Sr. Engineer, Industrial AI and Analytics

Panasonic Energy is seeking a Sr. Engineer, Industrial AI and Analytics reporting to the Sr. Director, Next Gen Initiatives. This role operates within the Next Gen Initiatives (NGI) team, a strategic function responsible for advancing automation, AI enablement, and operational transformation across PECNA. This role focuses on the digital and systems execution layer of manufacturing: deploying analytics, industrial AI, data products, and decision-support tools that improve how manufacturing teams see, decide, and act. The engineer will drive deployment of factory intelligence platforms, operational dashboards, AI/ML solutions, digital twin/simulation concepts, command-center capabilities, and AI-enabled decision support. This role converts Next Gen concepts into production-ready digital capabilities that improve safety, quality, productivity, throughput, and cost performance. The ideal candidate blends future-forward curiosity with a hands-on approach to problem-solving. You will translate complex manufacturing challenges into structured initiatives, driving cross-functional execution from early discovery and ideation through proof-of-concept and full deployment, ensuring measurable performance improvements and sustained adoption across the shop floor.

Essential Duties:

Strategy & Execution

• Partner with site leadership and manufacturing stakeholders to define and prioritize analytics, digital AI, and production systems initiatives aligned to NGI pillars and identify opportunities to improve performance, cost, and workforce capability.

• Translate operational challenges into clear initiative charters and drive end-to-end delivery across digital systems (analytics/AI).

• Own use cases from discovery through proof of concept to scaled deployment, ensuring solutions are operationally relevant, explainable, and embedded into frontline workflows.

• Manage initiative timelines, risks, and dependencies; drive issue resolution with cross-functional stakeholders.

Next Gen Technologies

• Evaluate, pilot, deploy emerging analytics and digital AI technologies across production sites, including industrial data platforms, AI/ML solutions, digital twins, command centers, and agentic/GenAI tools. Identify and evaluate high-impact opportunities in areas such as predictive maintenance, quality prediction, SPC automation, process optimization, yield improvement, and decision support.

• Identify and prioritize analytics and digital AI opportunities that deliver measurable improvements in productivity, throughput, quality, and cost performance.

• Partner with Operations, Process Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, IT/OT, SCADA/MES, and data teams to convert manufacturing data into reliable, governed data products, dashboards, and decision-support tools.

• Develop evaluation frameworks to assess readiness, data quality, usability, security, reliability, scalability, and ROI before scaled deployment.

Stakeholder & Vendor Coordination

• Bridge the gap between Operations, Engineering, Safety, Maintenance, DataX, Quality, Finance, HR, and Supply Chain to ensure digital deployments are secure, scalable, adopted, and sustainable.

• Drive deployment of Nevada tools to Kansas.

• Manage relationships with data/AI platform partners, systems integrators, and analytics vendors, including requirements, delivery milestones, validation, and performance accountability.

• Define and track KPIs such as data quality, adoption, uptime/availability, throughput, yield/quality, cost performance, workflow efficiency, and ROI.

• Document standards, data definitions, workflows, and best practices to enable repeatable digital deployment across NV and KS sites.

Requirements - Required and/or Preferred

Required Education, Certifications, and Licenses:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Data Science, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field

Preferred Education, Certifications, and Licenses:

• Master’s degree in a related field

• PMP, Palantir Foundry certification, or equivalent continuous improvement / digital platform certification

Essential Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in manufacturing analytics, industrial data systems, production systems, digital transformation, applied AI/ML, or systems integration within a high-volume manufacturing environment. Proven cross-functional delivery from concept to adoption.

• Knowledge of factory systems (MES, SCADA, PLCs, ERP, CMMS, SPC) and how they interconnect to support analytics and decision-making.

• Experience building or managing delivery of operational dashboards, data pipelines, data products, analytics applications, or AI-enabled tools. Strong communication, structured problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.

• Strong project execution skills with ability to manage scope, timeline, risks, dependencies, adoption, and cross-functional stakeholders.

• Strong communication skills, comfortable working on the shop floor with operations and presenting progress to leadership.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in battery, semiconductor, automotive, pharmaceutical, or high-speed consumer goods manufacturing

• Experience with one or more programming, scripting, or data development languages such as Python, SQL, JavaScript, C#, Java, R, or similar tools used for analytics, automation, application development, or systems integration.

• Experience with industrial analytics platforms, Palantir Foundry or similar tools, operational dashboards, digital twins, predictive maintenance, quality analytics, or command-center capabilities

• Hands-on experience using modern large language models and GenAI tools such as Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or similar platforms to improve productivity, automate workflows, support data analysis, or develop AI-enabled business and manufacturing solutions.

• Familiarity with industrial data architecture, Industrial Data Fabric, Unified Namespace, OT cybersecurity, OPC-UA/DA, MQTT, Modbus, or related data integration concepts

• Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, analytics adoption, data governance, or continuous improvement methodologies

• Experience working with Japanese manufacturing partners or in cross-cultural engineering environments, Due to the high volume of responses, we will only be able to respond to candidates of interest. All candidates must have valid authorization to work in the U.S. without restriction.

Panasonic Energy prioritizes total well-being and offers comprehensive benefits options to support physical, emotional, financial, social, and environmental health:

• Health Benefits - Offering medical, dental, vision, prescription plans, plus Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account options.

• Voluntary Benefits - Life, accident, critical illness, disability, legal, identity theft, and pet insurance.

• Panasonic Retirement Savings & Investment Plan (PRSIP) - 401(k) plan with company matching contributions and immediate vesting.

• Paid Time-Off Benefits - Vacation, holidays, personal days, sick leave, volunteer, and parental & caregiver leave.

• Educational Assistance - Tuition reimbursement for job-related courses after six months of service., In addition to an environment that is as innovative as our products, we offer competitive salaries and benefits.

For our onsite roles, Panasonic Energy is committed to fostering an ideal working environment that goes beyond the conventional. We understand the significance of moments that matter in your onsite experience, and we prioritize creating a workspace that not only promotes productivity but also ensures a fulfilling and positive work atmosphere. Join us at Panasonic Energy, where your onsite presence is valued, and we strive to make each moment count in your professional journey., Meet Panasonic Energy! At Panasonic Energy, you’ll do work that matters as we are dedicated to transforming the world through the acceleration of sustainable energy. By producing safe, high-quality lithium-ion batteries, you become part of a team that plays a crucial role in creating technologies that move us.

Our journey began in 2017, and now, as the world’s largest lithium-ion battery factory, we are expanding operations to De Soto, Kansas, providing you with the opportunity to experience career growth in more ways than one.

As an innovative thinker, you’ll thrive here, as we continually push the boundaries of lithium-ion battery technology and production capabilities to enhance efficiency and performance in EVs.

Being part of Panasonic Energy means positively contributing to society, aligning with our commitment to building a better world through sustainable energy solutions.

We care about what you care about, fostering an environment where your contributions make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation. Join us and be part of a team that values your work, encourages innovation, and actively contributes to a positive societal impact., At Panasonic Energy, we are committed to a workplace that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. Fairness and Honesty have been part of our core values for more than 100 years and we are proud of our diverse culture as an equal opportunity employer.

We understand that your career search may look different than others and embrace the professional, personal, educational, and volunteer opportunities through which people gain experience. If you are actively looking or starting to explore new opportunities, submit your application!