JobsMotorola Solutions

Manufacturing Automation Engineer

Motorola Solutions · Elgin, IL

Posted Sep 10, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

Behavioral

Walk me through a time you had to troubleshoot a production line that suddenly went down. What was your process for figuring out where the fault was?

whether the candidate has a structured troubleshooting method versus guessing, and how they perform under production pressure

Describe a situation where you had to work with quality, purchasing, and planning teams at the same time to solve one problem. How did you keep everyone aligned?

cross-functional coordination skills in a manufacturing environment with competing priorities

Tell me about a machine or piece of equipment you maintained. How did you plan preventive maintenance for it, and how did you know it was working?

discipline around maintenance planning and understanding of machine availability metrics

Tell me about a time you had to coordinate with an outside vendor to fix a piece of equipment. What made that go well or poorly?

vendor management skills and ability to translate technical problems for outside parties

Why does manufacturing automation interest you, and what drew you to a role that is mostly hands-on production support rather than pure design work?

whether the candidate genuinely wants floor-level troubleshooting work versus using it as a stepping stone

Technical

Tell me about your experience with PLC programming. What platforms have you worked with and what kind of logic changes have you made to support a product change?

actual hands-on PLC skill level versus classroom exposure

How would you approach a vision camera that keeps misreading a barcode or part orientation on the line?

practical understanding of machine vision setup, lighting, and calibration issues

Have you used DOE or other statistical methods to solve a process problem? Walk me through one example, even a class project if that is what you have.

whether the candidate can actually apply structured experimentation rather than just naming the tool

What is your experience with Lean or Six Sigma, and can you give an example of a cycle time or waste reduction you contributed to?

real exposure to continuous improvement methodology versus resume keyword

How comfortable are you with pneumatics, servo axis control, and networking or database issues on the plant floor? Give me a specific example if you have one.

breadth of hands-on exposure across the full range of automation subsystems named in the job

Situational

Say a robotic work cell starts producing intermittent quality failures but passes every diagnostic check. How would you go about isolating the root cause?

depth of hands-on knowledge across PLC logic, sensors, vision systems, and mechanical wear, and comfort with ambiguous intermittent faults

If you were asked to support a stop-ship meeting because a defect was found in the field, what would you want to know first, and what would your role be in that room?

understanding of quality escalation processes and ability to act decisively when production is halted

Suppose a machine's performance metrics show declining throughput over several weeks but no single failure event. How would you dig into that?

ability to use data trends for continuous improvement rather than only reacting to breakdowns

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The full job description

As published by Motorola Solutions.

Company Overview At Motorola Solutions, we believe that everything starts with our people. We’re a global close-knit community, united by the relentless pursuit to help keep people safer everywhere. We build and connect technologies to help protect people, property and places. Our solutions foster the collaboration that’s critical for safer communities, safer schools, safer hospitals, safer businesses, and ultimately, safer nations. Connect with a career that matters, and help us build a safer future. Department Overview Manufacturing and Automation Processing Engineering for Elgin. Job Description Responsibilities include: • The individual will actively interface with all facets of production including cost, quality, throughput, introduction of new products, and support organizations. • Resolve daily production related automation production issues . • Interface with teams that address quality, new product introduction, capacity issues, purchasing, and planning. • Provide input to the various factory sponsored cycle time and quality improvement teams. Identify corrective actions for factory related quality issues. Implement temporary and permanent changes to build procedures through documentation management. • Support product "stop ship" meetings and work with a cross-functional team to resolve and implement corrective actions. • Product ownership from a quality standpoint with a goal to drive efficiency gains through quality improvements. • Provide advanced support to automation line to meet  machine availability, performance and quality metrics • Troubleshoot problems with processes and hardware including pneumatics, electrical, PLC logic, vision cameras, barcode scanners, robotics, servo axis and networking/database  • Coordinate with internal teams and external vendors in order to resolve complex problems and implement solutions • Perform PLC logic, robotic and HMI program modifications to support product changes and/or machine optimization • Maintain program backups for all automation equipment • Plan preventive maintenance • Analyze machine performance metrics and identify room for continuous improvement. • Candidates should have solid understanding of advanced problem solving skills and experience implementing the same (DOE, statistical methods, etc). • Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma exposure or experience • Robotics and AI experience preferred. Target Base Salary Range: $65,000 - $105,000 Consistent with Motorola Solutions values and applicable law, we provide the following information to promote pay transparency and equity. Pay within this range varies and depends on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The actual offer will be based on the individual candidate.   Basic Requirements • B.S. in Engineering (Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical or Manufacturing Travel Requirements Under 10% Relocation Provided None Position Type New Grad Referral Payment Plan Yes Our U.S. Benefits include: • Incentive Bonus Plans • Medical, Dental, Vision benefits • 401K with Company Match • 10 Paid Holidays • Generous Paid Time Off Packages • Employee Stock Purchase Plan • Paid Parental & Family Leave • and more! EEO Statement Motorola Solutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other legally-protected characteristic.  We are proud of our people-first and community-focused culture, empowering every Motorolan to be their most authentic self and to do their best work to deliver on the promise of a safer world. If you’d like to join our team but feel that you don’t quite meet all of the preferred skills, we’d still love to hear why you think you’d be a great addition to our team. We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruiting experience for candidates with disabilities, or other physical or mental health conditions. To request an accommodation, please complete this  Reasonable Accommodations Form  so we can assist you.

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