Senior Automation Engineer I
Company websitelonza.com (Lonza, opens in new tab)
Base salary $107,250 to $178,750
Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range in Vacaville, CA
You apply on the employer's own site. Six Figure Work does not handle applications.
- LocationVacaville, CA
- WorkplaceWorkplace not stated
- Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
- Last checked (1 h ago) · observed since
About this job
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 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
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.
Source: Lonza on Workday · View original posting (opens in new tab)
Pay in context
This role's base floor ($107,250) is above 9% of the 3,589 Engineering (non-software) roles in California listed on this site. Their median floor is $147,000; the middle half runs from $125,000 to $173,075.
Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 7, 2026.
This listingSenior Automation Engineer I$107,250 to $178,750
Training Program Manager$107,100 to $118,650
Global Direct Category Manager$108,750 to $181,250
Automation - OT Engineer$117,000 to $136,500
Customer Proposals Manager$120K to $170K
Senior Product Manager - QC Microbiology Future Technologies$129,600 to $152,200
Senior Marketing Manager - Cell Discovery$132,100 to $148,650
Chart as a table
| Role | Published base |
|---|---|
| Senior Automation Engineer I (this listing) | $107,250 - $178,750 |
| Training Program Manager | $107,100 - $118,650 |
| Global Direct Category Manager | $108,750 - $181,250 |
| Automation - OT Engineer | $117,000 - $136,500 |
| Customer Proposals Manager | $120K - $170K |
| Senior Product Manager - QC Microbiology Future Technologies | $129,600 - $152,200 |
| Senior Marketing Manager - Cell Discovery | $132,100 - $148,650 |
Observed changes
- First observed on the employer's board
- Began meeting the published-salary criteria
- Observed since
- Employer-stated posting date
- 2026-07-15
Where this pay comes from
Location as the employer wrote it: US - Vacaville, CA
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 o
- Method
- Employer text, read with fixed rules and re-verified
- Checked
- Rule set
- us-base-v2
The pay passage appears in the employer's own job text. Fixed, deterministic rules located it, and the passage below was checked against the stored copy of the posting.
What we verified
- The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
- The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
- The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.
We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.