Automation Director, LATAM

About the role

The Regional Automation Director defines and leads the automation strategy across the manufacturing network in the LATAM region, reporting to the Sr. Director, CPS Automation. The role drives the deployment, standardization and optimization of automation, controls and digital manufacturing solutions to improve safety, quality, reliability, productivity and cost performance, while building organizational capability in plants so that uptime increases and maintenance costs fall. It works closely with plant engineering, operations, digital, IT/OT, quality, EHS and capital project teams.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and execute the regional automation and controls strategy and build a multi-year roadmap with site teams, including modernizing legacy control systems and enabling smart manufacturing.
• Identify and prioritize automation opportunities that improve capacity, labor productivity, energy efficiency and asset reliability.
• Govern regional automation standards, architecture and best practices across controls, SCADA, PLC, HMI, MES, historians and OT infrastructure, and act as the regional subject matter expert.
• Drive standardization of platforms, vendors and engineering approaches to reduce complexity and total cost of ownership.
• Lead automation workstreams for regional capital projects such as new lines, expansions, upgrades and brownfield modernization, and define automation project management and VSU standards.
• Set up regional governance, escalation and support models, drive root cause analysis, and coach site automation engineers to improve OEE and downtime reduction.
• Set the regional automation maintenance strategy and lead capability building through hiring, training, coaching and mentoring of plant automation engineers.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Automation, Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering or a related technical discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• 7-10+ years of progressive experience in automation, controls, manufacturing engineering, industrial systems or digital manufacturing in high-volume environments such as FMCG, food & beverage, consumer products or pharmaceuticals.
• Proven experience developing automation strategies across multiple sites or a regional network, and leading large-scale automation modernization, Industry 4.0 or manufacturing transformation initiatives.
• Experience leading complex, cross-functional programs and influencing senior leaders in a matrixed organization without direct authority.
• Experience managing automation-related capital investments, technology portfolios or major capital project workstreams.

Required skills

• PLCs (Siemens, Rockwell, Schneider), SCADA/HMI, DCS/batch control, MES and industrial networks and OT infrastructure.
• Data historians and connected factory solutions.
• Knowledge of machine electrical safety standards, control panel design, robotics, drives, vision systems and OT cybersecurity and network segmentation.