouch, Ignition, and others.
  • VFD Programming: Programming and installing VFDs, including but not limited to PowerFlex, Schneider, ABB, and others.
  • Networking: Working with networking components, including but not limited to Ethernet/IP, ControlNet, and DeviceNet.
  • Device Calibration: Calibrating, troubleshooting, testing, repairing, and improving sensing, measurements, and actuation devices.
  • System Design: Automation and controls system design, specifications, programming, simulation, testing, and start-up assistance.
  • Data Structure: Assisting in defining the data structure layout and data flow model.
  • Documentation: Providing detailed documentation to clients on system design and programming.
  • Collaboration: Working alongside developers, design, and the product manager.
  • Product Improvement: Advance already distinguished product offering.

7. Automation Engineer Job Description

  • Business Analysis: Analysis of business requirements and processes and developing test scenarios and test cases.
  • Test Automation: Implementation of test automation in line with the Automation Framework for the programme.
  • UI and System Testing: Testing the UI, legacy Model 204, APIs, SAP CRM, PSCD, and the target migration to PEGA.
  • Test Data Matrices: Develop test data matrices to ensure maximum coverage in automation.
  • Status Reporting: Report on status, tasks, development of testing artifacts, and execution of testing.
  • Regression Scripts: Creation of end-to-end automation scripts to form a regression baseline.
  • Team Collaboration: Liaise and work closely with SAFe Agile distributed teams, including vendors (e.g., Infosys).
  • CI/CD and DevOps: Participate and contribute to the implementation of CI/CD and DevOps automation.
  • Asset Transition: Transition the automation assets from project to Business As Usual (BAU) teams.
  • Test Data Management: Develop scripts for the Test Data Management Strategy to support specific needs for a complex and high transaction processing engine.

8. Automation Engineer Overview

  • Static Test Reviews: Perform static test reviews of the business requirements/user stories documents.
  • Test Conditions: Develop test conditions and build automated test cases for phase-level testing using appropriate tools and techniques.
  • Automated Test Assets: Design, implement, and maintain functional/non-functional automated test assets.
  • Quality Assurance: Ensure the desired level of quality and test coverage.
  • Performance Assessment: Conduct performance assessments for any change and application performance monitoring solutions for the resilience of core systems.
  • Team Collaboration: Collaborate closely within the scrum team to drive testability in solution design.
  • Best Practices: Promote best test engineering practices in the development process.
  • Traceability: Establish traceability and coverage through effective mapping of test cases and scripts to acceptance criteria as defined in the user story.
  • Test Engineering Advice: Advise and apply best test engineering practices, supporting tools, and technologies to specific features and projects.
  • Automation Description: Assist in developing a functional description of the automation solution, such as the control scheme, alarms, HMI, reports, and others.

9. Automation Engineer Details and Accountabilities

  • Leadership: Lead other process control engineers and/or technicians regarding automation systems.
  • Productivity Improvement: Assess/analyze, advise, and propose improvements for delivering higher productivity, reliability, capacity, and compliance.
  • Engineering Support: Partner with other engineering teams to provide efficient, proactive, and effective support to manufacturing.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with cross-functional teams and manage the administration of control systems.
  • Engineering Practices: Contribute to, administer, and drive Good Engineering Practices. Ensure that they are applied in all support and project activities.
  • Project Management: Schedule and lead a team through the planning and execution of a smaller project or defined piece of a larger project.
  • Project Scheduling: Construct detailed, accurate project schedules, interfacing with cross-functional development groups and technical support groups.
  • Cost Estimation: Contribute to cost estimating of major capital budget items and the spending of approved project funds.
  • Financial Planning: Perform financial planning and assist in the analysis to justify project approval.

10. Automation Engineer Duties

  • Test Case Design: Create and drive the design of automation test cases in a Continuous Integration (CI) environment.
  • Issue Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot issues using Splunk/Elasticsearch logs plus other tracing tools.
  • Bug Reporting: Report detailed bug reports in Jira/Pivotal.
  • Test Strategy: Create the test strategy of the system under test alongside developers and other automation engineers.
  • Quality Assurance: Execute various testing techniques to ensure the delivery of quality code.
  • Automated Test Suites: Create automated test suites and embed within delivery pipelines for both functional and non-functional acceptance criteria.
  • Project Management: Manage routine small projects with complex features without assistance.
  • Customer Service: Investigate and analyze customer service problems and design improvement suggestions.
  • Design Improvements: Recommend design improvements through adaptations and modifications of standard technical principles.
  • Collaboration: Collaborate by influencing through relationships and drive for results by mobilizing high performance.

11. Automation Engineer Details

  • Automation Systems: Specifying, programming, troubleshooting, defining preventative maintenance, and training others.
  • PLC Systems: Creating and maintaining PLC-based automation systems for new and existing machines.
  • Data Integration: Integrate PLC data into level 3 (Ignition) and level 4 (Plex).
  • Issue Investigation: Investigate complaints from production and maintenance, determine root cause of issues.
  • Corrective Measures: Recommend, design, and implement corrective measures.
  • Collaboration: Work with production, maintenance, quality, and safety to deliver optimized solutions.
  • Engineering Calculations: Perform detailed calculations in support of projects.
  • Engineering Software: Use computer-assisted engineering and design software and equipment to perform engineering tasks.
  • System Upgrades: Upgrade older relay-based systems to PLC-based systems, including configuring HMI (Human Machine Interface) devices such as touch screens and display panels.
  • Electrical Schematics: Create and update existing plant electrical schematics in AutoCAD and AM Teamwork.

12. Automation Engineer Responsibilities

  • Power Schematics: Creating one-line power schematics for the entire facility.
  • Work Instructions: Generate work instructions, preventative maintenance schedules, and procedures.
  • Vendor Coordination: Work with outside vendors and contractors to perform specialized repairs.
  • Electrical Drawings: Revise plant electrical drawings and create Excel spreadsheets to analyze data.
  • Data Presentation: Present data from the shop floor and revise maintenance manuals and lube sheets.
  • Engineering Support: Assist other plant engineers with upgrades/maintenance on existing plant hardware and equipment.
  • Equipment Design: Design, develop, test, and/or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, and systems as it applies to equipment, plant operations, and data collection.
  • Project Management: Manage capital projects for new equipment, processes, and equipment upgrades.
  • Installation Inspection: Inspect completed installations/projects and confirm conformance.

13. Automation Engineer Job Summary

  • Customer Service: Maintain exceptional customer service to all end users and internal staff.
  • Incident Response: Respond to escalated incident requests within defined time frames.
  • Documentation: Generate and maintain exceptional documentation and knowledgebase articles.
  • Infrastructure Monitoring: Monitor the infrastructure for problems and proactively resolve identified issues.
  • Project Participation: Participate in projects with high operational, tactical, technical, or business impact.
  • Design Compliance: Ensure design and equipment specifications comply with operational and safety standards.
  • Automation Testing: Design and build automation tests using the Robot automation framework.
  • Script Creation: Design and create scripts for testing usage and to support the automation environment.
  • Failure Analysis: Analyze and debug failures and issues found during test cycles and deliver reports identifying these issues.
  • Team Collaboration: Collaborate with QA Engineers and Software Developers to develop automation testing coverage.

14. Automation Engineer Accountabilities

  • Automation Strategy: Define the automation strategy and budget for investment projects in the process industry.
  • DCS/SIS Optimization: Evaluate and optimize DCS/SIS of existing plants, providing the best solutions for plants.
  • Standardization: Work with international automation experts to standardize the DCS/SIS in the company.
  • DCS-PIMS Integration: Work with PIMS engineers for the connection between DCS and PIMS.
  • OT Threat Checking: Regularly check the threat of OT and develop a defined strategy for plants.
  • Vendor Relations: Maintain the relationship with DCS/SIS vendors and troubleshoot running systems.
  • Tool Shop Design: Design the layout of the automation tool shop (equipment needed, tooling needed, etc.).
  • Automation Design: Design and engineer moderately complex automation equipment, tooling, and applications.
  • Design Reviews: Participate in design reviews and implement cost-effective automation.
  • Status Reporting: Provide status reports as per the established schedule.

15. Automation Engineer Functions

  • PLC/HMI Software: Evolve existing PLC/HMI software to successfully land the production process on the automated equipment.
  • Control Systems: Develop control systems and assist other engineers with the conceptualization, detailed definition, and development of equipment.
  • Instrument Deployment: Deploy finished operational instruments for use at Moderna.
  • Test Planning: Determine priority for test scenarios and create execution plans to implement these scenarios.
  • Documentation: Prepare and maintain documentation related to the operation of the automation equipment.
  • Project Management: Drive the team to achieve project closure on time.
  • Automation Opportunities: Look for automation opportunities across the operation.
  • Test Automation Framework: Build a test automation framework and maintain the existing suite of automated tests to be used by the entire Agile squad.
  • Test Cases: Develop and maintain functional test cases, system & integration test cases.
  • Test Artifacts: Create and maintain test artifacts like test data, test cases, and automated scripts used in the SDLC.
Relevant Information
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