Manufacturing Automation Engineer

We are looking for a Manufacturing Automation Engineer who will be the technical owner of production automation and equipment systems across the solid propellant manufacturing process. The role ensures that future production capacity, safety, quality, and compliance (AQAP / EHS) are embedded into machine design from the earliest concept phase — translating product, chemical, and operational requirements into robust, auditable, and scalable production equipment. This is a hands-on engineering role with strong ownership, focused on automation, machinery, and production system design.

The Process Engineering Manager retains overall ownership of production technology and process design, while the Manufacturing Automation Engineer owns automation, machinery logic, and system-level integration.

You will report directly to the Process Engineering Manager and collaborate closely with Chief Production Officer (CPO), Chemical Engineering (Senior / Chief Chemical Engineer), Maintenance & Engineering, EHS, Facility & Construction teams, External automation and equipment suppliers.

Key Responsibilities

• Automation & Equipment Architecture Ownership
• Own the automation and machinery concept for production equipment.
• Translate process and chemical requirements into machine specifications and automation logic.
• Ensure equipment design supports:
• Stable solid propellant processing
• Repeatability and traceability
• Minimal human dependency in safety-critical steps
• Ensure production equipment is pre-MES ready and aligned with future digital architecture.
• AQAP-Derived Automation & Quality Requirements
• Translate AQAP and quality requirements into concrete machine-level requirements.
• Define minimum quality and traceability constraints embedded into:
• Machine logic
• Automation controls
• Interlocks and alarms
• Prevent quality bypasses by design, not by procedure.
• Capacity, Cycle Time & Future State Design
• Calculate plant cycle time in alignment with yearly strategic capacity.
• Build future-state value stream maps, including:
• Equipment utilization
• Automation levels
• Human–machine interaction
• Estimate OEE losses using:
• Current-state data
• Lessons learned from UA production
• Validate that future equipment concepts can realistically meet capacity targets.
• PFMEA & Lessons Learned Integration
• Collect and structure lessons learned from Ukrainian production teams.
• Own and conduct PFMEA workshops together with:
• Process Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Maintenance
• EHS
• Ensure failure modes are:
• Prevented where possible
• Detected early where prevention is not feasible
• Embed countermeasures directly into equipment design and automation logic.
• Equipment Delivery & Installation Coordination
• Create and maintain milestone plans for production equipment delivery.
• Coordinate with facility and construction teams to ensure:
• Correct installation sequencing
• Infrastructure readiness (power, ventilation, data, safety zones)
• Support commissioning and ramp-up phases.
• Maintenance & Lifecycle Integration
• Work closely with Maintenance to ensure:
• Predictive and preventive maintenance concepts are built in
• Equipment serviceability and accessibility
• Apply statistical methods to:
• Equipment qualification
• Condition monitoring
• Failure trend analysis
• EHS & Regulatory Compliance by Design
• Collaborate with EHS to ensure machinery complies with:
• Danish regulatory requirements
• Flammable / energetic material safety standards
• Support machinery-related risk assessments and safety concepts.

What We Are Looking For

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Automation Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Industrial / Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field
• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing or industrial production environments (e.g. chemical, energy, defense, aerospace, automotive, heavy industry)
• Hands-on experience with production equipment, automation concepts, and integration of machinery from external suppliers
• Practical knowledge of manufacturing engineering methods, including value stream mapping, takt time calculation, bottleneck analysis, and OEE principles
• Experience participating in or leading PFMEA workshops and translating lessons learned into technical and process countermeasures
• Ability to define technical and quality requirements for production equipment and support compliance with safety and regulatory standards (in cooperation with EHS and Quality)
• Experience working in cross-functional teams (production, engineering, quality, IT, EHS) in greenfield or scaling production setups is a strong advantage
• Strong analytical and structured mindset, with the ability to translate production needs into technical specifications and automation requirements
• Fluent in English; ability to work in an international, multidisciplinary environment

What We Offer

• A rare career opportunity to own the automation and machinery concept for production equipment for one of Denmark's most unique industrial and defense-tech projects
• A role where your expertise directly determines the integrity and reliability of safety-critical material systems
• A professional, international environment with a clear mission and purpose
• Above-market compensation
• Brand-new factory & equipment
• Modern office with gym, sauna & social spaces
• Real authority, Greenfield impact, Zero toxic culture, and Mastery over busywork.
• Work that protects freedom and life

Recruitment process and timeline

We are currently building our Danish organization from the ground up. Because we are establishing a new defense-tech production facility, the final regulatory and technical approvals take time.

Therefore, the recruitment process for this position will extend over the next 2-3 months.

What this means for you:

• We are leaving the job post open and reviewing applications on an ongoing basis. We will reach out to relevant candidates continuously for initial talks, but the final hiring decisions and start dates will be locked in once the facility approvals are fully in place.
• We encourage you to apply now if you want to be part of the core team from the very beginning.

Practical information

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Head of Search & Selection, William M. P. Pio, mobil +45 23477388, e-mail: wmp@temp-team.dk

Please send an application as soon as possible.

Send your CV via the link below (application is voluntary).