Job Description

The Director of Automation will lead the enterprise automation strategy at Howmet Fastening Systems. This role is responsible for setting the automation vision, standards, governance, technology roadmap, and execution model across multiple manufacturing sites.

The Director of Automation will support site automation engineers as they lead and execute local automation projects. This role will provide strategic direction, technical standards, project review, prioritization support, vendor guidance, and escalation assistance to ensure automation efforts are aligned, scalable, compliant, and delivering measurable business value. This role will also ensure automation strategies are aligned with digital manufacturing and MES requirements, so equipment, operators, materials, quality data, and production records are connected in a consistent and scalable way.

The ideal candidate will combine manufacturing automation expertise, aerospace quality understanding, capital discipline, and strong cross-functional leadership. This person must be able to guide site teams, establish common practices, challenge weak project concepts, and help scale successful solutions across the business.

Essential Responsibilities

Automation Strategy and Roadmap

• Develop and maintain a multi-year automation strategy aligned with business growth, capacity, quality, labor productivity, safety, and cost objectives.
• Partner with site leadership and site automation engineers to identify, evaluate, and prioritize automation opportunities.
• Establish an enterprise automation roadmap that balances local site needs with broader business priorities.
• Define which automation solutions should be site-specific, replicated across similar operations, or standardized across the enterprise.
• Provide executive-level visibility to automation priorities, risks, investment needs, and performance outcomes.

Automation Standards and Governance

• Establish common standards for automation architecture, controls platforms, PLC/HMI/SCADA design, robotics, vision systems, safety systems, equipment documentation, data collection, and integration.
• Create standard templates and expectations for project charters, business cases, equipment specifications, design reviews, FAT/SAT, validation, training, and production handoff.
• Implement a governance process for automation project intake, prioritization, technical review, approval, and post-launch benefit validation.
• Ensure site-led projects follow consistent technical, safety, cybersecurity, quality, and maintainability standards.
• Maintain a preferred technology and supplier framework to reduce complexity and improve supportability across sites.

Support for Manufacturing Sites

• Serve as the senior technical and strategic resource for site automation engineers leading local projects.
• Coach and support site teams during project scoping, concept development, vendor selection, design reviews, risk assessment, launch, and sustainment.
• Help sites evaluate automation readiness, including process stability, part variation, labor content, quality risk, maintenance capability, and data requirements.
• Provide escalation support for complex automation challenges, vendor issues, technical roadblocks, and cross-functional conflicts.
• Facilitate sharing of best practices, lessons learned, and repeatable automation concepts across sites.
• Develop a community of practice for site automation engineers and manufacturing engineering leaders.

Manufacturing Automation Guidance

• Provide strategic guidance for automation in key fastener manufacturing operations, including heading, forming, thread rolling, machining, grinding, heat treat, coating, inspection, sorting, packaging, and material handling.
• Support site teams in applying automation to machine tending, part handling, robotic cells, vision inspection, automated gaging, defect detection, and material movement.
• Ensure automation concepts are practical for high-mix aerospace manufacturing environments.
• Promote the principle of simplifying, stabilizing, and standardizing processes before automating them.
• Identify opportunities to replicate successful automation solutions across similar equipment, products, or processes.

Quality, Compliance, and Risk Management

• Ensure automation standards and site-led projects support aerospace quality system requirements, including AS9100 expectations, customer requirements, traceability, change control, and audit readiness.
• Partner with Quality, Engineering, and site teams to define requirements for PFMEAs, control plans, validation plans, gage R&R, process capability studies, and production readiness reviews.
• Ensure automated inspection and measurement systems are validated, capable, and properly controlled.
• Support mistake-proofing, automated inspection, process monitoring, and interlocks to reduce defects and quality escapes.
• Ensure automation changes are properly documented and integrated into the quality management system.

Digital Manufacturing and Data Integration

• Establish standards for connecting automation equipment with MES, ERP, QMS, SPC, SCADA, machine data systems, and shop-floor dashboards.
• Partner with IT and site teams to define requirements for machine connectivity, data collection, cybersecurity, and system integration.
• Support digital thread initiatives connecting material, process, inspection, certification, and customer records.
• Ensure automation projects generate useful data for OEE, traceability, process monitoring, predictive maintenance, and continuous improvement.
• Promote consistent data structures, naming conventions, and reporting methods across sites.

Capital Planning and Business Case Support

• Provide guidance to site teams on automation business cases, including payback, labor productivity, capacity improvement, quality savings, scrap reduction, safety improvement, and total cost of ownership.
• Support annual and long-range Capex planning by helping prioritize automation investments across the business.
• Review major automation proposals for technical feasibility, risk, scalability, maintainability, and financial return.
• Track automation project benefits and ensure post-launch results are measured against approved assumptions.
• Help identify projects that should be accelerated, replicated, delayed, redesigned, or rejected.

Vendor, Integrator, and Technology Management

• Establish preferred vendor, integrator, and technology strategies for the enterprise.
• Support site teams in developing scopes of work, equipment specifications, acceptance criteria, FAT/SAT plans, and technical requirements.
• Participate in key design reviews and supplier selection decisions for major or strategic automation projects.
• Challenge vendor concepts to ensure they are practical, maintainable, safe, scalable, and compliant.
• Build relationships with strategic automation partners, machine builders, vision providers, robotics suppliers, and system integrators.

Leadership, Capability Building, and Change Management

• Build automation capability across the organization by developing standards, training, tools, and communities of practice.
• Mentor site automation engineers, manufacturing engineers, technicians, and maintenance leaders.
• Promote consistent project execution methods and disciplined automation deployment.
• Partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, IT, EHS, Finance, and Supply Chain to align automation efforts.
• Support workforce adoption by ensuring operators, supervisors, and maintenance teams are engaged early in automation projects.
• Communicate automation strategy, progress, risks, and results to senior leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Automation, Robotics, or related technical field.
• 10+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, automation, advanced manufacturing, controls, or operations engineering.
• 5+ years of experience leading automation strategy, capital equipment deployment, manufacturing technology programs, or multi-site automation initiatives.
• Experience supporting or leading automation projects in aerospace, defense, precision manufacturing, fasteners, machining, forming, medical device, automotive, or another regulated manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of automation technologies, including robotics, PLCs, HMIs, vision systems, sensors, servos, motion control, safety systems, machine tending, data collection, and material handling.
• Experience developing automation standards, equipment specifications, project governance, or preferred technology approaches.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and support site-based engineering teams without directly controlling every project.
• Experience building or reviewing business cases for automation investments.
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to work across operations, engineering, quality, maintenance, IT, EHS, finance, and suppliers.
• Experience in aerospace fastener manufacturing or similar high-mix precision component manufacturing.
• Knowledge of cold heading, hot forming, thread rolling, machining, grinding, heat treat, coating, plating, inspection, and sorting operations.
• Experience with AS9100, NADCAP-related processes, customer audits, FAI, PFMEA, control plans, and aerospace traceability requirements.
• Experience integrating automation with MES, ERP, QMS, SPC, SCADA, machine data systems, or digital manufacturing platforms.
• Experience developing automation roadmaps across multiple sites or business units.
• Knowledge of OEE, TPM, Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, value stream mapping, SMED, mistake-proofing, and standard work.
• Experience managing strategic vendor and system integrator relationships.
• Master’s degree or MBA preferred but not required.

Critical Skills and Knowledge

The Director of Automation should have strong capability in:

• Enterprise automation strategy
• Multi-site automation governance
• Automation standards and architecture
• Robotics and machine tending
• Vision inspection and automated gaging
• PLCs, HMIs, sensors, controls, and safety systems
• Material handling and part presentation
• Aerospace quality and compliance
• Process capability and measurement system validation
• Capex planning and ROI analysis
• Lean manufacturing and process simplification
• MES/ERP/QMS integration
• Vendor and integrator management
• Coaching and supporting site automation engineers
• Scaling best practices across sites

Employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Benefits/Salary:

The position includes competitive wages and a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance (medical, dental, vision), excellent 401k matching program, paid holidays and vacation. The annual salary range for this position is $200k - 240k.

Export-Controlled Data

• This position entails access to export-controlled items and employment offers are conditioned upon an applicant's ability to lawfully obtain access to such items.
• This export- control language can be added directly to the job posting in the Job Info box of the posting by selecting the sentence in the dropdown field titled "Export-Controlled Data" in section 4 of the job requisition.

Howmet Aerospace Inc. (NYSE: HWM), headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a leading global provider of advanced engineered solutions for the aerospace and transportation industries. Our primary businesses focus on jet engine components, aerospace fastening systems, titanium structural parts and forged wheels. With $8.3 Billion in revenue in 2025, our products play a crucial role in enabling fuel efficiency and lightweighting, contributing to our customers’ success and making a positive impact on the world. To learn more about the way Howmet Aerospace Inc. is advancing the sustainability of our customers, markets, and communities where we operate, review the 2025 Environmental Social and Governance report at www.howmet.com/esg-report. Follow: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Howmet is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

If you need assistance to complete your application due to a disability, please email TalentAcquisitionCoE_Howmet@howmet.com