Automation Engineering Lead

Automation Engineer | Nox Metals | Detroit, MIAmerican factories deserve a supply chain that moves as fast as they do. The next generation of American manufacturing is being built right now. Nox Metals is the supply chain behind it.Nox Metals is a technology company in Detroit supplying aluminum plate, bar, and rounds to aerospace and defense manufacturers. We use software and automation to supply metal to American factories faster than the industry thought possible.We need an Automation Engineer to design, build, and tune the robotics that make our cells run lights-out. We are not buying turnkey solutions and waiting for an integrator. We are building custom robotics, tweaking what we already have, and pushing every cell closer to full automation. Vision, sensors, ML in the loop, all of it. Nox Metals is an employer with real opportunity for long term career growth, this is a place to build a career, not just hold a job.You will:Design, build, and deploy custom robotic systems for material handling, loading, unloading, and downstream operationsTune, retrofit, and continuously improve our existing robotics and automated cells, every cycle faster, every motion smoother, every fault rarerIntegrate machine vision into the cell, part identification, dimensional verification, defect detection, pick-and-place guidanceIntegrate sensors of every kind, force, proximity, laser, encoder, vision, and turn signals into actionable controlsApply ML in the loop, vision models, anomaly detection, cycle prediction, adaptive control, models that make the cell smarter every shiftBuild end-to-end automation, from mechanical design to PLC and motion code to vision and ML to integration with NOX NESTWork hands-on with end-of-arm tooling, fixtures, conveyors, grippers, and the mechanical side of the cellOwn commissioning, ramp, and tuning, you do not hand the cell off, you make it runPartner tightly with the software, ML, and controls teams, you sit at the seam where mechanical, electrical, and software all meetBuild the data pipelines that capture every cycle, every fault, every vision frame, the data that powers our ML and operational intelligenceOwn automation safety, e-stops, light curtains, area scanners, interlocks, audited and verifiedLead troubleshooting when a robot goes down, root cause it, fix it, and prevent it from happening againAlways ask questions, never guess when something is unclearLook at every motion, every cycle, every algorithm and figure out how to make it betterWork safely every shift and hold your teammates to the same standardYou should be:3 to 5+ years of automation and robotics engineering experience in manufacturing, metals, machining, or comparable industrial environmentsStrong in industrial robotics, FANUC, ABB, KUKA, Universal Robots, or comparable platformsHands-on with custom robotics, gantry systems, linear motion, end-of-arm tooling, and mechanical integrationFluent in machine vision, Cognex, Keyence, Halcon, OpenCV, or comparable, you can build a vision pipeline from camera to decisionComfortable applying ML to real automation problems, vision models, anomaly detection, adaptive control, you do not just use ML buzzwords, you ship itStrong in PLC, motion control, and controls integration, you can talk to the controls team in their language and write the code yourself when it is fasterComfortable on the software side, you can write a script, hit an API, structure a payload, and reason about a model in productionTightly partnered with software, ML, and controls teams in past roles, comfortable writing specs, filing tickets, and shaping the tools you useCracked with AI tools, modern software, and data, you build automation systems that talk to the rest of the companyA builder at heart, you would rather ship a working v1 today than ship a perfect v3 next monthHigh attention to quality, every motion path, every fixture, every cycle, every modelAlways thinking about how to make systems better, you do not accept "this is how we have always done it"Absolutely customer obsessed, every cell you build ships parts on a customer's dockUser obsessed, you sit with the operator, you watch them work with the cell, and you build automation they actually trustA team player with a good attitude, you make the floor better for everyone around youSomeone who takes ownership, if it moves, sees, or thinks, it is your responsibilityPrecise under pressure and reliable, when a cell is down, the company is watching you fix itOrganized and detail orientedCommitted to safety, you follow every protocol, wear your PPE, lock out tag out, and never cut corners that put people at riskHigh agency, you handle big items alone and ask for help when neededLow ego, you walk the floor, you crawl into cells, you do the unglamorous work because it needs to get doneAble to lift up to 50 lbs and operate heavy equipment on your feet for a full shiftNot afraid to work outside normal hours when America demands itNever says "that's not my job"Nice to have:Experience automating saws, CNC equipment, or material handling cells in metals environmentsHands-on with full lights-out cell deploymentsBackground in mechanical design, CAD, and fixture or end-of-arm tool designExperience deploying ML models on edge or industrial hardwareFunctional safety background, ISO 13849, IEC 62061, or comparableComfortable using AI tools to work faster and smarterThis role is full time, in person in Detroit.