Automation Technician - A Shift

GE Vernova

Bangor, ME

Pay: $43/hr

Shift: Full time

GE Vernova’s Gas Power business engineers advanced, efficient natural gas-powered technologies and services, along with decarbonization solutions that aim to help electrify a lower carbon future. It is a global leader in gas turbines and power plant technologies and services with the industry’s largest installed base

**Job Description**

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**Essential Responsibilities**

**Advanced Automation & Robotics Support**

• Install, maintain, troubleshoot, and optimize robotic systems, automated equipment, and manufacturing cells used in production.
• Perform advanced fault isolation across integrated systems including robots, PLCs, HMIs, sensors, drives, conveyors, end-of-arm tooling, safety circuits, and peripheral equipment.
• Diagnose and resolve complex equipment issues involving multiple failure modes across electrical, mechanical, controls, and process interactions.
• Lead technical troubleshooting during high-impact downtime events, using a systematic approach to identify root cause and restore operation safely and efficiently.
• Evaluate recurring failures and chronic equipment losses to determine whether issues stem from component wear, programming logic, process variation, setup conditions, operator interaction, or system design limitations.
• Serve as the escalation point for difficult automation and robotics problems that cannot be resolved through standard maintenance practices.

**Controls, Programming, and Diagnostics**

• Troubleshoot and support PLC logic, robot programs, CNC interfaces, servo systems, VFDs, and HMI-controlled processes.
• Perform I/O diagnostics, signal tracing, device verification, and communication troubleshooting across control panels and machine networks.
• Make controlled program edits, parameter adjustments, and recovery changes within approved procedures and change management expectations.
• Analyze alarms, faults, interlocks, sequence issues, and machine state conditions to identify hidden causes of equipment stoppage or performance degradation.
• Support backup, restoration, and version control of robot, PLC, and HMI programs in coordination with engineering and controls teams.
• Assist in validating control system changes and startup performance after repairs, upgrades, or process adjustments.

**Reliability, Root Cause, and Continuous Improvement**

• Drive a structured troubleshooting culture using root cause analysis tools such as 5 Whys, fishbone diagrams, fault trees, Pareto review, and failure trend analysis.
• Investigate chronic downtime, nuisance faults, repeat failures, and intermittent issues with the goal of eliminating recurrence.
• Identify weak points in equipment design, maintenance strategy, spare parts readiness, component selection, or operating practice and recommend durable corrective actions.
• Participate in and support reliability-centered maintenance activities including PM optimization, predictive maintenance, spare parts strategy, FMEA, TPM, and critical asset planning.
• Use historical downtime data, alarm history, failure patterns, and maintenance records to prioritize improvement efforts.
• Develop and implement corrective and preventive actions that improve machine reliability, process stability, throughput, and safety.

**System Integration & Technical Improvement**

• Support automation engineers with equipment upgrades, controls modifications, retrofits, and integration of new automation technologies.
• Participate in commissioning, startup, debug, and validation of new robotic cells, automation systems, and production equipment.
• Assist in proving out system functionality after installation or major maintenance, including verification of machine performance, safety systems, communications, and process repeatability.
• Recommend and help implement improvements to increase equipment robustness, reduce cycle interruptions, improve fault recovery, and simplify maintenance access.
• Support integration and troubleshooting of industrial communication systems including EtherNet/IP, Profinet, device-level networks, remote I/O, and smart instrumentation.
• Contribute technical input to capital projects, controls upgrades, and equipment redesign efforts based on hands-on operational experience.

**Production and Process Support**

• Respond rapidly to equipment downtime while balancing immediate recovery with thorough technical evaluation.
• Work cross-functionally with production, engineering, and quality teams to resolve process-related automation issues that affect output, scrap, repeatability, or product quality.
• Distinguish between machine faults, process faults, programming issues, setup errors, and operator-driven variation in order to apply the right corrective action.
• Support product and process changeovers requiring advanced equipment adjustment, reteaching, recalibration, or program verification.
• Assist in developing robust recovery methods for process interruptions to minimize scrap and unplanned downtime.

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