Automation Project Engineer - Mechanical Systems

Join ViCentra – Empower Bold Change in Med Tech

Location:

Utrecht | Hybrid

At ViCentra, home of Kaleido, we’re on a mission to redefine what’s possible in diabetes care. We combine technological innovation with human-centered design to empower people with more freedom, confidence, and life on their terms. Our values;

Be Bold, Build Trust, Focus on the Customer and Deliver Excellence drive everything we create and every decision we make.

We believe that when ambition meets purpose, remarkable things happen. If you thrive in a space where ideas accelerate, challenges spark growth, and making a difference is the goal, ViCentra is your next great adventure.

You will be the technical linchpin between our internal teams and external automation partners. You will directly influence the success of our 5-year automation roadmap by ensuring that each automated system is robust, validated, and fully integrated into our production environment.

Your work will enable us to achieve:

• Significant improvements in production efficiency and throughput.
• Enhanced product quality and consistency through reduced human variability.
• Scalable manufacturing capacity to meet growing global demand.
• Long-term operational cost savings and improved workplace safety.

You will not just oversee projects—you will help build the automated foundation of our future factory.

In this role, you will:

• Author comprehensive
  
  User Requirement Specifications (URS) with detailed mechanical performance criteria.
• Define mechanical interfaces between automated stations: part transfer mechanisms, fixturing tolerances, and thermal management requirements.
• Review and technically challenge machine-builder designs for nests, grippers, fixtures, tooling, feeding mechanisms, and the automated handling and assembly of small components.
• Specify machine safety systems per international standards.
• Conduct critical design reviewsof machine builders’ mechanical designs.
• Review and approveGD&T drawings, ensuring proper application of standards for manufacturability and assembly.
• Evaluate mechanical designs for manufacturability and automated assembly.
• Develop and execute mechanical test protocols for Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT).
• Work closely with Contract Manufacturer to conduct equipment Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) and Validation Testing.
• Establish preventive maintenance schedules based on mechanical wear analysis and lubrication requirements.
• Create mechanical system.
• Develop mechanical acceptance criteriafor Contract Manufacturers.
• Maintain machine performance dashboards tracking OEE, MTTR, and relevant mechanical performance indicators.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automation Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Minimum of5 years of hands‑on experience in industrial automation, preferably within high‑volume manufacturing environments (medical devices, pharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods).
• Direct mechanical design and analysis experience with high-speed automation equipment.
• Demonstrated experience in the design or assessment of:
  • Nests and precision fixtures.
  • Grippers and end‑of‑arm tooling.
  • Feeding and orientation mechanisms.
  • Pick‑and‑place and transfer systems.
  • Tooling for automated assembly, inspection, testing or joining processes.
  • Pneumatic and servo‑driven mechanisms.
• Experience with the automated handling and assembly of small, sensitive or tolerance‑critical components.
• Ability to review and critique CAD models, mechanical drawings, tolerance stack‑ups, datum strategies and GD&T application.
• Experience with CAD platforms such as Solid Works, Inventor, Creo or equivalent. Full‑time CAD design ownership is not required, but the candidate must be capable of critically reviewing and challenging mechanical designs.
• Solid understanding of automated assembly machinery, robotics, pneumatics, vision systems, and PLC‑based controls.
• Direct experience with URS drafting, FAT/SAT execution, and validation in a regulated industry is a strong advantage.
• Excellent technical communication skills– able to translate between operational needs and supplier technical language.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and…