AstraZeneca
Lead Automation Engineer - Process
US - Rockville - MD
Stay score
odds of building a lasting career here
Sponsors, but it's cap-subject — you still face the weighted lottery (~45% per draw at Level III). Good if you win; have a cap-exempt backup on your list.
Lottery odds assume a STEM candidate.
Personalize to your clock →H-1B wage level
the lottery is wage-weighted — each level is one more entry
$15,982 more — $124,176 — moves this role to Level III and 3 lottery entries. That figure is inside the range the employer already advertised.
Based on the DOL prevailing wage for this occupation and worksite, a base salary of $124,176 would place this position at wage Level III. That figure is within the posted range, and I'd like to target it. This role classifies under "Industrial Engineers" for prevailing-wage purposes.
DOL prevailing wage, 2026-27 wage year · Industrial Engineers (17-2112) · Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Wage level is derived by USCIS from the offered wage, occupation and worksite; the occupation shown is inferred from the job title.
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About the role
- As Senior Automation Engineer - Cell Therapy, you will be a trusted technical leader for high - impact projects and daily manufacturing oper ations across our Cell Therapy network.
- You will combine automation, operational technology, robotics, data, and GMP expertise to turn pioneering concepts into dependable manufacturing capability.
- Your impact Why this role matters Based at our Rockville, Maryland site, you will join Facilities and Engineering at a defining moment: the first-of-its-kind implementation of a robotic manufacturing cluster.
Responsibilities
- Lead Automation and Operational Technology OT strategy for the site's first-of-its-kind robotic manufacturing cluster, serving as the primary technical authority and a trusted partner to Manufacturing, Quality, IT, Engineering, and external suppliers.
- Own and administer critical Automation/OT platforms, including Environmental and Equipment Monitoring Systems, the Process Orchestration Layer, the robotics cluster, and integrated process equipment.
- Solve complex automation, OT, and robotics challenges, restore performance quickly, and maintain systems in a secure, reliable, and GMP-validated state.
- Guide equipment lifecycle decisions-from concept, design, and integration through FAT, SAT, commissioning, qualification, validation, maintenance, upgrades, and replacement.
- Design and continuously improve equipment startup logic, sequences of operation, system architecture, data flows, alarms, notifications, and interfaces for facility and manufacturing assets.
- Develop sound capital and operating cost estimates that help leaders prioritize strategic investments.
- Share expertise, mentor colleagues, and help build enduring automation and robotics capability across the organization.
- You will shape the network infrastructure, software and hardware integrations, operating strategy, and lifecycle support that make this platform reliable, compliant, secure, and ready to scale.
- Lean ways of working and standardized methods will help you simplify complexity, improve performance, and focus effort where it creates the greatest value.
- Because these capabilities support continuous manufacturing operations, the role participates in a shared 24/7 on-call support model.
Requirements
- A bachelor's degree in engineering or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
- F ive or more years of experience implementing and sustaining process automation or OT systems in manufacturing, laboratory, energy-management, or similarly complex environments.
- Experience with relevant platforms and equipment such as Rockwell, Siemens, COPA-DATA Z enon, process orchestration, historians, electronic batch records, or cell therapy manufacturing systems.
- Experience with maintenance-management platforms such as SAP in cell therapy, biotechnology, or pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Compensation
- The annual base pay (or hourly rate of compensation) for this position ranges from $108,194.40 - $162,291.60.
Benefits
- offered include qualified retirement programs, paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves), as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.
Equal opportunity
- If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please complete the corresponding section in the application form.
This listing is sourced directly from AstraZeneca's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.