Senior Strategic Automation Project Manager

Have a seat at our table. When you join Smithfield, you become part of something special – a company that's sustainably feeding people around the world, producing good food the right way with respect for our people, animals, communities and planet. With opportunities across locations and functions, a culture grounded in our Core Four values - gratitude, communication, respect and accountability - and a strong commitment to learning, collaboration, and innovation, Smithfield offers challenging and rewarding careers where you can grow, contribute and make a real impact.

As part of our Engineering organization, you will lead the development and execution of strategic automation and capital engineering initiatives that modernize manufacturing capabilities, improve equipment performance, and support long-term business growth. You will serve as a key technical leader responsible for aligning engineering investments with enterprise objectives while driving the successful delivery of complex automation projects across multiple facilities. The Strategic Automation Project Manager is responsible for managing a portfolio of automation, controls, robotics, and equipment modernization projects from concept development through commissioning and operational handoff.

This position combines strategic project leadership with strong engineering expertise in industrial automation systems, controls architecture, equipment integration, and manufacturing technologies. The ideal candidate brings a strong engineering mindset, practical experience with automation technologies, and the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams through all phases of project execution. Success in this role requires balancing technical excellence, project governance, budget performance, and stakeholder alignment to deliver scalable engineering solutions that support the organization's future manufacturing vision.

• Automation Strategy:
  Develop and execute a multi-year automation engineering roadmap supporting facility expansion, equipment modernization, advanced manufacturing initiatives, and evaluation of emerging technologies.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
  
  Partner with Engineering, Operations, Maintenance, IT, OEMs, system integrators, and external stakeholders to define requirements, establish project scope, and implement automation solutions.
• Technical Leadership:
  Serve as the lead for automation and controls modernization initiatives involving PLCs, robotics, motion control, machine vision, industrial software platforms, and integrated production systems.
• Project Execution:
  Lead automation and capital engineering projects from concept through commissioning and closeout, managing budgets, schedules, resources, procurement activities, risks, and overall project performance.
• Engineering Design & Standards:
  Provide oversight for controls architecture, electrical, instrumentation, networking, SCADA, HMI, automation system design, testing, validation, and standardization to ensure long-term supportability.
• Vendor & Contractor Management:
  Coordinate engineering consultants, OEMs, contractors, system integrators, and internal project teams to ensure successful project delivery.
• Capital Planning & Reporting:
  Develop business cases, capital requests, ROI analyses, project justifications, and executive-level updates while monitoring performance against scope, budget, safety, quality, and schedule objectives.
• People Leadership:
  Drive a positive employee experience through coaching, employee development, mentoring, and leadership.

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Automation Engineering, Controls…