Ignition Architect

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Ignition Architect position is a senior individual contributor responsible for designing, integrating, and scaling industrial automation, SCADA, and manufacturing data systems across manufacturing operations. This role operates at the intersection of controls engineering, Ignition SCADA/MES, enterprise data platforms, cloud and on-prem infrastructure, and applied machine learning, providing technical leadership and architectural direction without direct people management.

The SCADA Architect serves as a technical authority and escalation point for complex automation, data and infrastructure challenges, driving standardization, reliability, and long-term scalability across plant-floor and enterprise systems.

Responsibilities

Automation & Controls Architecture

• Design and maintain end-to-end automation architectures spanning PLCs, drives, motion systems, and safety-critical control environments
• Develop scalable control strategies for high-speed and continuous manufacturing processes
• Define standards and best practices for control system design, versioning, testing, and lifecycle management

• Architect, support, and evolve SCADA and MES platforms, with deep expertise in Ignition-based systems
• Design and maintain tag models, historian strategies, alarming frameworks, and visualization standards
• Ensure high availability, performance, and maintainability of plant-floor data systems
• Establish consistent data models and interfaces between SCADA/MES and enterprise analytics platforms
• Deep knowledge of the Ignition WebDev Module, developing and publishing REST APIs, and building and documenting OpenAPI 3.0.0 specifications. Hands-on experience with load balancers such as NGINX.

• Integrate plant-floor systems with enterprise databases and analytics platforms, including Snowflake
• Design and support secure OT/IT data pipelines leveraging AWS services and hybrid architectures
• Collaborate with infrastructure teams supporting cloud and on-prem platforms, including AWS ,Nutanix-based and VMWARE-based environments
• Support Linux-based edge systems, containerized services, and automation-related infrastructure
• Align automation systems with enterprise security, networking, and infrastructure standards

• Provide hands-on database administration (PostGres, MsSQL) for manufacturing and automation systems, including schema design, performance tuning, backup/recovery, and data integrity
• Support operational reliability of relational databases used by SCADA, MES, and analytics workloads
• Partner with IT and data teams to ensure manufacturing data is accurate, accessible, and governed

• Design and deploy edge AI and machine learning inference pipelines for manufacturing use cases such as anomaly detection, predictive quality, and process optimization
• Develop and maintain Python-based services for data processing, feature extraction, and model inference
• Ensure AI-enabled solutions meet real-time, latency, reliability, and operational constraints of industrial environments

• Serve as a technical escalation point for complex automation, data, performance, and integration issues
• Lead technical design reviews and influence platform, architecture, and vendor decisions
• Mentor engineers and provide guidance on advanced automation, SCADA, data, and edge AI topics
• Translate manufacturing, quality, and operational requirements into scalable, supportable technical solutions
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that increase system uptime, data reliability, and operational efficiency

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 10+ years of experience in industrial automation, controls engineering, or manufacturing systems
• Strong expertise in PLC programming, industrial networking, drives, and motion control
• Advanced experience with SCADA platforms, particularly Ignition
• Proficiency in Python for automation, data processing, and system integration
• Experience with relational databases and database administration in manufacturing environments
• Hands-on experience with Linux and Microsoft OS on hybrid infrastructure environments
• Strong understanding of OT/IT integration, cybersecurity considerations, and system reliability

• Experience deploying machine learning or edge AI solutions in production manufacturing environments
• Familiarity with Snowflake or similar enterprise analytics platforms
• Experience with Nutanix, AWS or VMWARE infrastructure in hybrid cloud/on-prem deployments
• Familiarity with containerized workloads and edge computing architectures
• Experience with high-speed, continuous, or tightly tolerance manufacturing processes
• Background in designing enterprise-scale automation, SCADA, or MES platforms
• Experience influencing technical strategy across multiple sites or cross-functional teams

Zeus Industrial Products, headquartered in Orangeburg, South Carolina, is the world’s leading polymer extrusion manufacturer and material science innovator. More than 50 years of experience in medical, aerospace, energy, automotive, fiber optics, and more allows us to set the bar high.

Zeus is a great place to work. Expectations are high; our work is meticulous and very precise. Zeus offers an opportunity to join a very successful, family-oriented team. Our products are cutting-edge, our process is unique, and our quality and customer focus are second-to-none. We are a leader in our field and have great relationships with our customers and team members. Many of our team members are the best at what they do in the world. Our customers are leaders in their fields. Our products help save lives.

Continuous Improvement is a way of life at Zeus. Successful candidates will have a desire and ability to take our manufacturing process to the next level. Expectations are high; our work is meticulous and very precise. You must possess the ability to work independently; and the desire to learn a variety of skills. The ability to communicate clearly is imperative, as is the ability to manipulate data using various software packages.

At Zeus, what we do matters, and we pride ourselves in “Turning polymers into possibilities.” Expectations are high; our products are cutting-edge, our process is unique, and our quality and customer focus are second-to-none.

Our Employees And Our Customers Are At The Center Of Everything We Do. Those Relationships Have Been Built On a Foundation That Is Supported By Our Mission And Vision

Our Mission: Provide Solutions – Enable Innovation – Enhance Lives

Our Vision: Working Together – Doing It Better

Zeus is an exciting, innovative company that offers competitive pay and a great benefits package. As we continue to push the boundaries of polymer science, we’re constantly in need of new ideas, new expertise, and new team members. Are you ready to join us?

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