Digital Manufacturing Engineer W2 Preferred

Role: Digital Manufacturing Engineer
Location: USA (Remote)
Start Date: Immediate
Interview Mode: Phone/Video
Type: Contract (C2C/W2)

About the Role
We are building modern, highly customized digital applications on the Ignition platform to support complex discrete manufacturing operations at a heavy industrial US defense contractor. This hybrid role blends industrial software engineering with modern application development, requiring handson SCADA/data systems expertise and strong software fundamentals.

You will integrate live plantfloor data (OPC, Kepware, tags, historians) into scalable web applications, extending Ignition Perspective with **Python, JavaScript, CSS, SQL, and APIs. The role is highly customerfacing, involving site visits to collaborate with operators, engineers, and managers to translate operational needs into intuitive digital solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

Application Development
- Design and develop responsive industrial web applications using Ignition Perspective
- Extend Ignition components with JavaScript, CSS, and Python scripting
- Build modular, maintainable architectures for scalability and reuse

Data & Systems Integration
- Connect equipment/control systems via OPC, Kepware, tags, and historians
- Configure and troubleshoot realtime and historical data collection
- Integrate with SQL databases, SAP, SharePoint, Active Directory, REST APIs
- Design efficient data models and queries optimized for operations

Manufacturing Collaboration
- Work directly in manufacturing environments to understand equipment and workflows
- Identify required machine/process data and present it effectively to end users
- Translate diverse user needs into intuitive applications and visualizations
- Build trusted client relationships and represent the company professionally

Quality & Reliability
- Implement error handling, logging, and diagnostics
- Ensure performance, security, reliability, and compliance standards
- Produce clear technical documentation and architecture diagrams

Required Qualifications
Software Development Strengths
- Strong web UI development (HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, responsive design)
- Proficiency in Python scripting for application logic/automation
- Solid SQL database experience and relational data modeling
- Experience integrating external systems via REST APIs/web services
- Ability to design modular, maintainable software solutions

Industrial & OT Strengths
- Handson SCADA/HMI and live industrial data experience
- OPC configuration/troubleshooting and historian data expertise
- Familiarity with equipment, controls, and production workflows
- Experience with Ignition, Kepware, Canary (preferred)

Customer & Manufacturing Aptitude
- Comfortable working independently in active industrial environments
- Strong communication with operators, trades, engineers, supervisors, and managers
- High emotional intelligence, judgment, and interpersonal maturity
- Ability to translate operational problems into practical digital solutions

Bonus Experience (Nice to Have)
- Deep Ignition Perspective expertise
- Knowledge of discrete manufacturing (aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding, heavy industry)
- SAP integration familiarity
- Cloud/hybrid architecture (AWS Industrial Solutions Framework)