Automation Simulation Engineer Jobs in Chicago, IL

MOVING YOUR WORLD by focusing on your success:

FUCHS offers a challenging and rewarding working environment where employees are encouraged to develop and grow.  We stand behind our core values: trust, creating value, respect, reliability, and integrity. Ours is a culture that fosters creativity and empowerment, values work/life balance, and gives you the freedom to excel. At FUCHS we aim to nurture your capabilities, ideas and career.

Salary:

FUCHS offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience in a similar position. The salary range for this position is $120,000 - $140,000 per year, but actual salary will vary depending upon a new hire’s experience and qualifications as well as internal equity.

Your Responsibilities:

This role bridges manufacturing operations, automation, and enterprise data systems to help drive digital transformation across our manufacturing environment. You will work with plant-floor systems, PLCs, IoT/sensor data, ERP platforms, and analytics tools to improve operational visibility, efficiency, and decision-making within a chemical and batch manufacturing environment.

• Design and support manufacturing data pipelines and system integrations connecting PLCs, IoT/sensor data, ERP/MES platforms, and enterprise analytics tools.
• Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Manufacturing, IT, Engineering, and R&D teams to drive digital manufacturing and operational efficiency initiatives.
• Develop and maintain data solutions, automation workflows, dashboards, and analytics tools to improve operational visibility and decision-making.
• Support plant-floor connectivity and manufacturing systems integration, including PLC, historian, SCADA, and time-series data environments.
• Identify, evaluate, and implement Industry 4.0 technologies and digital transformation opportunities within chemical and batch manufacturing operations.
• Develop structured evaluation frameworks for new technologies; lead proof-of-concept pilots and translate results into actionable go/no-go recommendations for leadership.
• Apply continuous improvement and data-driven problem-solving methodologies to improve productivity, reduce waste, and optimize manufacturing performance.
• Implement IoT/sensor data integration and time-series data solutions (OPC-UA, historian systems) to enable real-time operational visibility.

Qualifications we are looking for:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Manufacturing Technology, or a related technical discipline required.
• 3+ years of experience in a manufacturing, process engineering, automation, or digital manufacturing environment required.
• Manufacturing experience within chemical, batch, specialty chemical, lubricants, coatings, or related industrial environments strongly preferred.
• Experience working with manufacturing systems and controls environments, including PLCs (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, etc.), SCADA, historians, or IoT/sensor platforms.
• Strong technical skills in Python, SQL, data integration, and enterprise systems such as SAP, ERP/MES, or comparable platforms.
• Experience with Microsoft Fabric, Azure Data Factory, Power BI, Tableau, or similar data and analytics platforms preferred.
• Familiarity with APIs, cloud-based data platforms, automation tools, and operational data integration concepts.
• IoT and time-series data integration experience: sensor data, OPC-UA, historian systems, or equivalent.
• Lean Six Sigma, continuous improvement, or operational excellence experience preferred.
• Strong analytical, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills required.

Preferred:

• Familiarity with operational excellence frameworks (e.g., TPM, OEE-driven improvement, reliability engineering).
• Familiarity with condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, or asset reliability programs.
• Digital twin platform experience (e.g., Azure Digital Twins, ANSYS Twin Builder, Siemens MindSphere, or equivalent).
• Simulation experience: discrete event simulation, process simulation (Aspen, DynoChem, SimPy), or related tools.

These are your benefits:

FUCHS offers a challenging and rewarding working environment where employees are encouraged to develop and grow as professionals.  In this role, you will have the opportunity to work on projects that will expand your experience and challenge your abilities in the global marketplace.  The position also offers an excellent compensation package and a comprehensive suite of benefits. Detailed benefit information can be found at this link: https://fuchs.com/us/en/benefits.

FUCHS Lubricants Co. is an equal employment opportunity (EEO)/AA employer and strongly supports diversity in the workplace (m/f/d/v).
 

Do you have any questions? Jordan Hallow (jordan.hallow@fuchs.com) will be more than happy to answer them!