Automation Engineer - Quench & Temper

U. S. Steel Tubular Products delivers high quality seamless pipe that powers America’s energy market and supports multiple industries across the USA. Backed by more than a century of steelmaking and a culture of innovation, U. S. Steel Tubular Products builds premium connections and partners with customers to tackle their toughest challenges, keeping energy and industry moving forward.

Position Summary:

• The Automation Engineer - Quench & Temper will provide hands-on automation, controls, and technical support for capital project execution within Quench & Temper (Q&T) operations at Fairfield Works - Tubular. This role will help design, program, integrate, test, commission, and optimize automated systems that support safe, reliable, and efficient Q&T operations.
• The Automation Engineer will work closely with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, vendors, contractors, and plant leadership to ensure automation systems are ready for startup and sustainable long-term operation. This role will support PLC/HMI programming, controls troubleshooting, sensor and instrumentation integration, process data visibility, operating procedure development, and training for management and hourly employees impacted by new or modified Q&T equipment.

Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, test, deploy, and optimize automation and controls solutions for Quench & Temper capital projects and related operational improvements.
• Program, troubleshoot, and support PLCs, HMIs, industrial control systems, drives, sensors, instrumentation, and equipment interfaces used in Q&T operations.
• Partner with Engineering and vendors to review automation design, control narratives, electrical drawings, equipment specifications, network architecture, process parameters, and integration requirements.
• Support Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), commissioning, startup, punch-list resolution, and turnover of automation systems to Operations and Maintenance.
• Collaborate with Q&T Operations and Quality teams to ensure automated systems support process control, inspection requirements, product consistency, equipment performance, and customer specification needs.
• Lead Finishing Floor #3, IPS (Internal Processing Storage), and Quench & Temper automation initiatives, including integration of new technologies with existing operational and control systems.
• Integrate process data, dashboards, alarms, trends, recipes, and reporting tools to improve visibility to Q&T performance, downtime drivers, quality trends, and process variation.
• Lead troubleshooting and root cause analysis for automation, controls, instrumentation, and equipment interface issues that impact safety, uptime, throughput, or product quality.
• Provide hands-on support to production and maintenance teams in a fast-paced, high-volume manufacturing environment, including off-shift support when required by project or operational needs.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, including control logic descriptions, operating instructions, troubleshooting guides, training materials, change documentation, and commissioning records.
• Support development and execution of training plans for operators, maintenance employees, and front-line leaders on new automation systems, HMIs, alarms, control sequences, and standard work expectations.
• Work with cross-functional project teams to support scope development, execution planning, equipment readiness, startup planning, process stabilization, and sustained performance after implementation.
• Identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities related to automation reliability, controls standardization, equipment capability, data integrity, process control, and operational efficiency.
• Promote a strong safety culture by ensuring automation and controls work is executed in alignment with safety, environmental, quality, cybersecurity, and operating standards.
• Communicate project risks, automation readiness gaps, controls issues, and implementation status clearly to project stakeholders and plant leadership.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Automation Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field is preferred. Equivalent relevant automation, controls, or manufacturing experience may be considered.
• Minimum of 5 years of manufacturing automation, controls engineering, industrial maintenance, process automation, or related experience is preferred.
• Hands-on experience with PLC/HMI programming, industrial control systems, troubleshooting, and equipment startup support.
• Experience supporting automation in a heavy manufacturing, steel, heat treat, thermal processing, or industrial production environment is preferred.
• Strong analytical, technical troubleshooting, problem-solving, planning, and execution skills.
• Effective communication and documentation skills with the ability to work across Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, vendors, contractors, and plant leadership.
• Ability to support commissioning, startup, outages, project installations, and a 24/7 manufacturing environment, including weekend, holiday, off-shift, or extended-hour support as business needs require.
• Demonstrated commitment to safety, environmental compliance, quality, cybersecurity, and operational discipline.

Preferred but Not Required Experience:

• Experience with Allen-Bradley, Siemens, or similar PLC/HMI platforms.
• Experience integrating sensors, instrumentation, drives, control panels, industrial networks, data historians, dashboards, alarms, and process monitoring systems.
• Exposure to Quench & Temper operations, heat treatment, seamless pipe, OCTG, finishing operations, steel manufacturing, or other thermal processing environments.
• Knowledge of process control, SPC (Statistical Process Control), metrology, process capability, manufacturing analytics, Tableau, Minitab, or similar tools.
• Experience supporting capital projects, vendor coordination, equipment installation, FAT/SAT, commissioning, startup, and transition-to-operations activities.
• Experience developing training materials, standard work, troubleshooting guides, or competency sign-off documentation for operators, maintenance employees, or front-line leaders.
• Lean Six Sigma training, continuous improvement experience, or structured root cause analysis capability.
• Experience working effectively with union-represented employees, operations leaders, maintenance teams, contractors, and technical support functions.