Head of Automation Engineering

Alfa Laval in India is looking for a Head – Automation Engineering.

About us:

At Alfa Laval, we always go that extra mile to overcome the toughest challenges. Our driving force is to accelerate success for our customers, people, and planet. You can only achieve that by having dedicated people with a curious mind. Curiosity is the spark behind great ideas. And great ideas drive progress.

As a member of our team, you thrive in a truly diverse and inclusive workplace based on care and empowerment. You are here to make a difference. Constantly building bridges to the future with sustainable solutions that have an impact on our planet's most urgent problems. Making the world a better place everyday.

Alfa Laval has been present in India since 1937. It is part of the Alfa Laval Group headquartered out of Lund, Sweden. The India Corporate Office is in Pune, Maharashtra.

The factories located in Maharashtra manufactures and supplies key components and systems in Separation, Heat Transfer, and Flow technology. It is also a hub for Centrifugal Separators, Decanters, and Flow equipment delivered to the global markets from here.

The company's products and solutions are omnipresent in over 25 multiple Indian industries including food processing, dairy, edible oil processing, sugar production, pharmaceutical & biotechnology, brewery, distillery, starch, pulp and paper, oil & gas, marine and energy. Alfa Laval caters to many national and international clients based across India and neighboring countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

We are now looking for a for an Inspirational leader to spearhead our Automation Division in India, partnering closely with the business leaders and managers.

Role Description

The Automation Development & IoT organisation works across the Alfa Laval business to provide digital solutions for our customers.  Focusing on sensor-to-cloud solutions, we develop and maintain automation and IoT solutions for Alfa Laval products, enabling our customers to take advantage of real time data, remote support, operations and diagnostics.   

With the expected growth in demand for connected devices and digital services across the Alfa Laval Group, Automation Development & IoT (AD) is evolving to become a technology partner for the business. Over the next couple of years AD has a strategy to move from a fully centralised team to one which enables the different Business Units to execute at speed, and with more autonomy, while adhering to a coherent Alfa Laval approach to providing quality connected solutions for our customers. 

The goal of AD is to enable digital, data-driven solutions through shared platforms, cross-BU collaboration, and a balance of decentralized execution with a strong Centre of Excellence. We are seeking a senior leader to head up our Pune based Automation Engineering team and help shape our future success. 

As Head of Automation Engineering you will be responsible for leading one of the key delivery teams in the Global Automation Development and IoT organisation. As well as being responsible for ensuring successful delivery of a number of concurrent automation projects, you will work with the rest of the Automation Development & IoT Management team to shape the future of the organisation, working with the AD organisation and our key stakeholders to drive through change, ensuring ongoing maturity of our organisation in this ever-evolving technology space.   

Team

• Directly managing 4 key leaders
• Indirectly responsible for 50+ team members

This role is responsible for managing a team of developers and engineers, overseeing the full automation project lifecycle, and aligning initiatives with business goals to drive efficiency, scalability, and innovation. As the senior leader in ADs Pune based team, you will also have legal supervisory responsibilities for the broader Pune based delivery teams and will work in close collaboration with the global functional leads.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: As part of the management team, define and execute the Automation & IoT organizational strategy aligned with organizational objectives and emerging technology trends.
• Team Management: Lead and mentor a team of automation developers and engineers; foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Project Oversight: Manage end-to-end automation projects, including opportunity identification, solution design, development, testing, deployment, and support.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with cross-functional teams and senior leadership to identify automation opportunities, secure budget, and execute on joint strategic objectives and communicate progress and impact.
• Technology Enablement: Evaluate and implement opportunities to utilize tools and platforms to drive quality, efficiency and scalability of automation development.
• Governance & Compliance: Ensure automation solutions adhere to IT governance, security, and compliance standards.
• Performance Monitoring: Track KPIs and ROI of automation initiatives; use data to drive decisions and improvements.

To contribute effectively to our business, you will require these essential skills

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 15+ years of experience in automation, IT or digital product development, including 3+ years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated success in managing cross-functional teams and overseeing complex projects within an agile framework.
• Strong track record of influencing and collaborating with teams and stakeholders across complex, global organizations.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and strategic thinking abilities.

The following skills are desirable but not mandatory:

• In-depth knowledge of OT, IoT, and intelligent automation technologies.
• Experience working with cloud platforms, data analytics, and AI/ML integration.
• Familiarity with manufacturing, marine, or industrial automation environments.

Reporting Structure

• Direct Reporting: Head of Global Automation Development & IoT
• Matrix Reporting: Cluster President & MD – India

Location: Pune

Why Alfa Laval

- We offer you an interesting and challenging position in an open and friendly environment where we help each other to develop and create value for our customers.

- Alfa Laval is a young innovative traditional company of more than 130 years of history and 8 decades in the region.

- In Alfa Laval we look for individuals those can help us to drive our purpose of Accelerating the success of the customers, people and our planet
- Exciting place to build a global network with different nationalities to mingle and to learn.
- Your work will have a true impact on Alfa Laval's future success; you will be learning new things every day.

"We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status."