Automation Controls Engineer III

Overview

Automation Controls Engineer III, Albuquerque, NM

Build your future at Curia, where our work has the power to save lives.

Curia is a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with over 30 years of experience partnering with pharmaceutical and biotech companies to provide life-saving treatments to patients. At Curia, we are on a mission to advance our customers’ therapies from curiosity to cure and ultimately to improve patients’ lives.

• Generous benefit options (eligible first day of employment)
• Paid training, vacation and holidays (vacation accrual begins on first day of employment)
• Career advancement opportunities
• Education reimbursement
• 401K program with matching contributions
• Learning platform
• And more!

The Automation Controls Engineer III serves as a senior technical resource, leading the maintenance, optimization, and strategic enhancement of control and data acquisition systems for manufacturing, packaging, and support equipment at the site. This includes Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), and Human Machine Interface (HMI) devices. In addition to providing expert technical review and counsel, this role drives complex troubleshooting efforts, mentors junior engineers, and leads initiatives to improve efficiency, reliability, and lifecycle management.

The Engineer III also evaluates and implements advanced automation technologies, ensuring alignment with site objectives, industry best practices, and long-term business goals.

• Serve as a senior technical resource for the maintenance, optimization, and strategic enhancement of automation and data acquisition systems, including SCADA, PLC, and HMI devices, across manufacturing, packaging, and support operations.
• Define, prioritize, and achieve complex technical goals and objectives; lead cross-functional collaboration with internal teams, external contractors, and technology vendors to ensure timely and effective project execution.
• Schedule, oversee, and evaluate the work of external trade and technology partners for automation-related equipment, facilities, and utilities, ensuring adherence to quality, safety, and GMP standards.
• Lead investigations into quality deviations related to automated equipment, driving root cause analysis, corrective actions, and long-term reliability improvements.
• Initiate, draft, and lead change requests and engineering documentation for automated systems, including SOPs, PMs, and technical manuals, ensuring compliance with site and regulatory requirements.
• Provide advanced programming and integration support for building monitoring systems, HMI displays, and other automation platforms; maintain up-to-date engineering drawings, system documentation, and software licenses.
• Identify, propose, and implement cost-effective automation upgrades and modifications to existing or new production equipment, ensuring strategic alignment with site automation goals and business objectives.
• Lead complex projects with minimal oversight, balancing quality, validation, production, and regulatory considerations in all decision-making.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior engineers and technicians, fostering skill development and knowledge sharing.
• Support Validation and Computer Systems Validation activities to ensure compliance with industry standards and regulatory expectations.
• Continuously evaluate and recommend emerging automation technologies to improve efficiency, reliability, and lifecycle management of systems.
• Read/interpret SOPs to ensure compliance
• Maintain up to date trainings
• Other duties as assigned

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical or related engineering
• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in automation integration
• PLC and HMI experience (i.e., Rockwell, Allen Bradley, Siemens, and Simatic)

This role does not have supervisory responsibilities, yet it may involve mentoring, guiding, and advising.

The ideal candidate should have the ability to read and interpret various documents, such as safety instructions, standard…