Automation Engineer II
Thermo Fisher Scientific · Bedford, MA
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Controls
- Base pay
- $73k–$109k
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 2+ years
- Industry
- Pharma & life sciences
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level controls role at Thermo Fisher Scientific (pharma & life sciences) in Bedford, MA. Real-time batch operation support and incident investigation.
- They ask for
- 2+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- ISO 13485, FDA / GMP, Automation, EHS / safety
- Base pay
- $73k–$109k
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Controls Engineer roles in Massachusetts: typical posted base $90k–$157k. This one lists $73k–$109k.
Median of the low and high ends of 13 live postings that list pay, out of 28 controls engineer openings in Massachusetts, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Massachusetts plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 27 other live controls postings in Massachusetts.
- Base pay
- About 26% below similar roles
- Experience asked
- Less than usual (2+ vs 5+)
Typical $90k–$157k, from 11 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- PLC 71%
- ✓ Automation 71%
- Robotics 39%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 29%
- Root cause 29%
- ✓ EHS / safety 21%
✓ = 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 Thermo Fisher Scientific
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 does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- 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: Thermo Fisher Scientific in Bedford
2 other open roles at this site.
- Engineer I, Operations Support Engineer · Production
- Engineer II, Manufacturing Engineering · Manufacturing
Full description from Thermo Fisher ScientificAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Education
- ✓Bachelor (of Science) in Engineering (or years of direct industry experience equivalent)
Experience
- ✓2+ years of experience
- ✓Knowledge of DeltaV specific process controls platform
- ✓System navigation and operation practice
- ✓Real-time batch operation support and incident investigation
- ✓Operated in manufacturing production environments
- ✓Accustomed to industry quality and cGMP standards
requirements
- ✓Familiarity working in a Class I Div II Hazardous Location Manufacturing Environment
This position may also be eligible to receive a variable annual bonus based on company, team, and/or individual performance results in accordance with company policy. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package that our U.S. colleagues and their families can count on, which includes:
- ✓A choice of national medical and dental plans, and a national vision plan, including health incentive programs
- ✓Employee assistance and family support programs, including commuter benefits and tuition reimbursement
- ✓At least 120 hours paid time off (PTO), 10 paid holidays annually, paid parental leave (3 weeks for bonding and 8 weeks for caregiver leave), accident and life insurance, and short- and long-term disability in accordance with company policy
- ✓Retirement and savings programs, such as our competitive 401(k) U.S. retirement savings plan
- ✓Employees’ Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) offers eligible colleagues the opportunity to purchase company stock at a discount
For more information on our benefits, please visit: https://jobs.thermofisher.com/global/en/total-rewards
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Work Schedule
Standard (Mon-Fri)
Environmental Conditions
Adherence to all Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Safety Standards, Office, Some degree of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) required (safety glasses, gowning, gloves, lab coat, ear plugs etc.)
Job Description
How will you make an impact?
The job of the Automation Engineer II is to maintain and troubleshoot all process controls. This role primary function is to address all issues that occur on the plant floor and to escalate any critical time sensitive incidents. A strong relationship with manufacturing and process engineering is needed to understand their needs. Technical skills will be applied to tackle simple and sophisticated problems. We are seeking an energetic individual with strong communication, technical and operational skills to join our dynamic and fast paced team.
What will you do?
- •Never compromise safety as the highest priority
- •Support manufacturing operations to balance safety, efficiency, and productivity (day to day and on-call)
- •Collaborate and execute small scale process improvement projects
- •Perform routine preventative maintenance tasks to ensure system health
- •Facilitate the DeltaV change control (DVCC) process workflow
- •Evaluate and implement critical DVCC work orders
How will you get here?
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
- •2+ years of experience
- •DeltaV specific process controls platform and batch manufacturing processes
- •Understand computer and server functionality
- •Effectively work in a team environment
- •Ability to think critically and raise concerns prior to taking action
- •Strong oral, written, communication, presentation and interpersonal skills
- •Ability to work with numerous departments and levels of employees
- •Ability to excel in a fast pace, demanding environment
- •Knowledge of current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and safety (OSHA) regulations desirabl
- •Good understanding of ISO 13485