Automation Equipment Engineer II, III

Cellares
South San Francisco, US
Career-pivot friendly

Why this role

Pace
Fast Paced
Collaboration
High
Autonomy
Medium
Decision Impact
Team
Role Level
Individual Contributor
Career Pivot Friendly
Welcomes transferable skills

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • Troubleshoot equipment and control systems
  • Identify improvement opportunities
  • Develop and maintain runbooks
Typical background
Electrical Engineering degree

Transferable backgrounds

  • Coming from Automation Engineer
  • Coming from Process Engineer

Skills & requirements

Required

Electrical EngineeringMechatronics EngineeringSystems EngineeringProcess EngineeringIndustrial Communication ProtocolsP&idsIEC 61131-3 Structured TextPLC PlatformsIntegrated Articulated RobotsGMP Environment

Preferred

Beckhoff Twincat 3Hmi/scada PlatformsTime-series And Log ToolingGitPython

Stack & domain

Electrical EngineeringMechatronics EngineeringSystems EngineeringProcess EngineeringIndustrial Communication ProtocolsIec 61131-3 Structured TextPlc PlatformsIntegrated Articulated RobotsTime-series And Log ToolingSource ControlPythonSelf-awarenessIntegrityAuthenticityGrowth MindsetCell Therapy ManufacturingBiotechSemiconductorAutomated Manufacturing

About the role

Original posting from Cellares

Position: Automation Equipment Engineer (I, II, III)

Position Summary

FULL-TIME 3rd Shift

Cellares, South San Francisco

We are seeking an Automation Equipment Engineer to provide hands‑on technical ownership of the automation equipment and control systems that power our advanced cell therapy manufacturing platform.

The primary focus of this position is to troubleshoot, assess, and sustain automation equipment, as well as identify opportunities for future improvements. You will serve as the first point of contact for issues and collaborate with Operators, Scientists, and Engineers to mitigate and resolve them.

Candidates should enjoy working in a fast‑paced, mission‑driven environment and be prepared to tackle a broad selection of challenges as the company grows.

Responsibilities

  • Ensure equipment readiness by monitoring fleet health, responding to production issues, and supporting proactive testing
  • Troubleshoot equipment and control systems including sensors, motors, pumps, pneumatic actuators, PLC logic, six‑axis robots, and software interfaces
  • Identify recurring patterns and improvement opportunities, and feed findings back to R&D to inform permanent enhancements to the platform
  • Develop and maintain runbooks, troubleshooting guides, and operational procedures
  • Coach operators and technicians through real‑time questions, building comfort with the control systems
  • Support commissioning and validation activities for automation changes and new systems

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Systems Engineering, Process Engineering, or equivalent experience
  • 2+ years supporting automated production equipment, preferably within medical device or pharmaceutical manufacturing contexts
  • Hands‑on experience wiring, configuring, and verifying electrical and control systems
  • Working knowledge of industrial communication protocols such as Ether

CAT, Modbus TCP/IP, serial interfaces, and OPC‑UA

  • Comfortable reading P&IDs, electrical schematics, and other technical drawings
  • Reading proficiency in IEC 61131‑3 Structured Text and experience with at least one major PLC platform (Beckhoff TwinCAT, Siemens TIA Portal, B&R)
  • Experience supporting integrated articulated robots (Kuka, ABB, Staubli, Fanuc)
  • Experience working in a GMP or similarly regulated environment, and comfort with change‑control, deviation, and CAPA processes
  • Must be able and willing to work an off‑shift schedule (nights and/or weekends), with occasional travel
  • Self‑awareness, integrity, authenticity, and a growth mindset

Preferred Skills / Experience

  • Direct production experience with Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 and TwinSAFE
  • Experience with at least one major HMI/SCADA platform (Ignition, Wonderware, WinCC)
  • Familiarity with time‑series and log tooling (e.g., Influx

DB, Grafana) for equipment diagnostics

  • Familiarity with Git or other source control for navigating code repositories
  • Proficiency in Python or another scripting language for ad‑hoc data extraction and analysis
  • Prior experience supporting cell therapy, biotech, semiconductor, or other high‑mix, high‑stakes automated manufacturing platforms

Compensation & Benefits

$90,000 - $210,000 a year. Cellares total compensation package includes competitive base salary, highly subsidized Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans, 401(k) Matching, Free EV Charging, onsite lunches, and Stock options. All displayed pay ranges are approximate, negotiable, and location dependent.

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Source: Cellares careers

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