Warehouse Automation Engineer

This Warehouse Automation Engineering position is responsible for identifying, evaluating, piloting, and deploying new warehouse automation technologies, followed by the installation and optimization of these technologies. This role drives efficiencies to grow existing business and win new opportunities by leveraging a breadth of knowledge across various business types and automation technologies.

Responsibilities

• Work directly with internal operations, solution design, continuous improvement, IT, product teams, and stakeholders to identify, select, and deploy new warehouse automation technologies.
• Consult with internal and external contacts to demonstrate the value and feasibility of warehouse automation capabilities.
• Collaborate with customers and business owners to identify new ideas and implement warehouse automation solutions across verticals, regions, and functional areas.
• RFP and New Business Support: Lead minor RFP projects and support lead engineers on major RFP projects by identifying and validating automation technologies. Build ROI and justification models to select optimal solution designs.
• SOW (Scope of Work) Contractual Validation: Support automation project leads in identifying gaps in vendor Functional Specification Documents (FSD) and Statements of Work (SOW) using the FSD Checklist process.
• Design Validation: Provide input on automation solution designs to ensure key implementation and operational performance considerations are addressed. Review design options for clearance, power requirements, cost-effectiveness, and SLA targets.
• Automation Procurement: Help build collateral for vendor tech review requests and requests for quotes. Evaluate design options from various vendors and solutions.
• Implementation Project Management: Manage smaller projects, including updating punch lists and project plans. Track milestones and requirements for project implementation.
• Implementation Support: Attend implementation status calls as needed. Verify and prioritize optimal on-site support for all projects. Coordinate support for on-site teams during post-go-live hypercare. Handle escalation events and ensure communication between vendors and on-site staff. Support on-site Solution Acceptance Test (SAT) testing plans and track punch list items post-go-live for uptime.
• Data Analytics: Profile data from dashboards and systems to support system optimization projects. Perform data analysis on reports from technology control systems, WMS, and WES.
• Implementation Commissioning and Solution Validation: Support Solutions Acceptance Testing (SAT) and tracking of punch lists.
• Strategy and Success Measurements: Review team strategy with manager to set personal goals.
• Financial Responsibilities: Validate spend with manager and support project leads on tracking project budgets.
• Automation Troubleshooting: Partner with vendors to resolve Priority 1-5 tickets related to degraded or down performance of site automation. Join P1/P2 resolution calls.
• Support vendor communication for minor projects.
• Develop pilot activities, define hypotheses, formalize teams, identify pilot locations, obtain approvals, evaluate vendors, and determine pilot timelines. Deploy acceptable pilots to evaluate business fit and operational feasibility, feeding results into solution design for new business proposals.
• Evaluate, pilot, and deploy new warehouse automation technologies. Validate new technology through Proof of Concept (POC) implementations, coordinating value-justification with senior management and cross-functional teams.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Education:
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field of study, Required.
  • Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field of study, Preferred.
• Experience:
  • 3+ years of experience in warehouse automation, material handling technologies, industrial engineering, or warehouse systems integration, Preferred.
  • 2+ years of demonstrated experience in warehouse automation, Preferred.
  • 2+ years of experience in warehouse automation, including technologies such as sortation conveyor, goods-to-person, autonomous vehicles/robots, ASRS’s, Required.
  • Experience in automation, management consulting, physical and process robotics, Beginner, Required.
  • Intermediate experience in financial business case analysis to support targeted return on investment, Preferred.
• Knowledge and Skills:
  • Knowledge of Warehouse Management operations, data analytics, Industrial Engineering, warehouse types (ambient, temp control), and Lean methods, Beginner, Required.
  • Knowledge of material handling equipment and automation types (e.g., forklift applications, racking designs, packaging devices, automation design), Intermediate, Required.
  • Familiarity with Warehouse Design Tools (e.g., CAD, slotting, MOST, simulation, WMS, Labor Management). Network Design Tools (e.g., Llamasoft) and Data Visualization Software (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) are a plus, Beginner, Required.
  • Industrial or Mechanical Engineering background or equivalent warehouse operational knowledge, Beginner, Required.
• Skills and Abilities:
  • Strong planning, time management, collaboration, decision-making, organization, and presentation skills, Required.
  • High degree of comfort with ambiguity and uncertainty, Required.
  • Ability to create and maintain professional relationships at all levels of the organization, Required.
  • Ability to work independently and as a member of a team, Required.
  • Passion for understanding clients' and internal customers' vision and business goals, Required.
  • Ability to champion ambiguous scenarios and challenges, Required.
  • Natural sense of leadership and ownership in research, pilot, and thought leadership activities, Required.
  • Problem-solver with a curious, hands-on mentality, Required.
  • Act as a change agent in adopting warehouse automation technologies to deliver operational improvements and coach business owners in deploying these technologies, Required.
  • Demonstrated success in assessing, developing, and deploying new offerings or incremental enhancements, Required.
• Travel: 30-40%.

Pay

Salaried position with a pay range of $100,000 to $120,000. The compensation offered may be influenced by relevant experience, education, certifications, work location, market data, and internal equity. Eligibility for annual bonus, commission, and/or long-term incentive plans may apply based on position level/type.

Benefits

Ryder offers comprehensive health and welfare benefits for full-time positions, including:

• Medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance.
• Life insurance and disability insurance options.
• Paid time off for vacation, illness, bereavement, family, and parental leave.
• Tax-advantaged 401(k) retirement savings plan.