Automation R&D Manager

Power the Future with us!

At SolarEdge (NASDAQ: SEDG) were a global leader in smart energy technology with over 3000 employees offices in 34 countries and millions of installations worldwide.

Our innovative solutions include solar inverters battery storage backup systems EV charging and AI-based energy management. Were committed to making clean green energy the primary power source for homes businesses and beyond.

With the growing demand for electricity the need for smart clean energy sources is constantly rising. SolarEdge offers amazing opportunities to develop your skills in a multidisciplinary environment covering everything from research and development to production and customer supply. Work with talented colleagues tackle exciting challenges and help create a sustainable future in an industry thats always evolving and innovating. Join us and be part of a company that values creativity agility and impactful work.

We are establishing a new automation competency center in Vietnam and we are looking for an experienced Automation R&D Manager to lead it.

This is a founding role. You will be our first hire on site: you will build the engineering team from the ground up and then lead the design build and deployment of automated machines that support our mass production lines. You will manage a multidisciplinary team own the delivery of multiple automation projects in parallel and work day to day with our R&D and engineering teams at headquarters in Israel.

This is a hands-on leadership position for someone who has grown from the engineering floor into management who is comfortable building something new and who takes full ownership of outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build the Vietnam automation team from the ground up recruit onboard and develop approximately 8 engineers and technicians during the first months of operation.
• Establish team culture ways of working and engineering standards on site.
• Manage local supplier and machine-builder relationships.
• Work day to day with the R&D and engineering teams at headquarters in Israel. Technical architecture and design direction are set jointly with HQ; delivery and local execution are owned by you.
• Lead a multidisciplinary team covering mechanical electrical control and software engineering with procurement and assembly support.
• Manage the full lifecycle of automated machine projects from concept and design through build commissioning and hand-off to production.
• Plan prioritize and deliver multiple automation projects simultaneously balancing timelines budgets and resources.
• Ensure automated machines meet the throughput quality reliability and safety requirements of mass production lines.
• Define technical specifications review designs and oversee integration of mechanical electrical control and software systems.
• Collaborate closely with manufacturing quality R&D and procurement teams.
• Track project progress and report status risks and results to management.

Why This Role

• Build a new engineering center from the ground up with the backing of an established global company.
• Direct ownership of the sites technical capability team and standards.
• Work on automation for high-volume production of products sold worldwide.

Requirements:

• Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering Control/Automation Engineering or a related field.
• Over 5 years of experience managing a team that designs and builds automated machines for mass production lines.
• Solid understanding of automated machine design control systems and production-line integration.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects at once and deliver on schedule.
• Fluent English written and spoken daily collaboration with headquarters in Israel.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a structured results-oriented approach

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience building or scaling an engineering team including recruiting and onboarding engineers.
• Experience working with or reporting to an overseas parent company or customer.
• Prior hands-on experience working directly on automated machines (design build or commissioning) before moving into a management role.
• Experience in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Familiarity with PLCs robotics vision systems and/or motion control.

What Were Looking For

• Takes ownership and full responsibility for team results and project outcomes.
• Comfortable and effective managing several projects in parallel under competing priorities.
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to build guide and grow an engineering team.
• Self-starting and independent able to make progress and make decisions without close day-to-day supervision.
• Proactive dependable and solution-focused.