WHAT DOES AN OPERATIONS ENGINEER DO?
Updated: Jun 12, 2025 - The Operations Engineer develops and implements scalable automation solutions to streamline manual operational tasks, improve efficiency, and enhance reliability. This position conducts research and analysis to assess new automation processes, establish documentation, and create monitoring and alerting systems for IT infrastructure. The engineer also designs and optimizes technical workflows, policies, and client-specific solutions to enhance overall operational performance.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Operations Engineer
1. Operations Engineer Job Description
- Operations Support: Responsible for day-to-day operations support of the facility
- Troubleshooting: Identify debottlenecking and troubleshooting issues in the plant
- EHS Compliance: Adhere to all site EHS guidelines and regulations
- Root Cause Analysis: Utilize root cause analysis
- Plant Assessment: Interface with operators to assess plant issues
- Technical Solutions: Build highly technical solutions and develop automation solutions
- System Monitoring: On-call monitoring, triaging, and troubleshooting production system issues
- Project Management: Project managing upgrades, planned rollouts, and daily operational challenges
2. Operations Engineer Overview
- Lean Six Sigma: Utilize Lean Six Sigma Principles, find ways to reduce waste, improve production efficiencies to meet on-time delivery, improve product quality and other production metrics
- Manufacturing Operations: Hands-on position, 70% manufacturing floor/30% office ratio
- Maintenance Management: Oversee shop equipment and preventative maintenance schedules
- Project Coordination: Coordinate projects and repairs by reviewing production schedules, process flow, data, and activities
- Contractor Management: Be the point of contact and manage on-site contractor activity ensuring compliance with safety
- Process Improvement: Review and improve production schedules, process flow, data, and activities as identified
- Efficiency Optimization: Produce products and deliver services with maximum efficiency
- Cost Analysis: Perform cost-benefit analysis, ROI and monitor overhead to assist the financial planning process to exceed the yearly budget
- Control System Design: Design and implement control systems to ensure products meet industry standards and improve efficiency
- Communication: Communicate with internal/external partners about product specifications, purchasing, and current production capabilities
3. Operations Engineer Additional Details
- Project Communication: Maintain communication with management on lean project status
- Workflow Optimization: Focus on workflow while balancing many factors including production time, labor requirement, course of action, product quality optimization, removing obstacles
- Technology Utilization: Use technology, ERP system, and all other tools and resources
- Safety and Compliance: Ensure and maintain employees’ safety and environmental concerns
- 5S Implementation: Understand and implement the 5S Visual Management System
- Claims Management: Be actively engaged in the claims process
- Product Reconciliation: Assist with the reconciliation of rejected or secondary product
- Inventory Accuracy: Assist with cycle counting to ensure the accuracy of inventory for the organization
4. Operations Engineer Essential Functions
- Collaboration: Work collaboratively with Axiom's cross-functional teams to understand objectives, gather automation requirements, design automated tests, troubleshoot issues, and implement scalable automation solutions
- IT Infrastructure: Possess a strong understanding of IT infrastructure and how to take manual operational tasks and automate them
- Process Optimization: Reduce the load on technicians and improve efficiency and reliability by streamlining manual processes that are redundant or inconsistent
- Research and Development: Conduct Research and Development to assess new automation solutions and processes
- Documentation: Establish comprehensive documentation detailing automation procedures
- Monitoring and Alerting: Build monitoring and alerting around Axiom's processes, systems, and services
- Client Interaction: Interface with Axiom's clients to gather requirements, and then design, implement, and document customized workflows (runbook creation, user onboardings, user offboardings, etc.)
- Workflow Development: Participate in the development and innovation of Axiom's standard technical workflows, processes, and policies (backup process and policy, termination policy, maintenance process, etc.)
- Data Analysis: Conduct data analysis and provide business insights based upon data to identify areas of opportunity to further improve Axiom's operations and processes
- Scalable Solutions: Workflows and policies created need to be effective, efficient, and scalable
5. Operations Engineer General Responsibilities
- Problem Solving: Created by analyzing and solving problems at their root
- Training and Documentation: Publish, train, and present process documentation to the Axiom organization
- Technical Discovery: Perform technical discovery of the client environment
- Client Interviews: Conduct initial client interviews for client IT data gathering
- Client Documentation: Documentation of client environment including infrastructure, applications, vendors, contacts, and workflows
- Vendor Management: Plan and perform vendor lockout
- System Implementation: System setup and implementation for new clients which may include a Ticketing System, RMM Tool, Knowledgebase, 3rd Party Cloud Portals, Alerting, AV
- Client Presentation: Present client overview to Axiom organization before going live with support