Position Summary
The EMO Technical Level 1.5 is responsible for maintaining, troubleshooting, and improving automation systems, including PLCs, HMIs, automation networks, and related control systems. This role supports plant operations by reducing downtime, improving equipment reliability and performance, implementing sustainable corrective actions, and leading or supporting automation and continuous improvement projects. The position works closely with operations, maintenance, contractors, vendors, and project teams to ensure safe, efficient, and cost-effective automation support.
Main Responsibilities / Essential Functions
- Maintain and support department equipment, computer systems, PLCs, HMIs, automation networks, and control systems.
- Design, document, implement, and back up PLC code, HMI applications, and automations system changes in accordance with established change notice processes.
- Work with operations, maintenance, contractors, vendors, service companies, and the Automation Manager to reduce downtime, improve equipment utilization, and provide timely, cost-effective maintenance support.
- Independently troubleshot automation, process, and equipment issues, identify root causes, and implement sustainable corrective actions.
- Apply engineering principles and sound judgment to solve complex automation challenges, including researching unfamiliar equipment, technologies, and systems; escalate issues when additional expertise is required.
- Lead or support automation and continuous improvement projects focused on reliability, safety, efficiency, quality, and equipment performance.
- Plan and organize automation work for outages, including coordinating resources and maintaining adequate spare parts and equipment.
- Provide technical guidance and support to maintenance and operations team members, contractors, and project teams.
- Partner with maintenance teams to develop safe job procedures and lockout revisions.
- Complete required training within designated timeframes and attend all required meetings.
- Understand and support the company's goals and values and adhere to company, department, safety, quality, environmental, and ethics policies and procedures.
About You / Qualifications
Required
- High school diploma or equivalent.
- 2-3 years of industrial automation and PLC programming experience.
- Experience with industrial motor drives and working knowledge of industrial instrumentation, control devices, and maintenance systems.
- Strong troubleshooting skills with the ability to diagnose electrical, automation, and computer-related issues.
- Ability to apply sound engineering judgment, critical thinking, and analytical problem-solving to complex technical problems.
- Ability to learn and apply unfamiliar technologies, equipment, and processes.
- Strong organizational, prioritization, and project management skills.
- Effective communication, collaboration, interpersonal and teamwork skills.
Preferred
- Bachelor's degree in electrical or automation engineering, computer science, or a closely-related related technical field.
- 3+ years industrial automation experience.
- Heat treating experience.
- Industrial PLC experience.
- C/C++ experience
- Industrial Ethernet networking experience.
- SCADA/Historian experience.
- VFD and servo drive experience.
- Hydraulic and proportional control systems knowledge.
- Industrial robot programming experience.
- Linux, SQL/database, and PID tuning experience.
Supervisory Responsibilities / Direct Reports
This position has no direct reports.
Work Environment and Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
The employee will be required to:
- Use computers, laptops, mobile devices, HMIs, industrial control systems, office equipment
- Use push buttons, switches, joysticks, computer keyboard and mouse, pen and paper
- Use a wide variety of equipment, electrical test equipment, calibration devices, diagnostic instruments, hand tools, power tools
The employee will be required to sit, stand, and/or walk as follows:
- Sitting 2 hours at a time; average 2 hours a day
- Standing 2 hours at a time; average 4 hours a day
- Walking 2 hours at a time; average 2 hours a day
- Alternate sitting, standing and walking as needed
The position requires the following talking, vision and hearing capabilities:
- Talking person to person, on the phone, and in a group setting
- Hearing in person, on the phone, and in a group setting
- Vision near, midrange, far, and peripheral vision
- Depth perception and the ability to adjust focus
The position requires the following pushing, pulling, lifting and carrying capabilities:
- Push, pull, lift, and/or carry items weighing 50 pounds or less
The employee is frequently required to:
- Balance, climb
- Twist at waist level, reach above shoulder level, reach at waist/desk level and below waist level
- Reach above shoulder level and below waist level
- Handle, grip, hold, and grasp with both hands together or separately
- Finger with both hands together or separately
- Feel with both hands together or separately; sense temperature and textures with both hands together or separately
The employee is occasionally required to:
- Stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl
The employee will be required to work in the following conditions: (While wearing safety equipment and/or clothing for protection from hazards)
- Indoors/Outdoors
- Extreme hot and cold conditions
- In wet and humid conditions
- Amid fumes, dust, dirt, and smoke
- In confined areas, high places, and around equipment in motion
- Amid noise
- Amid mechanical, electrical, chemical, laser, x-ray and industrial magnets hazards
Position Type, Expected Work Hours, Travel Requirements
- Position is on-site
- Position is full time, non-exempt, and is eligible for overtime
- Limited travel by driving a car or flying on an airplane
- Additional hours (on-site and/or remote,) including nights, weekends, and holidays, may be required to support operational needs, equipment failures, planned outages, startup activities, and project implementation
Other Duties
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that may be required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Becoming part of the SSAB family means joining a journey. A journey that we believe is essential for the sustainability of this planet. Steel has been one of the most important materials for developing our society and it will continue to be so. In the roofs over our heads, in the bridges connecting our cities and in the cars of tomorrow. At SSAB we are proud of our history and leadership in high-strength steel. But we are also aware that the production of steel is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world. That has to change. That is why we have developed the world's rst fossil-free steel production and have committed to becoming largely fossil-free. As part of SSAB you will be instrumental in realizing this goal and pushing for the green transformation of the whole steel industry.