Digital Plant Lead
Program Overview
A global pharmaceutical manufacturer is developing a new multi‑billion‑dollar greenfield manufacturing campus. The program includes the construction of multiple standalone, highly flexible GMP clinical trial drug substance facilities, along with site infrastructure, utilities, administrative offices, laboratories, and warehousing.
The facilities will manufacture clinical trial drug substances supporting small molecules, biologics, and advanced therapeutic modalities. The overall program is currently in the detailed engineering design phase.
Automation Program Overview
The Automation Program consists of multiple independent Automation Project Teams, each responsible for a specific facility and operating under the governance of a centralized Automation Program Office.
Each Automation Project Team includes:
- Automation Project Manager
- Technical Lead
- Automation Area Leads
- Digital Plant Engineer
These teams define automation hardware and software requirements, standards, and best practices, and lead the engagement and oversight of system integrators responsible for detailed automation design, coding, testing, and deployment.
Purpose of the Role
The Digital Plant Engineer is embedded within a Project Automation Team and is responsible for understanding manufacturing processes and ensuring that digital and data solutions align with:
- Product processes
- Facility design
- Regulatory and compliance requirements
The role spans process control, automation‑MES integration, historian delivery, PAT platform oversight, digital use‑case development, and data integrity compliance.
The Digital Plant Engineer collaborates closely with:
- Automation Project Teams
- Program Technical leadership
- Process Engineering
- Process Technical Transfer
- IT / Digital organizations
- End users and site stakeholders
Role Responsibilities
- Bridge business, technology, and data architectures for the manufacturing facility
- Represent the automation function in digital plant forums and design discussions
- Contribute to the digital strategy and definition of digital plant use cases
- Contribute to the development of the project data architecture
- Lead data‑flow mapping activities across systems and platforms
- Support delivery of site‑level data infrastructure (e.g., historians, log management platforms)
- Contribute to the overall automation philosophy for the program
- Communicate progress, risks, and needs to the Automation Project Manager
- Provide technical consulting as part of the Project Automation Team
- Interface with cross‑functional disciplines to ensure project deliverables meet business and operational needs
- Maintain compliance with all required training and quality standards
Role Requirements
- Strong background in automation and OT operations (DCS engineering, batch manufacturing)
- Proven ability to translate process and operational needs into digital requirements
- Experience working across operations, process engineering, automation, and IT, effectively bridging functional silos
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering (or equivalent experience)
- 7+ years of experience in pharmaceutical API or bulk manufacturing environments
- Previous experience delivering large‑scale automation projects in the pharmaceutical industry
- Prior hands‑on experience with batch DCS platforms (e.g., DeltaV Batch)
- Preferred experience with MES systems
- Preferred experience with plant historian platforms (e.g., PI systems)
- Strong understanding of GMPs, regulatory expectations, and computer system validation (CSV)
- Exceptional teamwork and collaboration skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills for both technical and non‑technical audiences
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