Senior Automation Engineer
Flora Food Group
Salary undisclosed
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Description
Location: On-Site at our facility in Hugoton, Kansas
Why this role matters
In your first year, you will establish and own the automation function at Flora Food Group’s new dairy manufacturing facility in Hugoton. Your work will ensure smooth, reliable production of processed milk, creamers, and cream cheeses by delivering robust automation systems and resolving faults quickly. This role is critical to building a foundation for operational excellence and innovation in dairy processing, directly impacting the quality and consistency of the food we bring to kitchens. Your expertise will shape how automation supports our mission to create better food, every day.
What you'll do
- Program, configure, and maintain PLC, HMI, and SCADA systems on the Rockwell Automation platform to keep production running efficiently. This is more than hands on- we need a strategic leader to own the end to end process.
- Lead automation capital projects from design through commissioning, coordinating with suppliers and global teams to deliver on time and on budget.
- Manage server virtualization and industrial network infrastructure to ensure system stability and security.
- Troubleshoot and resolve automation faults in real time to minimize downtime and maintain product quality.
- Develop and maintain preventive maintenance programs and documentation for all automation assets.
Performance
You will own the full automation landscape at the Hugoton site, driving uptime and system reliability inch by inch. Your data-driven approach will reduce production interruptions and support continuous improvement initiatives. By delivering projects and maintaining systems with precision, you will enable the plant to meet its production targets and uphold Flora Food Group’s standards for better food.
Care
This role reports to the Plant Engineering Manager and works closely with operations, maintenance, and global engineering teams. You will foster collaboration across functions to ensure automation solutions are safe, compliant, and sustainable. Your leadership in preventive maintenance and lifecycle management will protect critical assets and support long-term plant performance.
Passion
You are a hands-on automation expert who loves solving complex challenges in food manufacturing. Your curiosity about dairy processing and commitment to food safety drive you to innovate and raise the bar. You take pride in crafting reliable systems that support the taste, nutrition, and functionality of our products, contributing to a more delicious and sustainable future.
About you
You bring strong technical skills in Rockwell Automation PLC and HMI programming, server virtualization, and industrial networking. You have experience leading automation projects and troubleshooting in food or dairy manufacturing environments. You are a self-starter who thrives in a greenfield setting, balancing daily operational demands with strategic delivery. Your communication skills help you collaborate effectively across teams and with external partners.
You are genuinely interested in food culture and curious about how consumer behavior and future food trends shape innovation. You understand that strong brands are built by anticipating what’s next in taste, nutrition and functionality, and by translating insight into meaningful consumer experiences.
Where this could lead to
This role typically leads to senior leadership positions within plant engineering or automation management, with opportunities to influence multi-site automation strategies. Over time, you could shape broader digital transformation initiatives across Flora Food Group’s manufacturing network.
What's next
If this opportunity sounds exciting, we'd love to hear from you.
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We understand your resume might not be up to date and recommend that you apply with what you have or your LinkedIn Profile. Flora Food Group is dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workplace, we understand that you might not meet all the requirements stated in the description, but we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the right candidate for this role or other roles.
Flora Food Group is an employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and equal opportunities for all. We recruit based only on values, qualifications, performance, skills, behaviours, experience, and knowledge. We ensure job advertisements are free from unintentional bias.
No personal characteristics should be a barrier to joining Flora Food Group. We prohibit discrimination and harassment based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or other personal characteristics.
About this role
Flora Food Group is building a new dairy manufacturing facility in Hugoton, Kansas, and this role gives you the opportunity to establish and own the entire automation function from the ground up. You'll program and maintain PLC, HMI, and SCADA systems on the Rockwell Automation platform, lead capital projects through commissioning, manage industrial network infrastructure, and troubleshoot production faults in real time. This is a hands-on position with strategic scope—you'll drive uptime and system reliability while coordinating with suppliers and global teams to deliver projects on time and within budget.
You should have strong technical expertise in Rockwell Automation, server virtualization, and industrial networking, ideally with experience leading automation projects in food or dairy manufacturing. The role demands someone who is equally comfortable solving immediate operational challenges and thinking strategically about preventive maintenance, documentation, and continuous improvement. A self-starter mindset is essential; you'll be balancing daily troubleshooting with longer-term system design in a greenfield environment where you'll shape how automation supports production of processed milk, creamers, and cream cheeses.
This position reports to the Plant Engineering Manager and works across operations, maintenance, and global engineering teams. It's a foundation-building role with clear advancement potential toward senior leadership in plant engineering or multi-site automation strategy. If you're drawn to food manufacturing, curious about how automation drives both reliability and innovation, and energized by owning a critical function at a new facility, this is worth pursuing.
Typical pay for this role
$120,000
Typical range: $100,000 to $140,000
This role's local market on JobMinglr
Pay for this role
The employer didn't post a pay range for this role. That usually means pay is set in negotiation, which favors whoever arrives with numbers. Check ranges on comparable Senior Automation Engineer postings in Hugoton, and analyze any offer before you accept it.
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