What are the responsibilities and job description for the Industrial Applications Developer - AI, MES, and Automation position at Valbruna Group?
Founded in 1925 and a leader in the production of Stainless Steels, Nickel Alloys and Titanium Long products, Valbruna is a private company with 2,700 employees and an annual output of approx. 250,000 tons of specialty steels. Production is primarily focused on Stainless Steels and Specialty Alloys, available in blooms and billets, ingots, round, square, flat, hexagonal and angle bars, wire rod, wire, reinforcement bars and threaded rods, with the expressed goal of satisfying the most sophisticated needs of the customer. To that end, Valbruna is constantly updating its production capabilities and experience.
Valbruna Stainless Inc is looking for an Industrial Applications Developer who will create end user and industrial data collection applications. You will work in a small, but agile team environment, to document, design, and develop collaborative solutions across IT, Operations, and Industrial Control teams. You will also support the advancement of automation, HMI/MES systems, and AI-driven decision-making tools in a manufacturing environment.
Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain applications written in Python.
- Design and implement AI and machine learning models to support predictive maintenance, process optimization, and non-conformance detection.
- Integrate AI/ML workflows into MES and HMI systems, using frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Scikit-learn.
- Develop and support applications using Inductive Automation’s Ignition platform, including Perspective and Vision modules.
- Build and maintain HMI/MES solutions, interfacing with PLCs and SCADA systems to collect, analyze, and visualize operational data.
- Collaborate with process engineers and data scientists to define data acquisition strategies and deploy ML insights to the shop floor.
- Write clean, maintainable code following best practices (unit testing, source control, continuous integration, automation, etc.).
- Take full responsibility for the quality of code and test cases that are developed.
- Take initiative, seek and act on opportunities to improve organizational performance through innovation and automation.
- Solve problems analytically; search out relevant information and gauge its importance when making decisions.
- Demonstrate a collaborative mindset while working with globally dispersed and cross-functional teams.
- Participate in architectural discussions related to AI/MES integrations and software optimization.
- Maintain documentation and support DevOps pipelines for continuous delivery of industrial and AI-enabled applications.
Qualifications
- Prior experience working in a manufacturing environment (5 years).
- A strong understanding of manufacturing processes and shop floor data acquisition.
- Applied knowledge of Python development (5 years).
- Practical experience with AI/ML projects in a production or industrial setting.
- Must have a comprehensive understanding of database design and development.
- Experience with Ignition by Inductive Automation, including scripting, tag configuration, and HMI interface development.
- Exposure to DevOps practices, containerization, and automated deployments is desirable.
- Familiarity with OPC UA, MQTT, and industrial protocols is a plus.
- Experience with MES systems and HMI interfaces for real-time data visualization and operator interaction.
Education
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Industrial Automation, or related field.
Work Authorization
United States Citizenship or Permanent Residency (Required)
Must be eligible to work in compliance with ITAR, EAR, and/or DFARS regulations
