Welding Robotics Engineer - Automation Engineer
29 days ago
Buffalo
Job Description Job Title: Welding Robotics Engineer - Automation Engineer Location: Goodyear / Phoenix, Arizona Department: Engineering Employment Type: Full-Time | On-Site FLSA Status: Exempt About GTI Energy GTI Energy, a division of GTI Fabrication, designs and builds advanced modular infrastructure for mission-critical markets, including energy storage systems, data centers, and defense applications. We are growing rapidly and investing heavily in automation to increase capacity, precision, and efficiency at our industrial fabrication facilities. Position Overview We are seeking a Welding Robotics Engineer - Automation Engineer to lead the development, deployment, and optimization of automated robotic welding systems across our production lines. This is a hands-on technical role focused on designing, programming, integrating, and maintaining robotic welding cells with PLC controls. This position will play a key role in advancing GTI’s automation strategy, ensuring our fabrication processes achieve the highest standards of safety, quality, efficiency, and scalability. Key Responsibilities Automation Applications, Strategy & CapEx Justification • Partner with operations, manufacturing engineering, and quality to identify automation use cases that improve safety, quality, and throughput., • The Welding Robotics Engineer will develop capital expenditure justifications and ROI/payback analyses to support automation project funding., • Lead cross-functional project teams (quality, safety, operations, manufacturing engineering, and facilities) assigned to automation initiatives., • Develop specifications for individual automation projects and create GTI-wide standards for control systems, preferred robot manufacturers, and welding equipment OEMs., • The Welding Robotics Engineer will design, specify, and implement robotic welding cells for modular steel fabrication., • Select and oversee external integrators to execute detailed design work., • Lead internal and external design reviews to verify system safety, quality, and technical alignment., • Coordinate installation, validation, and qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ) of automation systems with integrators and plant teams., • Develop and modify PLC/HMI logic (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, etc.) to control robotic welding cells and integrate them with conveyors, positioners, and vision systems., • Write and optimize robot programs for MIG, TIG, and spot welding applications., • Provide hands-on support to troubleshoot automation systems and minimize downtime., • Lead preventive maintenance schedules for robotic welding systems and controls equipment., • Analyze production data to identify bottlenecks and quality issues., • The Welding Robotics Engineer will implement Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to drive continuous improvement in robotic welding operations., • Partner with mechanical engineers, manufacturing engineers, quality, and maintenance teams to ensure production readiness of automated systems., • Maintain detailed technical documentation including robot programs, schematics, and SOPs., • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, or Industrial Engineering, • 8–10+ years of experience in manufacturing automation or controls engineering, • Hands-on experience implementing and supporting robotic welding systems, • Proficiency with industrial welding robots (FANUC, ABB, Motoman, KUKA or similar), • Strong experience with PLC programming and controls integration (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, etc.), • Proven success leading cross-functional automation projects and managing integrators, • Strong understanding of welding processes (GMAW, GTAW, resistance spot welding) and metallurgy basics, • Knowledge of industrial safety standards (OSHA, NFPA79) and risk assessments for robotic systems, • Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and troubleshooting skills, • Strong project management skills to coordinate multiple automation projects and vendor integrations, • Experience with robotic simulation tools (RoboGuide, RobotStudio, etc.), • Experience integrating vision systems, sensors, motion control, or automated material handling, • Familiarity with CAD (SolidWorks, AutoCAD) for fixture or tooling design, • Lead automation for a rapidly growing industrial fabrication company, • Hands-on, high-impact technical role in a fast-paced environment, • Competitive compensation and benefits