Automation Engineer IV

About the role

HID Global is seeking an Automation Engineer to be an integral member of the Manufacturing Engineering team in Austin. This role is essential for developing and optimizing production equipment with a focus on equipment functionality, efficiency and performance. The Automation Engineer is a hands‑on developer and builder of manufacturing automation equipment, responsible for designing, developing, modifying, and optimizing solutions to meet HID‑specific manufacturing needs. This role requires actively researching and learning the automation equipment market to inform development decisions and accelerate implementation. The engineer will take a practical, build‑focused approach—developing equipment from the ground up when required, or creating hybrid solutions by modifying and enhancing commercially available or internally developed base equipment. This includes designing custom features, add‑ons, and performance improvements to ensure each solution is purpose‑built, robust, and optimized for HID’s use cases.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and develop custom automation equipment and tooling to support HID manufacturing requirements, from early concept through production‑ready deployment.
• Perform hands‑on mechanical, electrical, and controls development, including fabrication, assembly, integration, testing, and iteration of automation systems.
• Research and learn the automation equipment market to inform development strategies and identify opportunities to accelerate builds through hybrid solutions.
• Develop automation solutions using a build‑from‑scratch approach when required, or by modifying and enhancing commercially available or internally developed base equipment.
• Design and implement custom features, add‑ons, and performance enhancements to existing equipment to meet HID‑specific use cases.
• Modify new or existing internal equipment designs to add functionality, improve reliability, increase throughput, or enable new product capabilities.
• Own the prototype‑to‑production lifecycle, including proof‑of‑concept builds, validation testing, production handoff, and post‑launch optimization.
• Troubleshoot and debug mechanical, electrical, software, and system‑level issues directly on the equipment.
• Collaborate closely with Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, Quality, and suppliers to ensure equipment designs are robust, manufacturable, and support production goals.
• Create and maintain technical documentation including design concepts, schematics, drawings, test results, and build instructions.
• Identify continuous improvement opportunities and implement design changes that improve equipment performance, uptime, and scalability.
• Partner closely with Operations, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, and Production teams to identify automation opportunities based on real‑world operational pain points, capacity constraints, quality risks, and safety concerns.
• Observe and analyze existing manufacturing processes on the shop floor to define functional requirements and automation concepts that directly address current and future production needs.
• Translate operational requirements into practical automation solutions, balancing technical feasibility, development effort, cost, and long‑term scalability.
• Lead the hands‑on development of automation solutions, including concept generation, design trade studies, prototyping, testing, and iterative refinement.
• Evaluate existing equipment and processes to determine when modification, enhancement, or partial automation is the most effective solution versus full replacement.
• Support deployment of automation into production, including on‑site debugging, optimization, operator support, and early‑life issue resolution.
• Act as a technical problem solver during production challenges, identifying when automation improvements or design changes are required to restore or improve performance.
• Collaborate with suppliers and internal teams to integrate externally sourced equipment into HID operations, ensuring required modifications and custom features are developed in‑house where needed.
• Contribute to standardization and reuse of automation concepts, designs, and components to improve development efficiency across projects.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or similar field.
• 7+ years of Engineering Equipment Development experience.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Dependable team player, able to work independently in a fast-paced environment and proficient at conflict resolution.
• Demonstrated experience in hands‑on design, build, and modification of automation equipment in a manufacturing or production environment.
• Proven ability to translate operational problems into practical automation solutions, with direct involvement in development and implementation.
• Experience developing automation systems using a hybrid approach, including modifying commercial off‑the‑shelf equipment and adding custom mechanical, electrical, or controls features.
• Strong background in mechanical and/or electrical system design, including component selection, integration, and troubleshooting.
• Experience building and iterating prototypes, proof‑of‑concept systems, and production automation.
• Working knowledge of automation controls, sensors, actuators, motion systems, vision systems, and industrial safety concepts.
• Vision systems experience a plus.
• Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, or process optimization concepts as they relate to automation.
• Strong collaboration skills with Operations, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, and external suppliers.
• Ability to document designs, modifications, and build standards clearly to support repeatability and long‑term maintainability.