Manufacturing Process & Automation Engineer

Step into a day that blends the shop floor with smart engineering

At HYCO Alabama, you’ll be the go-to partner for operators across machining and assembly, splitting your time between hands-on problem solving and data-driven planning. From the first Gemba walk to the last project post-mortem, you’ll push for safety, efficiency, quality, and continuous improvement in every process you touch.

A day in the life

Morning : You check in with CNC and assembly teams, troubleshoot bottlenecks, and fine-tune workflows. You evaluate production data and quality feedback, recommend control improvements, and ensure compliance with applicable regulations. When teams have competing priorities, you serve as the point of contact to keep actions aligned and projects in sync.

Midday : You move from line support to design and planning—mapping plant layouts for optimal flow and space usage, reviewing labor and material costs, and updating schedules or targets as financing or requirements evolve. You set milestones, define success criteria, and communicate them clearly across the project life cycle.

Afternoon : You advance automation initiatives—developing hardware / software solutions, crafting an integrated roadmap, collaborating with SMEs to build the process framework, and researching internal / external best practices to strengthen plans. You oversee product builds and testing to make sure projects close efficiently, then conduct post-mortems to capture lessons and recommendations.

This position DOES NOT offer relocation assistance.

What you’ll impact

• Design, implement, and review manufacturing processes for safety, quality, and throughput.
• Evaluate production systems, optimize workflows, and reduce cost while protecting product quality.
• Assess quality control processes and recommend improvements.
• Analyze production schedules, methods, and metrics; deliver clear reports to inform future capacity and requirements.
• Ensure all manufacturing processes comply with relevant laws and regulations.
• Review labor, material, and production costs to support management decision making.
• Plan workflow, equipment placement, and space requirements to improve efficiency.
• Create long- and short-term project plans, set milestones, and meet deadlines.
• Define and socialize project success criteria; recommend the best path forward when options exist.
• Coordinate cross-team efforts so multi-unit projects stay synchronized.
• Adjust schedules and targets based on changing priorities or funding.
• Lead post-project reviews and create recommendation reports.
• Develop plant automation solutions (hardware and software) and deliver an integrated capability roadmap.
• Oversee construction and testing to complete projects effectively.
• Partner with SMEs to build a scalable process automation framework.
• Research emerging trends and best practices to enhance automation initiatives.
• Collaborate with manufacturing engineering, production, and assembly to uphold design / quality standards.
• Make safety a non‑negotiable priority.

What you’ll bring

Education and experience

Tools and technologies

Machines & technologies you'll use :

Proficiencies

You should be proficient in :

Our commitment

HYCO Alabama is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained faculty and staff. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.