About This Role
Director, Head of Automation Engineering is accountable for the strategy, delivery, and operational excellence of automation and control systems across manufacturing, laboratory, office, and site infrastructure environments. This role leads a highly skilled engineering team, owns the Site Automation small-capital portfolio, and represents automation in large capital projects and technology transfers. As a core member of the Site Leadership Team (SLT), the role shapes site strategy, escalates enterprise risks, and ensures automation systems are compliant, reliable, and aligned with business objectives. This position is also an extended member of the PO&T Global Engineering & Facilities Leadership Team.
Note: This description reflects responsibilities and qualifications for the role as listed.
What You’ll Do
- Lead and continuously refresh the Site Automation Roadmap, translating strategy into executable plans with measurable outcomes.
- Provide operational leadership and computerized system ownership for automation systems supporting manufacturing, laboratories, and infrastructure, including SCADA/MES, PLCs, and data historians, with accountability for full asset lifecycle management.
- Manage and develop a high-performing Automation Engineering team including hiring, performance management, succession planning, and retention.
- Own the lifecycle delivery of control systems, from design and implementation through commissioning, qualification, and validation (CQV).
- Support technology transfers and production readiness by ensuring automation systems meet schedule, quality, and regulatory requirements.
- Actively participate in SLT forums, escalating risks, and bringing options-based recommendations to governance.
- Forecast, manage, and optimize operating budgets and small-capital automation investments; represent automation in larger capital programs.
- Interface with Quality, IT, Security, Regulatory, and Validation organizations to ensure alignment with Quality Management System (QMS) directives and global engineering standards.
- Present automation strategies, system designs, and compliance evidence to internal governance bodies and external regulators.
- Maintain business continuity programs, including Business Impact Assessments, system criticality assessments, and emergency response/recovery exercises.
- Ensure a sustainable 24×7 automation support model with appropriate training, documentation, and audit readiness.
Required Skills
- Minimum 12 years in pharmaceutical, biotech operations, or relevant field, with at least 5 years leading technical engineering teams.
- Bachelor's degree in engineering or relevant field from an accredited college or university.
- Hands-on experience implementing and supporting SCADA, PLCs, and industrial data systems (e.g., historians).
- Strong working knowledge of S88, S95, GAMP, CSV, and related regulatory and engineering standards.
- Proven delivery of control systems through design, installation, commissioning, qualification, and validation.
- Experience presenting automation systems and compliance approaches to health authorities and regulatory inspectors.
- Demonstrated ability to manage operating budgets, forecast spend, and oversee small-capital automation portfolios.
- Experience establishing and executing emergency responses, recovery planning, and system risk assessments.
- Ability to clearly translate complex technical and compliance topics for senior leaders and regulators.
- Ability to work onsite at Biogen's Pharma location in RTP.
Preferred Skills
- Experience supporting multiple technology transfers or site expansions under aggressive manufacturing timelines.
- Working knowledge of AVEVA/Wonderware, Allen-Bradley/Rockwell, and DeltaV.
- Prior membership on SLT or equivalent senior governance body.
- Experience operating within global engineering, quality, and automation standards frameworks.
- Demonstrated success building diverse, high-engagement teams with strong retention and succession coverage.
- Track record of delivering automation roadmaps with measurable outcomes and enterprise alignment.
- Strong change-management capability in regulated, matrixed organizations.
- Experience implementing or improving 24×7 automation support and on-call models.
Additional Information
Base compensation range for this role is: $171,000.00-$236,000.00
Base salary offered is determined through an analytical approach utilizing factors including relevant skills & experience, job location, and internal equity.
Regular employees are eligible to receive short-term and long-term incentives, including cash bonus and equity opportunities, based on individual, business unit, and company performance.
Biogen offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support employees and families, including medical, dental, vision, life insurances; wellness programs; disability insurance; paid vacation and shutdown time; holidays; sick time; parental leave; 401(k) with company match; employee stock purchase plan; tuition reimbursement; and employee resource groups participation.
Why Biogen?
We are a global team with a commitment to excellence and a pioneering spirit. Biogen provides stability and resources of a well-established business while fostering an environment where individual contributions make a significant impact. We work together to deliver life-changing medicines, with every role playing a vital part in our mission.
We are committed to building a culture of inclusion and belonging and to ensuring every employee feels empowered and inspired. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other basis protected by law. Biogen is an E-Verify employer.
#J-18808-Ljbffr