Warehouse Automation Engineer

This Warehouse Automation Engineering position is responsible for identifying, evaluating, piloting, and deploying new warehouse automation technologies, followed by installation and optimization. This role drives efficiencies to grow existing business and win new opportunities by leveraging a breadth of knowledge across 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 automation technologies with partners.
• Consult with internal and external contacts to demonstrate the value and feasibility of warehouse automation as a competitive differentiator.
• Collaborate with customers and business owners to identify new ideas, evaluate, pilot, develop, 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 selecting and validating automation technologies. Build ROI and justification models to select optimal solution designs and support presentation development.
• SOW (Scope of Work) Contractual Validation: Support automation project leads in identifying gaps in vendor Functional Specification Documents (FSD) or SOWs 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 RFQs. Review design options from various vendors and solutions.
• Implementation Project Management: Manage smaller projects, including updating punch lists and project plans, and track milestones and requirements for implementation.
• Implementation Support: Attend implementation status calls as needed. Verify and prioritize optimal on-site support for all projects. Ensure communication with vendors, on-site staff, and handle escalation events. Coordinate post-go-live hypercare support for the on-site team. Support Solution Acceptance Test (SAT) testing plans and track punch list items for uptime post-go-live.
• Data Analytics: Profile data from dashboards and systems to support system optimization projects. Perform data analysis on reports from technology control systems and WMS/WES.
• Implementation Commissioning and Solution Validation: Support Solutions Acceptance Testing (SAT) and track punch list items.
• 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 downtime or degraded performance. 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.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field Required.
• Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field Preferred.
• 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, preferably including technologies such as sortation conveyor, goods-to-person, autonomous vehicles/robots, or ASRS Required.
• Beginner-level experience in automation, management consulting, physical and process robotics Required.
• Beginner-level knowledge of warehouse management operations, data analytics, industrial engineering, warehouse types (ambient, temp control), and Lean methods Required.
• Intermediate-level knowledge of material handling equipment and automation types, including forklift applications, racking designs, packaging devices, and automation design Required.
• Beginner-level proficiency in warehouse design tools (e.g., CAD, slotting, MOST, simulation, WMS, Labor Management). Knowledge of network design tools (e.g., Llamasoft) and data visualization software (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) is a plus Required.
• Beginner-level experience in industrial or mechanical engineering or equivalent warehouse operational knowledge Required.
• Intermediate-level experience in financial business case analysis to support targeted return on investment Preferred.
• Travel: 30-40%.

Skills

• Driven to help organizations innovate with new warehouse automation capabilities or technologies.
• Strong planning, time management, collaboration, decision-making, organization, and presentation skills.
• High degree of comfort with ambiguity and uncertainty.
• Ability to create and maintain professional relationships at all levels of the organization (peers, work groups, customers, supervisors).
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team.
• Passion for understanding clients' and internal customers' vision and business goals.
• Ability to champion ambiguous scenarios and challenges.
• Natural sense of leadership and ownership in research, pilot, and thought leadership activities.
• Problem-solver with a curious, hands-on mentality.
• Act as a change agent in adopting warehouse automation technologies to deliver operational improvements and coach business owners and functional leads in deploying these technologies.
• Demonstrated success in assessing, developing, and deploying new offerings or incremental enhancements.

Pay

Salaried position with a pay range of $100,000 to $120,000. The position may also be eligible for an annual bonus, commission, and/or long-term incentive plan based on level and/or 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.