At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and your family, be your true self, and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
• Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.
• An excellent retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program, and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries worldwide and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as the best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

Abbott Rapid Diagnostics is part of Abbott’s Diagnostics family of businesses, bringing together exceptional teams of experts and industry-leading technologies to support diagnostic testing, which provides important information for the treatment and management of diseases and other conditions.

The position of Principal Automation Engineer is within our Infectious Disease Developed Markets business unit located in Scarborough, Maine. This role is responsible for supporting manufacturing processes, quality/cost-saving initiatives, and the implementation of engineering principles while ensuring compliance with cGMP, quality, and safety standards.

What You’ll Work On

• Responsible for building code from scratch to support equipment upgrades and automation improvements.
• Responsible for programming and supporting manufacturing processes, including automation upgrades, quality improvements, and cost-saving initiatives.
• Responsible for managing equipment specification, acquisition, and implementation.
• Leads automation equipment upgrade efforts related to safety, obsolescence, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Evaluates machine logic, electromechanical, and process controls to troubleshoot equipment and drive resolution.
• Mentors teams to identify the root cause of manufacturing failures using structured problem-solving. Applies root cause fixes to prevent recurrence.
• Conducts failure modes and effects analysis and evaluates manufacturing equipment risk.
• Completes complex projects based on comprehensive knowledge of manufacturing equipment and processes.
• Leads design of experiments, validation, completion of testing, and analysis of data. Presents data to cross-functional teams.
• Drives implementation of new methods or materials for continual improvement of quality and efficiency.
• Analyzes current equipment for process suitability and provides detailed plans for improvement.
• Creates and revises manufacturing documents, specifications, standard operating procedures (SOPs), safety instructions, validation protocols, risk assessments, procedures, and other technical documents to ensure compliant, efficient, and safe procedures.
• Leads other engineers and technicians in developing solutions and improvements in materials, equipment, and processes as necessary, in addition to ensuring continual improvement, safety, and compliance.
• Manages cross-functional project teams and coordinates activities.
• Contributes to the professional development of engineers and technicians.
• Provides training and process expertise for product processing in specific areas such as process development, tooling development, documentation, cleaning protocol, process characterization, and validation.
• Initiates and leads resolution of Quality Incidents and CAPA.
• Participates in teams as necessary and mentors' junior engineers and maintenance technicians to ensure continual improvement, safety, and compliance.
• Considers safety, ergonomics, maintenance, and operator impact on manufacturing design.
• Interacts with the local Project Management Office on milestones and project status updates.
• Participates in site strategy meetings and planning.
• Provides expert-level judgment and consulting across other Abbott businesses and acts as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for applicable topics.
• Responsible for changes made through Agile PDM.
• Complies with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, other regulatory requirements, company policies, operating procedures, processes, and task assignments. Maintains positive and cooperative communications and collaboration with all levels of employees, customers, contractors, and vendors.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (BS) in engineering or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 10+ years of engineering experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on experience with machine logic and automation systems.
• Mastery in the application of Lean Six Sigma principles and the DMAIC approach or a similar structured problem-solving system.
• Proficiency in change management principles and processes.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Power BI, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in GMP, FDA, ISO, and USDA-regulated environments.
• Experience with OEM.
• Experience with statistical analysis software.

Competencies

Innovative Thinking: Independently generates new, creative, and sometimes unconventional ideas to solve problems or improve current processes and structures while seeking feedback from managers and coworkers.
Multitasking: Demonstrates the ability to handle multiple tasks or responsibilities simultaneously by efficiently managing time, prioritizing tasks, and maintaining productivity across different activities.
Self-Motivated: Demonstrates a proactive attitude, consistently drives personal and team goals, and maintains high productivity with minimal external supervision.
Verbal and Written Communication: Effectively conveys ideas in both individual and group settings, adapting style and methods to suit the audience’s needs, both verbally and in writing.
Teamwork and Collaboration: Demonstrates professional cooperation by working harmoniously with others, being an integral part of a team, respecting others’ contributions, and aligning personal goals with those of the team.

Engineering Competencies

Materials Testing: Proficient in a variety of testing and measuring methods relating to the evaluation of properties and performance of materials used in manufacturing.
CAD: Proficient in computer-aided design (CAD) and manufacturing software for designing system layouts.
Fabrication Principles: Mastery in fabrication principles including CNC, lathe, milling, welding, and bolted connections.
Mathematical Aptitude: Mastery in mathematical concepts such as ANSI/AQL, probability, and statistics.
Technical Aptitude: Mastery in interpreting an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and dealing with several abstract and concrete variables.