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Job Title: Automation Lead – Robotic & Automated Fabrication Cells (Pipe Fabrication & Modular Manufacturing)

Location: Duncan, SC

Reports To: Production Manager (dotted line to Sr. Engineering Manager)

Job Type: Full-time

Job Summary: We are seeking a hands-on, technically strong Automation Lead. The Automation Lead is the shop floor champion for our robotic and automated fabrication cells and owns their performance, uptime, and day-to-day health. This role trains new operators, leads preventive maintenance, manages the software interface and file workflows that feed the cells, and serves as the primary technical contact with equipment OEMs for troubleshooting and support.

Reporting to the Production Manager with a dotted line to the Sr. Engineering Manager, the Automation Lead bridges production and engineering, making sure drawings, programs, and data flow cleanly into the cells and that the equipment delivers predictable throughput and quality. This person will play a key role in getting full value from our automation investments as the company grows.

Key Responsibilities

Equipment Ownership & Uptime

Serve as the hands-on owner and champion of all robotic and automated cells, accountable for availability, performance, and quality output.
Own cell uptime by tracking downtime, root causes, and utilization metrics, and report results and trends to the Production Manager.
Act as first responder to cell faults and breakdowns, diagnosing issues and restoring production quickly.
Maintain a critical spare parts and consumables list and coordinate purchasing with Procurement to minimize downtime.

Preventive Maintenance

Develop, schedule, and execute preventive maintenance plans based on OEM recommendations, including consumables, calibration, and tool center point checks.
Keep accurate maintenance logs and equipment history for each cell.
Coordinate planned maintenance windows with Production to limit schedule impact.

Software Interface & File Management

Understand and manage the cell software interface, including offline programming, job and part libraries, and process parameter sets.
Manage the file formats and data exchange that drive the cells (e.g., spool isometrics, PCF files from piping design software, DXF/STEP models, and robot or CNC job files) and ensure the correct revision reaches the floor.
Work with Engineering and detailers to make sure design outputs are formatted for the cell, and resolve file translation and import issues.
Maintain backups of robot programs, configurations, and software versions, and coordinate updates with the OEM and IT.

Operator Training & Development

Train and qualify new operators on safe operation, setup, programming basics, and first-level troubleshooting.
Develop SOPs, setup sheets, and quick-reference guides for each cell.
Maintain a training matrix of qualified operators by cell and build bench strength across shifts.

OEM & Engineering Collaboration

Serve as the primary technical contact with OEMs and integrators for troubleshooting, service calls, warranty claims, software updates, and upgrades.
Communicate issues to the OEM clearly and with supporting data such as fault codes, logs, and video to speed resolution.
Partner with the Sr. Engineering Manager on new equipment evaluation, cell layout, process improvements, and capital requests.
Identify opportunities to expand automated content and improve cell throughput.

Safety & Quality

Enforce robotic cell safety, including guarding, interlocks, light curtains, lockout/tagout, and safe work zones.