Automation & Operations Technology Engineer - Dallas

Automation & Operations Technology Engineer - Dallas

About the job:

At Danone, manufacturing the best products and supplying them to meet demand is a key driver for our plant teams. We have an opening for an Automation & Operations Technology Engineer based in Dallas, TX!

The Automation & Operations Technology Engineer position will be responsible for Danone plants in the Dallas plant (primary) and Fort Worth. The engineer will be the single point of contact for deploying Operational Technology strategy, managing automation needs and projects, and working as a liaison between plant operations and the corporate automation team for the three facilities.

The primary responsibility of the Automation Engineer will be to maximize the availability of industrial automation systems (Hardware, Network, Scada Software, Database, Integration of new components and solutions) and use cybersecurity tools (Claroty, Factory Talk Security, Factory Talk Asset Center) for threat mitigation and prevention of unauthorized access to industrial control systems.

The Automation Engineer is also required to be a leader within the plant technical team and will collaborate with operations and project teams on corporate and plant initiatives. The Automation Engineer will also be responsible for managing automation improvement projects and participating in recovery efforts during equipment and plant outages or planned shutdowns.

Job Responsibilities:

• Enforce Danone OT cybersecurity policies and standards.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex and ambiguous plant control system issues and escalate when necessary.
• Report high priority incidents related to cybersecurity to plant director, automation director and regional security manager.
• Project management related to industrial networking, application upgrades and project automation at the facilities.
• Industrial Automation Asset Management using Claroty and SolarWinds.
• Management of vendor access for PLC and SCADA applications
• Participate in Cybersecurity audits and maintain audit reports.
• Continuous improvement of Cybersecurity KPI (Vulnerability mitigation, threat detection, access management).
• Periodical reporting of Cybersecurity KPI’s to plant directors, automation director and regional security officer.
• Continuous improvement of industrial automation systems
• Maintain and update industrial automation architecture drawings.
• Industrial automation hardware and software life cycle management (obsolescence)
• Organize windows patch install in industrial automation servers and workstations with the Americas server infrastructure team.
• Master plan development for industrial networking and industrial applications roadmap
• Share knowledge and learnings through Danone North America networking
• Enforce Danone North America automation standards and specifications as part of plant initiatives and projects.
• Facilitate meetings regarding continuous improvement of system performance, reliability, and obsolescence.
• Support Jacksonville facility on premise, role is not hybrid or remote. Support for Dubois PA and Bridgeton NJ plants will require occasional travel (estimated travel ~30%), to be managed by engineer based on business needs. Regular support for Dubois and Bridgeton plants will require remote support.
• Travel required occasionally for plant projects or training.

Job Qualifications:

• Experience and working knowledge in:
• • Plant wide automation network design
  • Allen Bradley/ Rockwell PLC programming
  • Industrial networking and communication protocols (OPC-UA, Ethernet/IP, Modbus TCP, IO Link, AS-i)
  • Basic electrical knowledge and comfort working with 24VDC, 120VAC and 480VAC control systems and their associated components.
  • Auto Cad and Microsoft Visio
  • Familiarity with the following SCADA or HMI systems is a plus:
  • • Ignition
    • Wonderware
    • Factory Talk View SE/ME
  • Familiarity with programming languages and SQL programming is a plus.
  • Microsoft Office suite and Microsoft server environments
• Must be self-directed and able to work independently as well as part of a team.
• Must be organized and self-disciplined to accommodate the management of concurrent projects.
• Excellent conflict resolution and interpersonal skills.
• Experience in IT and OT network segregation using Purdue model
• Fast learner, open to learn new things (attending training & certification related to the role as needed) and adapts to change
• ISA/IES 62443 Cybersecurity Certification is a plus for this role

About you:

Educational Requirement:

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering with a minimum of 5 years of experience in manufacturing related to automation and operations technologies OR minimum of 10 years of experience in food manufacturing related to information systems and automation technologies in lieu of degree

5+ years of job experience in automation and operations technology

About Danone:

At Danone North America, you’ll work with some of the best-known food and beverage brands in the world like Activia, Silk, Two Good, Oikos, evian, and Happy Family. You’ll be part of the largest Certified B Corp™ in the world, working together to make sure our brands create real benefits for people, communities, and the planet. We have 6,000+ employees across the U.S. and Canada. Come join our movement for a healthier world: One Planet. One Health BY YOU.

Danone North America doesn’t just welcome what makes you unique, we value it. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All hires to our team are based on qualifications, merit and business needs. We recruit, employ, train and promote regardless of race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, genetic characteristic or any other protected status. Faithful to our values of openness and humanism, all our employees share in the commitment to engage one another with dignity and respect.