Senior Automation Engineer, Drug Product–Aseptic Filling (Pharmaceutical Manufacturing)

Location: Wilson, North Carolina, United States; full-time on-site support required. The role requires frequent domestic and international travel exceeding 25% during facility design until the project shifts to the Wilson plant site.

Company

Johnson & Johnson MedTech develops healthcare and medical solutions designed to prevent, treat, and cure complex diseases.

What you will do

• Own the automation and controls scope for drug product aseptic filling operations.
• Deliver automation solutions from concept and detailed design through controls development, FAT/SAT, commissioning, qualification, start-up, handover, and lifecycle support.
• Develop, implement, review, and troubleshoot PLC, DCS, HMI, batch, sequence, and machine-control changes.
• Review OEM and system-integrator designs, specifications, architectures, interfaces, alarms, interlocks, and test documentation.
• Integrate automation with MES, historians, recipe and data platforms, industrial networks, and other site systems.
• Coordinate with Manufacturing, Process Engineering, Quality, CSV, OT Infrastructure, Digital, equipment suppliers, OEM controls teams, and system integrators.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Science, or a related technical field.
• At least 6 years of progressive automation and controls engineering experience in pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
• Direct hands-on ownership of automation and controls systems in a cGMP manufacturing environment, including drug product aseptic or sterile manufacturing.
• Experience with ISA-95 Level 1 and Level 2 systems, PLC and/or DCS controls, SCADA/HMI, batch or sequence control, machine controls, industrial networks, communication protocols, and OT infrastructure.
• Knowledge of ISA-88, ISA-95, cGMP, GAMP 5, 21 CFR Part 11, EU GMP Annex 11, data integrity, and risk-based validation.
• Ability and willingness to travel and support on-site project execution, including periodic international travel.

Nice to have

• Experience with aseptic filling and finish equipment, isolators, or restricted-access barrier technologies.
• Experience with robotics, motion control, batch and sequence control, MES, historian platforms, and large pharmaceutical capital projects.
• Hands-on experience with Rockwell Automation, Siemens, Emerson DeltaV, OSI PI, Werum PAS-X, or comparable technologies.
• Experience with automation lifecycle management, reliability engineering, operational readiness, and maintenance strategy.
• Knowledge of Industry 4.0, Industrial Internet of Things, advanced analytics, or digital biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Culture & Benefits

• Inclusive work environment focused on respect, diversity, and individual dignity.
• Work within Innovative Medicine on treatments and manufacturing systems that support patient care.
• Collaboration across global and multi-site engineering, manufacturing, quality, digital, and supplier organizations.