Area Automation Manager

Equal Employment Opportunity

For United States: WM is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, status as a protected veteran or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

For Canada: WM is committed to the principle of equal employment for all applicants and employees, without discrimination on the basis of all grounds protected by applicable human rights legislation. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. Please notify us if you require accommodation.

This is a remote position but will require 40% travel in an assigned area.

Candidate must live near a major airport in MI, WI, IA or IL.

The Area Automation Manager plays a critical role in overseeing and managing the automation systems and technologies within the Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and any additional market areas assigned. This role typically involves a combination of technical expertise, management skills, and strategic planning to ensure the effective operation and optimization of automated processes. This role will work with WM's Automation Group to help lead automation activities for all lines of businesses within the company and ensure the automation/controls engineering activities meet the company's objectives.

They will be responsible for managing automation systems and assist control system troubleshooting, process modifications, system designs, specifications, and commissioning. This person will be the local liaison between the Automation Group and site contacts, being the first point of contact for any automation issues that may arise. The role includes developing and improving new and existing equipment used in landfills, wastewater treatment plants, bio-gas extraction systems, renewable energy plants, recycling technology, telematics, fleet and organics processing.

Individuals must be able to work in a fast past environment and resolve issues on their own. Industrial control wiring, industrial equipment, PLC/HMI programming, and process design knowledge is necessary.

• Provide Subject Matter Expert (SME) level day-to-day support of all automated and electro-mechanical process control systems used in landfills, wastewater, bio-gas extraction, renewable energy, recycling technology, collections, fleet, telematics and organics processing.
• Provide process optimization expertise and implementation of corporate site automation standard procedures at the Area level.
• Lead and coordinate efforts to secure all automation technologies used in waste processing and logistics by overseeing policy compliance, ensuring secure integration of new systems, managing incident responses, and promoting cybersecurity awareness and training among field personnel.
• Oversee the lifecycle management of all operational technology (OT) assets, including SCADA and automation equipment, ensuring accurate inventory, maintenance planning, system reliability, and alignment with cybersecurity and compliance standards across all facilities in the area.
• Implement a roadmap for OT maturity, including technology assessments, gap analysis, and improvement plans.
• Drive the adoption of emerging OT technologies to enhance operational efficiency and reliability.
• Collaborate with IT and OT teams to ensure alignment and effective integration of systems.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive automation strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Support the highly complex automated systems and equipment installed in new and existing facilities.
• Provide automation site support interface with operations personnel, compliance, information systems, engineering, and maintenance. Key to this is the thorough documentation of all data collected and stored in shared work environments.
• Exhibit strong customer communication skills and have technical knowledge of automated and electromechanical process control systems and equipment.
• Train the local…