Automation Engineer

HRL Laboratories pioneers the next frontiers of physical and information science. Delivering transformative technologies in automotive, aerospace and defense, HRL advances the critical missions of its customers to help them remove limitations and create competitive advantage. HRL then transitions the work back to customers – ready for real-world application. For more than 70 years, HRL’s rich portfolio of scientific discoveries and engineering innovations continues to build on each other — often in unexpected, profound and far-reaching ways. As a private company owned jointly by Boeing and GM, HRL prioritizes purpose over profit, significantly advancing the state of the art.

HRL Laboratories advances critical structural and functional materials and semiconductor devices that enable precision navigation, quantum technologies and extreme-environment performance. With expertise from design through deployment, we deliver scalable, high-performance solutions that transform our customers’ missions. Our work leverages digital manufacturing and scalable microfabrication techniques to meet tomorrow’s toughest challenges.

Essential Duties:

•    Collaborate with chemists, physicists, and engineers to translate experimental needs into custom equipment and material processing hardware.
•    Design, build, and operate demonstration systems and experimental apparatus (e.g., proxy test setups that mimic aerospace and automotive environments at lab scale)
•    Develop systems to manage fluid flow, electrochemical processes, high-temperature processing, and material joining
•    Perform experiments, collect and validate data, and conduct in-depth analysis using complex instrumentation
•    Calibrate and validate both commercial and custom-built experimental equipment to ensure data integrity
•    Manage laboratory upgrades in coordination with facilities and serve as the custodian for critical equipment (e.g., glove boxes, furnaces, electron microscopes)
•    Perform hands-on troubleshooting of laboratory hardware and coordinate external maintenance as required

Required Qualifications:

•    BS and a minimum of 3 years of experience or an MS degree in Engineering, Physics, or Chemistry.
•    Functional proficiency in SolidWorks or equivalent CAD software.
•    Functional use of Python, LabVIEW, or other programming languages to automate experiments and control data collection
•    Hands-on experience in a wet chemistry lab, including the formulation and compounding of materials and paints
•    Proven ability to thrive in a dynamic, multi-project team environment with excellent verbal and written communication skills

Physical Requirements:

•    Must be capable of performing extended analysis at computer workstations
•    Must be able to work safely in electrical testing and wet chemistry laboratories

Special Requirements
•    U.S. Citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain a US Government security clearance

Compensation and Benefits:

• Pay Range: $105,700 - $132,150
• Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location (California). The range displayed on each job posting reflects the target range for new hire salaries for the position. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range during the hiring process.

• Benefits: HRL offers a generous and very competitive total compensation and benefits package. Our Regular/Full Time benefits include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401K match, gym facilities, PTO, Sick time, upward mobility, and an exciting and challenging work environment.
• For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit: https://www.hrl.com/careers/benefits

Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At HRL, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing. 

If you would like more information about Equal Employment Opportunity as an applicant under the law, please go to Employees & Job Applicants | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

For our privacy policy please visit: www.hrl.com/privacy