AUtomation Engineer

Job description

The candidate will maintain and manage the life cycle of the automation systems for the Protein Sciences Pearl River production facility. The position maintains, repairs, and troubleshoots individually or by bringing in contracted specialists to manage the workload in an efficient and compliant manor. The engineer will work with Pearl River Site process engineers, project engineers, and Sanofi Corporate Engineers to complete automation projects large and small.

The position is very self directed. The management of one’s shifting priorities while ensuring time sensitive projects continue on schedule is most challenging. New problems and opportunities are constantly presented and the engineer must ensure they are assessed rapidly and given the appropriate attention.

The position supports the production of Flublok at a 72,000 sq ft. of manufacturing facility with approximately 40 employees. Monthly spend is >$1.5MM. The Pearl River facility is the major US based manufacturing facility for Flublok and the Homeland Security designated and licensed facility for the supply of Bird Flu Vaccine drug substance in the event of a pandemic. Decisions made by the candidate have a direct impact on the reliability and profitability of the site.

JOB SUMMARY AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Define and Measure Opportunities. Work with colleagues to bring automation improvement opportunites into the capital plan, collecting data to support justification and prioritization for inclusion in expense and capital plan. Meet with shop floor colleagues to identify waste, inefficiencies and compliance shortfalls. Quantify by collecting data and maintaining in a database.

Analyze problems and bring forward resource effective solutions. Do hands on repairs and perform time critical GMP instrument calbrations in lieu of unavailable contracted resources. As new problems on the shop floor become evident the incumbent will respond to the shop floor, evaluate to determine if their expertise is relevant to the issue and assist with immediate resolution. The end result is elimination of the problem.

Support automation projects through the entire life cycle. Responsible for risk management, conception, user requirement specifications, project scheduling to minimize production impact, hands on project support, documentation review, commissioning execution and validation support.

Leverage areas of specialization to be a subject matter expert for the facilities and the Sanofi Engineering Network. Be a knowledge resource to assist colleagues and make for a more productive and rewarding environment for all. The candidate will become an indispensable member of the site team.

Assist with hands on day to day operations when needed. The engineer will assist with day to day operations in order to learn the facility and processes and assist with coverage during absences. The engineer will demonstrate cababilities and qualifications to perform multiple roles within the organization.

Emergency response. The engineer will be available 24/7 to respond to emergencies. He/she will be familiar with local security and emergency response protocols to support the site in the event of an emergency. He/she will develop a reputation as someone who can be depended on to manage major unplanned events and ensure there are plans in place to mitigate those situations.

Investigation support. The engineer will work alone or with a team to conduct and close out Deviation and Accident investigations that result in root cause dtermination, CAPA determination, and impact assessment. These accomplishments are clearly tracked.

CAPA implementation. CAPAs can be anywhere from major capital projects to changes in operating procedures as well as training of staff. The engineer will frequently be responsible for getting these completed.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Education/experience

Engineering degree in a related field (Process, Electrical, Mechanical, Pharmaceutical, Chemical, or Industrial Engineering)

PLUS

5 years industrial automation experience of which a minimum of 2 years will be in the vaccine/biotech/pharma industry.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Critical Utilities Experience at least a year

Biological Process Experience at least 2 years

Mechanical Aptitude and Experience at least 5 years

Safe Work and Hazardous Material Handling Experience at least one year.

Sanofi Inc. and its U.S. affiliates are Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employers committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race; color; creed; religion; national origin; age; ancestry; nationality; marital, domestic partnership or civil union status; sex, gender, gender identity or expression; affectional or sexual orientation; disability; veteran or military status or liability for military status; domestic violence victim status; atypical cellular or blood trait; genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing) or any other characteristic protected by law.

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At Sanofi diversity and inclusion are foundational to how we operate and are embedded in our Core Values. We respect the diversity of our people, their backgrounds and experiences. We recognize that to truly tap into the richness diversity brings we must lead with inclusion and have a workplace where those differences can thrive and be leveraged to empower the lives of our employees, patients and customers.