What Is an Automation Engineer and How to Become One

By ZipRecruiter Marketplace Research Team

As an automation engineer, your job is to design and develop automated machines for your company. Your responsibilities may include determining the best way to implement automation, creating devices that meet the company's needs and specifications, testing robots to ensure they perform as designed, and monitoring existing automation to check if repair or replacement is needed. Many duties of this job vary by industry. For example, automation engineers work in areas like the automotive industry, food preparation and packaging, electronics production, and appliance production, and each of these fields has different materials and objectives. However, regardless of industry, most automation engineers work with both hardware and software.

The primary qualifications to become an automation engineer include at least a bachelor's degree in a relevant field, such as electrical engineering or computer science, and several years of experience with manufacturing and automation. However, employers tend to prefer applicants who have a master's degree or more extensive experience because this is a relatively senior position that can have an enormous impact on a company's daily operations and profits. As such, most automation engineers start in another job (often writing automation software) before moving into this role. To excel as an automation engineer, you need strong technical and analytical problem-solving skills, attention to detail, as well as the ability to perform risk assessments and collaborate with developers and quality assurance teams.

Job Summary

We are seeking a qualified, motivated individual to join our company as an Automation Engineer. As part of our team, you will create automated systems for use in a production and manufacturing environment. You will collaborate with departmental and corporate leadership to determine existing automation capabilities and future opportunities, creating detailed project road maps for automation projects that support our business objectives. Our ideal candidate has at least a master's degree in engineering with a focus on automation, electrical engineering, or a relevant field. You also need superb problem-solving and communication skills.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Design and implement automated systems for use in diverse manufacturing and production environments
• Lead collaborative discussions between leadership and key stakeholders to determine automation capabilities and goals
• Create detailed road maps to guide automation projects from conception to final implementation
• Support existing automation technology with component and process upgrades

Requirements and Qualifications

• Master's degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a relevant technical field
• Experience with the design and implementation of automated systems, especially as related to manufacturing
• Strong ability with software testing and validation
• Superb communication and organizational skills

Job Summary

We are seeking a qualified, motivated individual to join our company as an Automation Engineer. As part of our team, you will create automated systems for use in a production and manufacturing environment. You will collaborate with departmental and corporate leadership to determine existing automation capabilities and future opportunities, creating detailed project road maps for automation projects that support our business objectives. Our ideal candidate has at least a master's degree in engineering with a focus on automation, electrical engineering, or a relevant field. You also need superb problem-solving and communication skills.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Design and implement automated systems for use in diverse manufacturing and production environments
• Lead collaborative discussions between leadership and key stakeholders to determine automation capabilities and goals
• Create detailed road maps to guide automation projects from conception to final implementation
• Support existing automation technology with component and process upgrades

Requirements and Qualifications

• Master's degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a relevant technical field
• Experience with the design and implementation of automated systems, especially as related to manufacturing
• Strong ability with software testing and validation
• Superb communication and organizational skills