C&F Automation Strategy & Execution Lead

Apply now »

Date: May 25, 2026

Location: Tianjin, CN

Company: John Deere

There are 7 billion people on this planet. And by 2050, there will be 2 billion more... many moving into urban centers at an unprecedented rate. Making sure there is enough food, fiber and infrastructure for our rapidly growing world is what we’re all about at John Deere. And it’s why we’re investing in our people and our technology like never before in our 175-year history. Here the world’s brightest minds are tackling the world’s biggest challenges. If you believe one person can make the world a better place, we’ll put you to work. RIGHT NOW.

Primary Location: China (CN) - Tianjin  -   
Function: Factory Engineering (CA)
Title: C&F Automation Strategy & Execution Lead - 120941

Your Position:

Major Purpose

Plans, coordinates, and performs advanced professional controls engineering (e.g., Electrical machine controls design; Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) programming; Industrial Robotics programming; Electrical and Product Test System design, PC programming) assignments of varied engineering tasks. Operates and acts as a lead person in a team environment across multiple factories, and with suppliers, acting as a technical lead. At this level, projects are of broad scope and responsibility or a significant portion of a major and diverse project or process requiring great depth of engineering knowledge within multiple Factory Automation (FA) competencies; decisions are made with autonomy to influence established guidelines but may be reviewed by supervisors and/or managers. May assign, coordinate, and review portions of work assigned to engineers, technicians, support personnel, and contractors. Provides technical consultation and a knowledge base. Recognized as an expert within a division for a specific processes or function, or within a Unit/Factory for multiple processes or functions.

Responsibilites

As a Technical Lead – Process Automation & Controls for the Construction & Forestry Division, you will….
• Serve as process and technical expert for new and current robotic systems
• Lead establishing the vision for Factory of the Future and key technology building blocks focused on automation
• Plan, coordinate and execute the business transformation roadmap for the division to meet Cost Reduction Targets
• Lead solutions development in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) product portfolio
• Plan, Define and Deploy an integration strategy working with key suppliers to deploy solutions in the factories
• Lead activities for equipment procurement, Process Design/Product Design/and accelerate execution of projects in collaboration with factory leads to hit cost targets.
• As a part of the SCF scrum team, you will build technical solutions that meet the businesses automation requirements

Required Skills/Experience

• Has experience in integrating complex robotic cells in a production environment (3 or more years of experience)
• Expert level skill in industrial robot programming (3 or more years of experience)
• 2+ years of device connectivity, networking, security protocols, industrial communication protocols (OPC, OPCUA, MQTT, ModBus, RFID) background and experience
• Demonstrated experience with Ignition platform, data ingestion, wrangling & solutions development
• Experience delivering new technology into a production environment
• Strong communicator – ability to communicate to the technical teams as an engineer and help guide them through the process developing technical solutions.  Additionally, being able to communicate strategic vision to leadership
• Ability to think outside the box to develop new process and methods to solve complex problems
• Thorough understanding of peripheral sensors and sensor applications

Desired Skills/Experience

• Exposure to various applications of automation (material handling, assembly, welding, dispensing) (High)
• Proven ability to scout new technologies and carry through to implementation (High)
• Experience with collaborative automation (Autonomous Mobile Robots, Collaborative Robotics) (High)
• Software programming experience (PLC, Python, ROS, etc.) (Medium)
• Experience designing and building custom tooling (rigid and modular fixturing, end-of-arm tooling) (Low)

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent experience in a related career field  
• Experience in manufacturing
• Technically sound in a few of these areas: Automation, Industrial Connectivity, IoT, perception technologies - rich technical expertise & experience implementing Industry 4.0 technologies

What You'll Get
At John Deere, you are empowered to create a career that will take you to where you want to go. Here, you'll enjoy the freedom to explore new projects, the support to think outside the box and the advanced tools and technology that foster innovation and achievement. We offer comprehensive relocation and reward packages to help you get started on your new career path. 

Follow this link to learn more about our Total Rewards Package https://bit.ly/3XCd8fL 

The information contained herein is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and qualifications required of individuals performing the job. The qualifications detailed in this job description are not considered the minimum requirements necessary to perform the job, but rather as guidelines.  An Equal Opportunity Employer, John Deere requires a diversity of people, perspectives and ideas to address the complex challenges of its global business.  John Deere is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with disability.


Job Segment: Controls Engineer, Engineer, Testing, Electrical, Welding, Engineering, Technology, Manufacturing