What are the responsibilities and job description for the Automation Controls Engineer, Manufacturing Automation Design & Engineering position at Amazon?
Amazon Web Services' Hardware Engineering team is looking for experienced professionals to help build the world's premier cloud computing platform. The Manufacturing Automation Design & Engineering team designs, validates, and deploys automation solutions, including robotics, cobots, vision inspection, AI-powered quality systems, and automated assembly workflows, across contract manufacturer sites worldwide.
About the Role: You will define the controls and electrical systems architecture for all automated assembly lines, creating the standard control platform that scales across all platforms and all contract manufacturer sites. You own PLC programming standards, HMI development frameworks, safety system architecture, and industrial network design
You define how automated cells communicate with each other, with MES, and with data collection systems. You are the architect of the nervous system that connects every robot, sensor, actuator, and inspection system into a coordinated, data-generating production line. You establish reusable control system templates that ensure consistency and reduce deployment time globally.
The scope covers all server and rack assembly across all architectures and platforms, including compute, AI/ML accelerators, storage, and networking
The team designs intelligent, predictive-analytics-driven production systems where every station is sensor-driven, AI-optimized, and self-correcting, turning assembly lines into programmable, data-generating platforms that scale capacity without scaling headcount. This role requires the engineer to operate in a fast-paced, multi-platform international manufacturing environment with travel to contract manufacturer sites (up to 25-30% travel anticipated).
Key job responsibilities
Define controls systems architecture: PLC programming standards, HMI frameworks, safety system design, network topology
Design and program PLC-based control systems for automated assembly lines
Develop standardized HMI interfaces for operator interaction and production monitoring
Architect industrial network infrastructure (e.g., EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, EtherCAT) for automated lines
Design safety system architecture per ISO 13849 and IEC 62443 (functional safety and cybersecurity)
Create reusable control system templates and code libraries for global deployment standardization
Define MES integration specifications and data exchange protocols between automation cells and enterprise systems
Lead controls architecture reviews for automation projects and vendor-supplied systems
About the team
About the team: The Manufacturing Automation Design & Engineering team is building a centralized automation Center of Excellence that owns the process specification and IP for how AWS hardware gets assembled. The team is responsible for engineering, defining automated process requirements, designing and proving solutions at proof-of-concept, and maintaining AWS-owned intellectual property that scales globally
The team works within a collaborative framework across Hardware Engineering (product design for automation), Manufacturing Automation Design & Engineering (process specification and validation), and Manufacturing Operations (deployment and scaling), ensuring automation is engineered once, proven once, and deployed everywhere.