Senior Automation Process Engineer

About this position

About this Position

As Senior Automation Process Engineer within Henkel Adhesive Technologies (HAT), you will be a key contributor to the global center of excellence for automation solutions. You will support standardization, benchmarking, and strategic alignment of automation initiatives across regions and technologies. Your work ensures scalable, safe, and efficient automation processes while helping to institutionalize best practices globally.

What you’ll do

• Map, maintain, and continuously improve an overview of current automation solutions across HAT technologies, including material charging, down-packing, palletizing, AGV material transfer, and inspection systems.
• Evaluate automation opportunities with robust business cases, assessing ROI, operational impact, safety improvements, and scalability.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for automation technologies, trends, and best practices.
• Benchmark internal best practices and external industry standards to ensure competitive and modern automation approaches.
• Support Purchasing in driving a cohesive global supplier strategy, reducing fragmentation, and standardizing technology choices.
• Contribute to defining and maintaining a preferred list of global automation vendors based on performance and alignment with company standards.
• Apply global governance frameworks, including standardized checklists, design principles, and execution guidelines for automation projects.
• Provide technical guidance and support to regional and site automation engineers, including solution selection and design review.
• Participate in developing and delivering training, workshops, and knowledge-sharing platforms to upskill engineers and drive global alignment.
• Facilitate cross-site communication to replicate best practices and support consistent global automation strategy execution.

What makes you a good fit

• Master’s degree in Automation Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in automation engineering with global or multi-site exposure.
• Expertise in robotics, AGVs/AMRs, packing & palletizing, online quality control, and MES systems.
• Strong background in lean manufacturing, process standardization, and continuous improvement.
• Experience in cross-functional and cross-regional collaboration and global strategy implementation.
• Skills in engineering automation, digitalization, and process optimization.
• Vendor management and negotiation experience.
• Financial acumen to evaluate and present business cases effectively.
• Leadership and influencing skills with the ability to drive alignment across diverse teams.