Automation Engineer IV

Automation Engineer IV

Location:

Austin, Texas

Job Level: Mid-senior level

Department:
Supply Chain

Travel Required:

0%-10%

An Amazing Career Opportunity for an Automation Engineer IV!! 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.

HID powers the trusted identities of the world's people, places, and things, allowing people to transact safely, work productively and travel freely. We are a high-tech software company headquartered in Austin, TX, with over 4,500 worldwide employees.

As our Automation Engineer IV, you'll support HID's success by:

• Designing, building, and developing custom automation equipment and tooling to support HID manufacturing requirements, from early concept through production-ready deployment.
• Performing hands-on mechanical, electrical, and controls development, including fabrication, assembly, integration, testing, and iteration of automation systems.
• Researching and learning the automation equipment market to inform development strategies and identify opportunities to accelerate builds through hybrid solutions.
• Developing automation solutions using a build-from-scratch approach when required, or by modifying and enhancing commercially available or internally developed base equipment.
• Designing and implementing custom features, add-ons, and performance enhancements to existing equipment to meet HID-specific use cases.
• Modifying new or existing internal equipment designs to add functionality, improve reliability, increase throughput, or enable new product capabilities.
• Owning the prototype-to-production lifecycle, including proof-of-concept builds, validation testing, production handoff, and post-launch optimization.
• Troubleshooting and debugging mechanical, electrical, software, and system-level issues directly on the equipment.
• Collaborating closely with Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, Quality, and suppliers to ensure equipment designs are robust, manufacturable, and support production goals.
• Creating and maintaining technical documentation including design concepts, schematics, drawings, test results, and build instructions.
• Identifying continuous improvement opportunities and implementing design changes that improve equipment performance, uptime, and scalability.
• Partnering 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.
• Observing and analyzing existing manufacturing processes on the shop floor to define functional requirements and automation concepts that directly address current and future production needs.
• Translating operational requirements into practical automation solutions, balancing technical feasibility, development effort, cost, and long-term scalability.
• Leading the hands-on development of automation solutions, including concept generation, design trade studies, prototyping, testing, and iterative refinement.
• Evaluating existing equipment and processes to determine when modification, enhancement, or partial automation is the most effective solution versus full replacement.
• Supporting deployment of automation into production, including on-site debugging, optimization, operator support, and early-life issue resolution.
• Acting as a technical problem solver during production challenges, identifying when automation improvements or design changes are required to restore or improve performance.
• Collaborating 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.
• Contributing to standardization and reuse of automation concepts, designs, and components to improve development efficiency across projects.

Your Experience and Background include:

• Desired 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 be 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,…