Director - Automation Lead

As the Assembly and Test Automation Director, your primary responsibility is to lead a team of managers and engineers in implementing automation solutions, which drives manufacturing excellence, viz. quality/ yield, factory footprint & equipment utilization, labor productivity and cycle time improvements. Automation encompasses physical infrastructure like material handling, storage & retrieval, manufacturing execution systems, dispatch & scheduling systems and smart manufacturing programs. You will be responsible for handling and improving functional area performance by collaborating with internal and external partners to build and implement strategies aligned to corporate objectives. Your leadership should encourage both individual capability and high-performance team with clearer goals and development plans. You will monitor performance metrics to identify and implement continual improvement opportunities. Other responsibilities include ensuring organizational compliance to company policies and laws, as well as to departmental procedures for the development of sustainably successful solutions.

Responsibilities and Tasks

Planning and Implementation:

• Develop an automation roadmap and implement solutions to improve quality, efficiency, productivity, and overall plant performance.
• Run automation projects from conception to completion, ensuring they meet budget, schedule, and quality requirements.
• Develop organizational structure and talent to support the infrastructure for sustainable performance.

Know-how Expertise:

• Possess extensive knowledge of the Manufacturing Execution System suited for semiconductor industry esp. Packaging Assembly & Test.
• Experienced in automated material handling viz. AMHS or AGV/ ARV, automated storage solutions viz. ASRS or stockers
• Exposed to IIOT sensors, systems and framework
• Experienced with dispatch and scheduling systems for high volume manufacturing environment; advantageous if it is for semiconductor industries
• Possess a good understanding of industrial automation technologies, including PLCs, HMIs, SCADA systems, robotics, and vision systems.

Team Leadership and Management:

• Lead, mentor and strengthen a team of elite automation engineers
• Continuously build up team’s technical competencies through knowledge sharing and industry benchmarking
• Manage staff performance, conduct regular performance evaluations, and provide opportunities for professional development.
• Develop a culture of partnership, communication, and collaboration within the team and with other departments.
• Run partner relationships, including vendors.

Operational Expertise:

• Excellent project management skills - overall site project achievements, technical challenges, lead-times and risk mitigation plans
• Setup regular meeting with multi-functional team to ensure successful implementation of automation solutions
• Fix and diagnose automation system failures, ensuring minimal downtime
• Develop and maintain user documentation.

Continuous Improvement:

• Identify areas for continuous improvement in automation processes and systems.
• Implement and track key performance indicators (important metrics) to measure the effectiveness of automation initiatives.
• Drive a culture of innovation and experimentation to find new and better ways to automate processes.

Safety and Compliance:

• Ensure compliance with all relevant safety laws and industry standards.
• Develop and implement safety procedures for automation systems and processes.
• Conduct regular safety inspections and audits.

Requirements:

• Engineering graduate preferably in Computer Science, Electrical/ electronics, mechanical field; MBA is preferred.
• Overall 18+ years of experience and particularly 5+ years of experience of leading manufacturing excellence and automation
• 5+ years of experience in groundbreaking projects in complex environments
• Prior experience of setting up a Centre of Excellence for manufacturing automation
• Consistent track record of inspiring change through influence and leading multi-functional teams through ambiguity
• Strong influencing and negotiating skills sufficient to shape thinking and decisions while responding to underlying concerns or multiple interests
• Excellent analytical ability, organizational, problem solving, and leadership skills
• Additional certifications like Scrum, PMP, and other relevant credentials are a plus
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Proficient in Visio, Word, Excel and PowerPoint; familiarity with Microsoft Project considered an asset