Sandoz Posted October 9, 2026

Automation Engineer – OT/IT & Security Manager

Rudolstadt (Aeropharm GmbH), Germany Full time
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Sandoz is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Job Description Summary

Sandoz continues to go through an exciting and transformative period as a global leader and pioneering provider of sustainable Biosimilar and Generic medicines. As we continue down this new and ambitious path, unique opportunities will present themselves, both professionally and personally. Join us, the future is ours to shape!

Job Description

Major accountabilities: 

Automation & OT/IT

Maintain, troubleshoot and continuously improve PLC, HMI and SCADA systems

Plan and implement automation upgrades, retrofits and migration projects

Develop and maintain robust OT/IT architectures and industrial networks

Integrate production equipment with MES, LIMS, WMS, ERP and data platforms

Implement industrial communication technologies such as Profinet, OPC UA and MQTT

Support FAT/SAT, commissioning, qualification and lifecycle management

Intelligently connect production equipment, laboratory systems (LIMS), and warehouse management systems (WMS)

OT Cybersecurity & Security Management

Act as the site focal point for OT cybersecurity

Assess cybersecurity risks for automation systems and OT infrastructure

Coordinate vulnerability, patch and OT asset lifecycle activities

Drive network segmentation, system hardening and Security-by-Design

Define security requirements for new equipment, modifications and retrofits

Support OT-security assessments, audits and cybersecurity incidents

Coordinate security measures with IT, Cybersecurity, Engineering and external suppliers

Support compliance with corporate requirements and OT-security principles such as IEC 62443

Digital Manufacturing

Enable connectivity between machines, OT systems and digital platforms

Develop Industrial IoT and Edge Computing solutions

Make production data accessible for analytics and continuous improvement

Support Predictive Maintenance, manufacturing analytics and selected AI applications

Contribute to the site's digital manufacturing roadmap Drive innovation through Industrial IoT, edge computing, and predictive maintenance technologies

What you’ll bring to the role: 

Degree in Automation Engineering, Electrical Engineering, IT, Computer Science or comparable qualification

Experience in industrial automationStrong understanding of industrial networks and OT/IT architectures

Knowledge of Profinet, Industrial Ethernet, OPC UA and/or MQTT

Practical understanding of OT cybersecurity, network segmentation and vulnerability management

Experience with MES/ERP/LIMS integration or Industrial IoT is an advantage

Knowledge of pharmaceutical GxP and computerized system requirements is an advantage

Analytical mindset with strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills

High level of ownership and ability to work across Engineering, IT and Production

Very good German and English communication skills

As part of your application, please submit your current CV as well as proof of your highest educational qualification (e.g., diploma, master’s degree, doctorate). Additional documents such as employment references may be uploaded optionally but are not mandatory.

Compensation Structure & Criteria:    

Sandoz compensation is determined by job level, qualifications, niche skills, experience, and location within company salary ranges. Fully proficient and highly effective employees can expect a starting salary around market median, with those new to the level or with less functional depth at the lower end of the range and those with sustained superior or niche skills towards the higher end of the range. Internal equity and external market data inform our range placement. Annual salary reviews consider performance outcomes, market alignment, and business needs.

Job location: Rudolstadt, Germany

Starting pay range: EUR 72.960 - 109.440 ​

Variable compensation: 5% performance-based bonus, performance based long-term incentive plan.​

Additional benefits include: 30 vacation days per year (in full time), 1.200€ vacation payment (in full time), €40/month in capital-forming benefits (in full time), company pension, flex-hybrid working 50% per week in the office, access to our learning & development platforms Skillsoft & Learnlight, Access to our employee share program “OurShare”

Pay frequency: Monthly

Expected weekly working hours: 40 hours

Contract type: full time​

Why Sandoz? 

Sandoz is the global leader in Biosimilar and Generic medicines, a segment of the healthcare industry that delivers 80% of the world’s medicines at 30% of the cost, touching the lives of more than 1 billion people across 100+ countries! While we are proud of our achievements, we have an ambition to do more so that everyone can achieve the basic human right of good health.

With investments in new development capabilities, production sites, new acquisitions, and partnerships, we have the opportunity to shape the future of Sandoz and help even more people gain access to low-cost, high-quality medicines, sustainably.

Our momentum is powered by an open, collaborative culture driven by our talented and ambitious colleagues, who, in return for applying their skills, experience an agile and collegiate environment with impactful careers, where diversity of thought is welcomed and where personal growth is supported!

Join us, help us make healthcare fairer and faster.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:

We are committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities we serve.

Hiring decisions are only based on the qualification for the position, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age and disability. Hiring decisions are only based on the qualification for the position, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age and disability.

The law provides for severely disabled / equal applicants the opportunity to involve the local representative body for disabled employees (SBV) in the application process. If you would like to request this, please let us know in advance as a note on your CV.

#Sandoz

Skills Desired

Api (Application Programming Interface), Api (Application Programming Interface), Automation, Back-End Development, Business Continuity, Change Control, Chemistry, Design Development, Electronic Components, General Hse Knowledge  , Including Gdp, Java (Programming Language), Knowledge Of Capa, Knowledge Of Gmp, Kubernetes, Managing Performance Improvement, Manufacturing Production, Mathematical Optimization, Project Commissioning, Project Engineering, Project Execution, Reactjs, Risk Management, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Scheduler {+ 2 more}

Job details

Seniority
Manager
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Rudolstadt (Aeropharm GmbH), Germany
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 652 comparable Manager Manufacturing & CMC roles across 86 biopharma companies.

652Comparable roles tracked
589Currently active
86Companies hiring similar roles
41Countries represented

Salary context

200 of 652 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Warehouse Associate I (M-F 11am-7:30pm) · AbbVie $16/hr – $29/hr (≈ $33,280–$60,320/yr)
Highest disclosed · Regional Manager - Megasys · Merck KGaA $220,000/yr – $250,000/yr
Peer group range $46,800 – $235,000 (median $156,695)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 652 comparable roles

United States371
India57
Ireland22
Japan21
United Kingdom20
Netherlands20

+ 35 more countries

Seniority mix

652 of 652 peers have a known seniority level

Manager373
Associate165
Associate Director114

Therapeutic area mix

9 of 652 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Vaccines & Infectious Disease5
Rare Disease3
Immunology1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Roche Mannheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Sandoz Barleben (Salutas Pharma GmbH), Germany Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie Ludwigshafen, RP Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
CSL Behring GmbH (DE) Marburg, Germany Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie Ludwigshafen, RP Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH Frankfurt am Main, Germany Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

Or follow a whole field: get every new Manufacturing & CMC job in Germany, and choose locations and companies.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
Principal Commissioning & Qualification Manager (m/f/d)
Roche · Mannheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany · Manager
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Manager Operational Excellence (m/w/d)
CSL Behring GmbH (DE) · Marburg, Germany · Manager
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Senior Projekt Manager (m/w/d) Capex
Roche · Penzberg, Bavaria, Germany · Manager
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Manager, Combination Products and Medical Devices (all genders) (fulltime, regular)
AbbVie · Ludwigshafen, RP · Manager
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.