Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Automation Supervisor

🎯 Role Definition

The Automation Supervisor is a hands-on technical leader who manages and develops the controls and automation team to design, deploy, troubleshoot, and optimize PLC/SCADA/HMI systems, robotic cells, and related industrial control equipment. This role balances day-to-day operational support, preventive and corrective maintenance leadership, project execution for capital improvements and process automation, and engineering governance including standards, documentation, and safety compliance. The ideal Automation Supervisor drives reliability and throughput improvements through root-cause analysis, standardized techniques (Lean/Six Sigma), and effective cross-functional collaboration with production, maintenance, electrical, IT/OT, and vendors.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Controls Technician / Automation Technician with progressive PLC and robotics experience
Electrical Technician or Maintenance Technician with automation exposure
Junior Controls or Instrumentation Engineer

Advancement To:

Automation Manager / Controls Manager
Plant Engineering Manager or Continuous Improvement Manager
Director of Manufacturing Engineering / Head of Automation

Lateral Moves:

Maintenance Supervisor / Maintenance Manager
Process Improvement Manager / Lean Engineer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead, coach, and develop a team of automation technicians and controls engineers to deliver safe, reliable, and compliant industrial automation solutions while creating clear development plans, conducting performance reviews, and maintaining workforce readiness.
Oversee the design, programming, commissioning, and validation of PLC-based control systems (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, or equivalent), ensuring code quality, modular architecture, consistent naming conventions, and version control best practices.
Own the planning and execution of capital automation projects, including scoping, cost estimating, vendor selection, schedule management, risk mitigation, FAT/SAT coordination, and on-site commissioning to achieve scope, budget, and timeline targets.
Implement and maintain HMI/SCADA systems to provide operations visibility, alarming, historical trending, and operator interfaces that are intuitive, secure, and aligned with production workflows and KPI requirements.
Troubleshoot complex electrical and control system faults using structured problem solving and root cause analysis (5 Whys, Fishbone), driving corrective actions and permanent fixes to minimize repeat downtime.
Direct installation, configuration, and integration of robotics (ABB, FANUC, KUKA, Yaskawa) and vision systems into production lines, including cell safety integration, robot program optimization, and cycle-time tuning to maximize throughput.
Manage preventive and predictive maintenance programs for control assets, including PLC racks, I/O modules, HMIs, VFDs, servo drives, sensors, and industrial network hardware, to improve MTBF and reduce emergency repairs.
Maintain and enforce automation and electrical standards, drawing revisions, PLC/HMI code libraries, network architectures, and cabinet design practices to ensure consistency, maintainability, and regulatory compliance.
Lead OT/IT coordination for industrial networks, cyber-physical security, and data interfaces (Ethernet/IP, Profinet, Modbus, OPC UA), ensuring secure, auditable connections between plant floor devices and enterprise systems.
Oversee spare parts strategy and obsolescence planning for critical control components to support uptime targets and reduce risk of long lead-time failures.
Coordinate with production, quality, and safety teams to integrate control logic and interlocks that support product quality checks, traceability, E-stop circuits, safety relays/circuits, and compliance with NFPA/OSHA/IEC standards.
Develop and own automation KPIs (uptime, mean time to repair, cycle time, OEE impact) and provide monthly/weekly reporting and actionable insights to plant leadership for continuous performance improvement.
Write and maintain technical documentation including PLC/HMI code comments, electrical schematics, ladder and function block diagrams, network maps, commissioning plans, test protocols, and as-built drawings.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives—implementing Lean and Six Sigma methodologies—by identifying automation opportunities, reducing manual interventions, and implementing error-proofing and control enhancements.
Serve as the primary point of contact for OEMs and system integrators during installation, commissioning, and warranty periods to ensure contractual obligations and technical deliverables are met.
Plan and manage budgets for automation projects and ongoing maintenance, prioritize workstreams by ROI and safety criticality, and communicate trade-offs to stakeholders.
Ensure the team follows safe work procedures, lockout/tagout, electrical safety, and permit-to-work protocols; lead incident investigations for automation-related safety events and implement corrective actions.
Provide technical leadership and hands-on support during production start-ups, model changeovers, and product launches to quickly resolve controls issues and stabilize processes.
Mentor junior engineers and technicians on PLC programming standards, control philosophies, debugging techniques, instrumentation selection, and best practices for maintainability.
Lead software change management and release processes, including baseline control logic, controlled deployments, rollback plans, and validation for any changes impacting production.
Facilitate cross-functional change control, ensuring any process, mechanical, or electrical change is properly risk-assessed, tested, and documented with traceability to SOPs and batch records where applicable.
Evaluate and pilot new automation technologies (IIoT sensors, edge computing, cloud analytics, machine learning) to drive data-driven maintenance strategies and smarter process control.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory analysis to provide context and validation for automation improvements and reliability projects.
Contribute to the organization's automation and digital transformation roadmap by assessing maturity, defining standards, and prioritizing investments that align to business objectives.
Collaborate with business units to translate production challenges and quality requirements into clear automation requirements and technical deliverables.
Participate actively in sprint planning and agile-style project ceremonies when automation work is delivered in incremental releases alongside IT/OT teams.
Assist with training operator and maintenance teams on new control strategies, emergency procedures, and troubleshooting guides to ensure long-term sustainment.
Represent automation during plant audits and certification activities, supporting evidence collection, corrective action plans, and compliance closure.
Support procurement activities by defining technical requirements for control components and reviewing vendor proposals, drawings, and test results.
Help standardize toolkits and templates (PLC blocks, HMI screens, commissioning checklists) to accelerate implementations and reduce variance across multiple lines or sites.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced PLC programming and architecture experience with Allen-Bradley (RSLogix/Studio 5000), Siemens (TIA Portal), or equivalent platforms, including structured ladder logic, function blocks, and organized tag structures.
Practical HMI/SCADA development and optimization experience (Wonderware, Ignition, FactoryTalk View, WinCC) for operator efficiency and diagnostic clarity.
Hands-on robotics integration and programming knowledge (ABB, FANUC, KUKA, Yaskawa) including safety zone configuration, robot cell layout, and cycle-time optimization.
Strong understanding of industrial networks and protocols: Ethernet/IP, Profinet, Modbus TCP/RTU, OPC UA, and experience with network segmentation and OT security best practices.
Experience with motor control systems including VFDs, servo drives, encoder feedback, and PID tuning to control speed, torque, and process variables.
Familiarity with instrumentation and sensing technologies (temperature, pressure, flow, level, proximity, vision systems) and their integration into control strategies.
Proven ability to perform FAT/SAT activities, commissioning plans, test scripts, acceptance criteria, and production validation.
Proficiency reading and producing electrical schematics, ladder diagrams, P&IDs, and cable schedules; skilled with EPLAN, AutoCAD Electrical or similar tools.
Knowledge of safety systems and standards (SIL, safety PLCs, safety relays, NFPA 79, IEC 61508/61511) and experience implementing safety interlocks and testing.
Experience with control system lifecycle management: version control, baselining, change control, and disaster recovery for PLC/HMI assets.
Basic scripting or programming for automation support (Python, VBScript, SQL) to extract data, perform diagnostics, or automate repetitive tasks.
Familiarity with MES/ERP integration and data exchange methods (OPC, MQTT, REST APIs) to support production tracking and material traceability.
Budgeting, project management, and supplier management skills; comfortable managing CAPEX/OPEX for automation investments.
Knowledge of condition monitoring and predictive maintenance tools (vibration sensors, thermal imaging, IoT edge devices) and integration strategies.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and people management skills with a coach/mentor mindset and proven ability to build high-performing, cross-functional teams.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills tailored to technical and non-technical audiences, including executive reporting and shop-floor coaching.
Effective problem solver with structured root-cause analysis, decision-making under pressure, and a bias for permanent corrective actions.
Stakeholder management: able to influence production, quality, procurement, and IT leadership to prioritize automation initiatives and resource allocation.
Adaptability and resilience in dynamic manufacturing environments, balancing short-term firefighting with long-term reliability investments.
High attention to detail and strong documentation discipline to ensure compliance, reproducibility, and maintainability of control solutions.
Time management and prioritization: able to juggle multiple projects, urgent breakdowns, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Safety-first mindset with the ability to train others, enforce standards, and champion a zero-harm culture.
Analytical mindset with a data-driven approach to performance measurement, root-cause analysis, and continuous improvement.
Collaborative team player who fosters cross-functional relationships and champions knowledge sharing and standardization.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate degree in Electrical Technology, Mechatronics, Instrumentation, or equivalent vocational/technical training with relevant experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Mechatronics, Automation Engineering, or Industrial Engineering.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Electrical Engineering
Controls / Automation / Mechatronics
Instrumentation and Control Technology
Industrial Engineering / Manufacturing Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–10+ years in industrial automation, controls, or maintenance roles, with progressive responsibility.

Preferred:

7+ years of hands-on experience in PLC/HMI programming, robotics integration, and industrial network troubleshooting.
At least 2–3 years in a lead or supervisory role managing technicians or engineers.
Experience across multiple industries (packaging, food & beverage, automotive, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods) and with vendor/system integrator partnerships.
Demonstrated track record delivering capital automation projects, reducing downtime, and improving OEE through automation and reliability initiatives.