Staff Automation Engineer

Work Schedule

First Shift (Days)

Environmental Conditions

Able to lift 40 lbs. without assistance, Adherence to all Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Safety Standards, Cleanroom: no hair products, jewelry, makeup, nail polish, perfume, exposed piercings, facial hair etc... allowed, Cold Room/Freezers -22degreesF/-6degrees C, Laboratory Setting, Loud Noises (Equipment/Machinery), Office, Some degree of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) required (safety glasses, gowning, gloves, lab coat, ear plugs etc.), Strong Odors (chemical, lubricants, biological products etc.)

Job Description

As part of the Thermo Fisher Scientific team, you’ll discover meaningful work that makes a positive impact on a global scale. Join our colleagues in bringing our Mission to life every single day to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We provide our global teams with the resources needed to achieve individual career goals while helping to take science a step beyond by developing solutions for some of the world’s toughest challenges, like protecting the environment, making sure our food is safe or helping find cures for cancer.

DESCRIPTION:
Join our team as a Staff Engineer, Systems Design at Thermo Fisher Scientific, is a senior technical leader responsible for architecting, designing, and overseeing complex automation systems across product development, bioprocessing platforms, laboratory automation, and/or manufacturing environments. This role drives end-to-end system design from requirements definition through deployment and lifecycle support, ensuring scalable, compliant, and high-performance automation solutions.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise in distributed control systems, batch automation, and PLC-based controls with strong systems engineering discipline and cross-functional leadership.

Key Responsibilities:

System Architecture & Design

• Lead the design and development of complex automation systems including DCS, PLC, supervisory control, and software-integrated platforms.
• Architect integrated solutions involving DeltaV, Unicorn, KFCOM, and PLC-based control systems.
• Design systems aligned with ISA-88 (S88) batch control standards and ISA-95 (S95) enterprise-control integration models.
• Define system architecture, interface specifications, equipment models, data flows, and control strategies.
• Translate product, process, and business requirements into scalable and standardized automation solutions.

Batch Control & Standards Implementation:

• Design and implement batch control strategies, including equipment modules, control modules, phases, operations, and recipes in accordance with ISA-88.
• Ensure proper separation of procedural and physical models.
• Support integration of manufacturing execution systems (MES) and higher-level business systems in alignment with ISA-95.
• Lead recipe design, batch sequencing, exception handling, and state management strategies.
• Ensure compliance with GMP, 21 CFR Part 11, and data integrity standards in batch environments.

Platform & Controls Expertise

• Provide hands-on and architectural leadership in:
• Emerson DeltaV DCS
• Cytiva Unicorn platform
• KFCOM communication framework
• Industrial PLC systems (Rockwell, Siemens, Beckhoff, etc.)
• Oversee system integration between process equipment, chromatography systems, skids, sensors, actuators, MES, and supervisory software.
• Ensure robust communication using OPC-UA, Modbus, Ethernet/IP, Profinet, and related protocols.
• Support alarm management, historian integration, and data contextualization.

Technical Leadership

• Serve as the subject matter expert for automation system design and batch architecture.
• Lead cross-functional design reviews and ensure adherence to automation standards.
• Mentor engineers in S88 modeling, structured programming, and scalable architecture practices.
• Drive standardization of automation frameworks across platforms.

Compliance & Validation

• Ensure systems meet applicable regulatory and industry standards (GMP, FDA, GAMP 5).
• Support validation efforts including IQ/OQ/PQ and computerized system validation (CSV).
• Conduct risk assessments (FMEA, hazard analysis) and ensure functional safety and cybersecurity compliance.

Project Execution & Integration

• Lead technical execution of complex, multi-system automation projects.
• Define automation roadmaps and platform standardization strategies.
• Support commissioning, startup, troubleshoo