Senior Automation Engineer I
Lonza · Vacaville, CA
- Level
- Senior
- Team
- Controls
- Base pay
- $107k–$179k
- Degree
- Preferred
- Industry
- Pharma & life sciences
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A senior controls role at Lonza (pharma & life sciences) in Vacaville, CA.
- They ask for
- degree preferred
- Tools it names
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), PLC, Automation
- Base pay
- $107k–$179k
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Controls Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $124k–$179k. This one lists $107k–$179k.
Median of the low and high ends of 56 live postings that list pay, out of 109 controls engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 108 other live controls postings in California.
- Base pay
- About 6% below similar roles
- Experience asked
- Not stated
Typical $124k–$179k, from 53 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Automation 66%
- ✓ PLC 47%
- Robotics 43%
- ✓ Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 38%
- Python 33%
- Root cause 20%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Controls team at Lonza
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Lonza in Vacaville
3 other open roles at this site.
- Senior Manufacturing Technician - Bioprocess · Process · Technician
- Senior Instrumentation Technician · Reliability · Technician
- Senior Validation Engineer - CSV (OT) · Quality · Senior
Full description from LonzaAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
What you will do
- ◆Deliver robust automation support for site-wide projects in alignment with CCP1 and CCP2 roadmaps to ensure a reliable quality supply and operational excellence.
- ◆Maintain, troubleshoot, and optimize critical CCP1/CCP2 automation systems, including MCS, DCS, PLC, and Vendor Supplied Controller (VSC) platforms, to guarantee they remain in a qualified state.
- ◆Support Make Assess Release (MAR) activities, capital project execution, and technology transfers from initial design through commissioning and validation.
- ◆Partner with cross-functional teams—including manufacturing, engineering, process science, validation, and QA—to engineer and implement "right-the-first-time" automation solutions.
- ◆Collaborate with project leads to develop, review, and approve scope definitions, system requirements, control designs, technical drawings, and Change Control assessments.
- ◆Perform off-line and on-line coding, debugging, comprehensive startup testing, peer reviews, and software change approvals for seamless system performance.
- ◆Provide dedicated troubleshooting and to resolve manufacturing discrepancies, mitigate software issues, and implement corrective action plans
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Location: Vacaville, California
This is a fully site based role. Working together in person supports close, real time collaboration and the technical precision needed to manufacture medicines to the highest quality and safety standards.
Execute automation projects and Automation roadmap initiatives for systems supporting Cell Culture Plant 1 (CCP1) and Cell Culture Plant 2 (CCP2). Support MAR activities and Vacaville Manufacturing Operations by assisting with tech transfers and capital projects while maintaining the qualified state of PLC and VSC systems.
What you will get
The full-time base annual salary for this position is expected to range between $107,250 to $178,750. In addition, below you will find a comprehensive summary of the benefits package we offer:
- •Performance-related bonus
- •Medical, dental and vision insurance
- •401(k) matching plan
- •Life insurance, as well as short-term and long-term disability insurance
- •Employee assistance programs
- •Paid Time Off
What we are looking for
- •Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field preferred.
- •Effective communication to engage and collaborate at all operational levels.
- •High adaptability to changing operational conditions and requirements, with a proven ability to prioritize and manage key deliverables effectively.
- •Provide robust automation support for the testing, startup, commissioning, and validation of system changes and projects, including Change Control assessments and record ownership.
- •Support ongoing manufacturing by evaluating discrepancies, taking authorized additional actions, providing technical input for investigations, and implementing corrective action plans.
- •Maintain and troubleshoot plant control systems—including PLCs, DCS, and field I/O devices—to ensure reliable process automation and minimize equipment downtime.
About Lonza
At Lonza, our people are our greatest strength. With 30+ sites across five continents, our globally connected teams work together every day to manufacture the medicines of tomorrow. Our core values of Collaboration, Accountability, Excellence, Passion and Integrity reflect who we are and how we work together. Everyone’s ideas, big or small, have the potential to improve millions of lives, and that’s the kind of work we want you to be part of.
Innovation thrives when people from all backgrounds bring their unique perspectives to the table. At Lonza, we offer equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Ready to shape the future of life sciences? Apply now.