Automation Engineer Team Lead

JOB SUMMARY

The Automation Team Leader is the people manager responsible for an engineering resource pool. They will be responsible for:

• Managing engineering resources in response to demands identified by Lead Engineers, PM, Bid Management, etc
• Identifying longer term resource / capability gaps and devising plans to resolve (. training, recruitment)
• Ensuring the output from their team is of an appropriate, acceptable quality
• Promoting global initiatives (. tools, best practices, standardisation) within the engineering team
• Ensuring compliance with SPX Flow business processes and procedures (. IDEFs)
• Developing strategies, processes and taking ownership of the long-term planning and development of the team
• Approximately 50% billable to customer projects

Depending on the profile of project and proposal loadings, the Automation Team Leader may be required to undertake engineering design tasks corresponding to their own core discipline and, as such, reference should be made to relevant job descriptions such as Process Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Automation Engineer, etc.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Automation Team Leaders are expected to possess relevant experience of engineering design and execution from within the industries which we serve. Duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

Management of Engineering Resource Team

The primary role is management of the engineering team to meet varying load demands and deliver the required quality of output. Responsibilities include:

• Safety & Environment Ensuring that plant designs are safe Ensuring that environmental impacts of designs have been considered appropriately Ensuring that relevant reviews, as defined in SPX Flow procedures and, additionally, customer contracts, have been adequately resourced and performed to a consistent standard. (Example reviews include: Design Reviews, Risk Assessments). Ensuring staff familiarity with relevant legislation and regulations (for the locality of the plant/process) which apply to engineering design (. EU Machinery Directive) Ensuring staff receive appropriate safety-related training in terms of design (. PED), product integrity (. sanitary design) and personal safety (. site safety qualifications) Promoting a safety culture amongst staff, particularly when operating outside of the known office environment (. on customer and supplier sites)
• Operational Resource Management Understanding engineering resource requirements as received from stakeholders (. Lead Engineers, PMs, Bid Management) Allocating appropriate resources to meet the load requirements, and where a shortfall exists, take ownership for identifying solutions (. secondment of staff from other teams, contingent workers, etc) Where practical, selecting resources to best fit assignment requirements, by, for example, considering factors such as skills, experience, competency, attitude and personal attributes Assessing relative business priorities, in conjunction with stakeholders, and providing prioritisation of tasks to team members Preparing and maintaining engineering resource plans for their team, utilising resource planning tools in line with SPX Flow practices and standards. Communicating resource shortfalls/surpluses to stakeholders, in a timely manner. For example: Communicating project specific shortfalls to Lead Engineer/PM Ensuring visibility of current and forward loads to engineering management Communication of excess resource availability to engineering management and, where appropriate, peers Managing resources to increase overall engineering utilisation Supporting project execution teams in achieving schedule requirements and budgeted hours
• People Management & Capability Development Leading team to achieve business objectives Managing people, providing support in both technical (. equipment sizing) and personal areas (. supporting motivational issues, recognising and addressing overload/stress) Engendering an open team-based culture and promoting shared ownership of results/outcomes Reviewing longer term outlook of current resources versus future requirements, in terms of both capacity and capability, and developing plans to address shortfalls (. training, recruitment, etc) Tracking developmental requirements of individual staff and providing opportunities for growth. Recognise multiple vehicles for growth (. training, experience-based learning, exposure to leadership, etc) and tailor these to suit individual staff requirements. Providing staff with personal goals, based on cascaded business objectives, and undertaking periodic performance appraisals.
• Design Quality Ensuring that output from team members meets quality standards required by the SPX Flow business and any specific additional requirements dictated by contractual or proposal requirements. Ensuring that staff have the knowledge, experience and competency appropriate to the tasks which they are allocated and provide additional support to individuals where necessary. Leading or participating in reviews as defined by SPX Flow practices (. process design reviews) Undertaking periodic auditing of team’s output to ensure consistency of approach and compliance with global procedures and practices (. audit of design review compliance) Promotion of relevant engineering tools, standard solutions and design practices, especially with a view to reducing errors and re-work Evaluating design feedback from other functions (. installation, commissioning) and ensuring “lessons learned” are incorporated into future designs Interacting with peers and engineering management to share knowledge and review best practice from other teams
• Communication Undertake regular discussions with team members to ensure alignment of objectives and provide support where required

Project or Proposal Engineering

Depending on scope and scale of specific projects or proposals, the Engineering Team Leader may be required to undertake engineering design and execution tasks associated with their core skill base (. process design, PLC coding, etc). Please refer to associated job descriptions for these specific roles for more details.The Team Leader may also be assigned as “lead engineer” on one or more specific projects.

Engineering Community Member

As a leader within the engineering team, the Engineering Team Lead will be expected to actively participate in the wider technical community and provide support to colleagues:

• General Technical Support Act as “subject matter expert” in areas where they have appropriate experience and partake in knowledge sharing as required Mentoring of recently recruited, or inexperienced, staff Providing general technical support. Examples include: Conceptual design guidance during proposal stage Technical review of quotation text prior to bid submission Provide support to conceptual design or feasibility studies
• Continuous Improvement Identifying continuous improvement opportunities (. tools development, standardisation), and driving programmes to address these, in conjunction with other stakeholders Promoting uptake of global engineering initiatives (. engineering tools, design standards) Documenting and communicating “lessons learned” and driving their assimilation into future designs Involvement in knowledge sharing initiatives (. documenting best practices)

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Fluent English – both spoken and written
• Good communication skills
• Strong knowledge of engineering design & execution
• Ability to work with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to work on multiple tasks, within a matrix environment
• Ability and willingness to work within a team and build relationships with colleagues across multiple functions and in geographically diverse locations.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills
• Good initiative and ability to work independently
• The ability to meet high performance standards in a team whilst maintaining ethics and integrity.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Degree level qualification in appropriate engineering discipline (. Process, Mechanical, Electrical)
• Experience in Food, Beverage, Pharmaceutical and other hygienic industries
• Experience of working within, and leading, a technically oriented team
• Full driving license a strong advantage
• Good level of competence in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)
• SAP experience beneficial

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

In general, this is an office-based job with a considerable amount of time spent at a computer. Ability to travel to other SPX locations and customer sites is a requirement. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Ability to travel globally up to approximately 20% of the time.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

DISCLAIMER

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

SPX FLOW VALUES

SPX Flow employees are expected to behave in accordance with our company values as outlined below.

QUALITY

Quality encompasses all aspects of SPX’s business, and every employee shares the responsibility to prevent the occurrence of any nonconformity relating to product, process and the quality system. All employees have an obligation to identify and record any such nonconformity, and through designed channels, initiate and recommend