Construction & Forestry Automation Strategy & Execution Lead

There are over 7 billion people on this planet. And by 2050, there will be 2 billion more... many moving into urban centers at an unprecedented rate. Making sure there is enough food, fiber and infrastructure for our rapidly growing world is what we're all about at John Deere. And it's why we're investing in our people and our technology like never before!

Here the world's brightest minds are tackling the world's biggest challenges. If you believe one person can make the world a better place, we'll put you to work. RIGHT NOW.

John Deere is an equal opportunity employer, including disabled & veterans.

Primary

Location:

United States (US) - Iowa - Davenport

Function:
Factory Engineering (CA)

Title:

Construction & Forestry Automation Strategy & Execution Lead - 123784

Onsite/Remote:
Onsite Position

• Lead the C&F divisional automation strategy and multi-year roadmap across the manufacturing network, aligning automation priorities to business transformation goals and future factory capability needs
• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize high-value automation opportunities based on business value, scalability, readiness, risk, investment need, and strategic alignment
• Maintain and govern a divisional backlog of automation use cases through structured factory demand intake, stakeholder engagement, and prioritization processes
• Establish governance processes for automation portfolio management, including prioritization, risk management, funding discipline, transparency, execution accountability, and outcome tracking
• Partner with factory leadership and cross-functional teams to understand operational challenges, define future-state capabilities, and align automation investments to site and divisional priorities
• Demonstrate strong technical understanding of industrial automation, including robotics, controls, machine connectivity, data integration, OT/IT architecture, smart manufacturing, and emerging automation technologies
• Develop and maintain scalable automation standards, reference architectures, deployment playbooks, and reusable solution patterns to enable consistent execution across multiple factories
• Engage suppliers, integrators, and technology partners to evaluate solutions, define integration approaches, ensure technical alignment, and support deployment at scale
• Partner closely with the China Technical Automation Lead to accelerate execution of priority automation projects and deliver business transformation outcomes through aligned technical direction, supplier coordination, and external integrator engagement
• Build organizational automation capability through coaching, competency development, communities of practice, factory engagement, and knowledge sharing
• Track and communicate business outcomes to ensure automation investments deliver measurable value in safety, quality, productivity, cost, delivery, capacity, and operational performance

VISA Sponsorship is NOT available for this position

• Experience leading automation strategy, roadmap development, or transformation initiatives in a manufacturing or production environment
• Demonstrated ability to translate business priorities into automation initiatives with clear scope, value drivers, execution plans, and measurable outcomes
• Strong understanding of industrial automation technologies, robotics, machine connectivity, controls, data integration, and emerging smart manufacturing capabilities
• Experience developing standards, solution architectures, deployment playbooks, or repeatable methods that support scalable automation implementation across multiple sites
• Proven ability to build organizational capability through coaching, competency development, communities of practice, and knowledge sharing with factory and technical teams
• Monitor industry trends, benchmark peer organizations, and evaluate emerging technologies to inform future automation strategy, supplier partnerships, and capability development

• Experience leading multi-site automation programs or enterprise-level manufacturing transformation initiatives
• Proven ability to scout, evaluate, pilot, and scale new automation technologies across diverse applications such as material handling, assembly, welding, machining, dispensing, and inspection
• Experience building supplier ecosystems, preferred integrator models, technology partner relationships, or strategic sourcing approaches for automation delivery
• Experience developing competency frameworks, training plans, communities of practice, or technical governance structures for automation and smart manufacturing capabilities
• Knowledge of collaborative automation, autonomous mobile robots, machine vision, perception technologies, industrial connectivity, IoT, data platforms, and Industry 4.0 solution architectures
• Ability to connect automation strategy to business case development, capital planning, ROI, cost reduction, capacity improvement, and operational performance outcomes

Ideally you will have a degree or…