Senior Factory Automation Specialist

Glass Meadows Inc.; United Arab Emirates; Remote; AED 300,000 - 520,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote work

Job summary

Glass Meadows Inc. in United Arab Emirates (Remote) seeks a Senior Factory Automation Specialist to lead the design, implementation, and optimization of factory automation systems across manufacturing environments.

You will oversee PLCs, SCADA, HMIs, robotics, and MES/ERP integrations, working with cross-functional teams to improve production efficiency and scalability while ensuring safety and reliability.

Qualifications

• Experience leading factory automation design and implementation.
• Strong knowledge of PLC/SCADA/HMI with cross-functional collaboration.
• Proven track record in robotics and MES/ERP integrations.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning, design, development, implementation, and optimization of factory automation systems.
• Evaluate processes for automation and productivity improvements.
• Develop automation strategies aligned with production targets and quality goals.
• Design control strategies, specifications, and system architecture for automation projects.
• Configure PLC programs, SCADA, and HMI applications for production equipment.
• Coordinate integration of robots, conveyors, and inspection systems with MES/ERP.
• Support FAT/SAT testing, commissioning, and production handover.
• Collaborate with maintenance, IT, QA, and process engineers for seamless operations.

Skills

PLC programming

SCADA systems

HMI development

Robotics integration

MES/ERP integration

Control systems

Automation design

Tools

PLC hardware

SCADA software

Industrial robots

Job description

Location: United Arab Emirates (Remote)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Experience Level: Mid-Level to Senior

Work Arrangement: Fully Remote

About Us

We're Hiring: Senior Factory Automation Specialist

Location: United Arab Emirates (Remote)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Experience Level: Mid-Level to Senior

Work Arrangement: Fully Remote

About Us

We are a forward-thinking organization operating across construction, engineering, industrial operations, and technology-driven solutions. We focus on improving operational efficiency, workplace safety, product quality, and project performance through innovative engineering practices, intelligent automation, and digital transformation.

Our teams collaborate across multiple disciplines to deliver reliable, scalable, and sustainable solutions. We value technical excellence, continuous improvement, practical problem-solving, and the responsible adoption of advanced manufacturing and automation technologies.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Senior Factory Automation Specialist to lead the design, implementation, integration, and optimization of factory automation systems across manufacturing and industrial environments.

In this role, you will oversee automation initiatives involving programmable logic controllers, supervisory control systems, industrial robotics, production equipment, sensors, and manufacturing execution platforms. You will work closely with production, engineering, maintenance, quality assurance, IT, and project management teams to improve production efficiency, reduce downtime, enhance product consistency, and support scalable manufacturing operations.

The ideal candidate has strong expertise in industrial automation, manufacturing processes, control systems, equipment integration, and continuous improvement, combined with the ability to manage technical projects and provide guidance to cross-functional teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, design, development, implementation, and optimization of factory automation systems.
• Evaluate existing manufacturing processes to identify opportunities for automation, standardization, and productivity improvement.
• Develop factory automation strategies aligned with production targets, operational requirements, quality objectives, and business goals.
• Assess automation feasibility based on technical requirements, production volumes, equipment capabilities, implementation costs, and expected return on investment.
• Design automated production workflows that improve throughput, repeatability, accuracy, and resource utilization.
• Review manufacturing layouts and production line configurations to identify opportunities for improved equipment integration and material flow.
• Develop technical specifications, functional requirements, control strategies, and system architecture documentation for automation projects.
• Design, configure, and maintain programmable logic controller (PLC) programs for manufacturing machinery and production systems.
• Configure and support supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems for production monitoring, control, and reporting.
• Develop and maintain human-machine interface (HMI) applications for equipment operation, process visualization, alarms, and diagnostics.
• Support the implementation and maintenance of distributed control systems where required by manufacturing processes.
• Integrate industrial robots, collaborative robots, automated guided vehicles, autonomous mobile robots, and other automated equipment where appropriate.
• Coordinate the integration of robotic cells, conveyor systems, packaging equipment, assembly stations, and automated inspection systems.
• Configure industrial sensors, actuators, variable frequency drives, servo systems, motor controls, and associated instrumentation.
• Develop control logic for equipment sequencing, interlocks, process coordination, and automated material handling.
• Configure and maintain industrial communication networks and protocols to support reliable communication between machines and control platforms.
• Integrate automation equipment with manufacturing execution systems (MES), enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms, and production data systems.
• Support the implementation of industrial Internet of Things technologies for equipment connectivity, performance monitoring, and operational visibility.
• Evaluate automation technologies and equipment vendors based on technical suitability, reliability, compatibility, lifecycle costs, and support capabilities.
• Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, software, and process engineers to ensure successful system integration.
• Review electrical schematics, control panel drawings, equipment specifications, process flow diagrams, and engineering layouts.
• Verify that automation designs meet manufacturing requirements, operational constraints, maintainability expectations, and applicable technical standards.
• Coordinate with suppliers and system integrators to develop, configure, test, and commission automation solutions.
• Prepare project plans, technical deliverables, implementation schedules, resource estimates, and commissioning requirements.
• Conduct factory acceptance testing (FAT) and site acceptance testing (SAT) to verify system functionality and performance.
• Develop and execute integration tests to confirm that machines, controllers, sensors, software, and production systems operate as intended.
• Coordinate equipment installation, system configuration, commissioning, and production handover.
• Troubleshoot PLC programs, control panels, electrical interfaces, communication faults, sensor failures, and machine sequencing issues.
• Investigate equipment malfunctions and recurring automation faults to determine root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Provide technical support during production ramp-up, equipment upgrades, process changes, and new product introductions.
• Monitor equipment availability, production cycle times, line efficiency, downtime, and other relevant operational performance indicators.
• Analyze production data to identify recurring interruptions, process bottlenecks, equipment inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities.
• Optimize machine sequences, equipment settings, control logic, and automated workflows to increase production throughput.
• Reduce unplanned downtime by improving fault detection, alarm handling, troubleshooting procedures, and maintenance coordination.
• Support the implementation of predictive and condition-based maintenance solutions for critical production equipment.
• Develop preventive maintenance recommendations for automation components, control systems, sensors, drives, and industrial networks.
• Coordinate with maintenance teams to schedule equipment servicing, calibration, software backups, and system inspections.
• Maintain accurate records of equipment configurations, PLC programs, software versions, network settings, and system modifications.
• Establish version control and change management procedures for automation software and control system configurations.
• Ensure that automation modifications are documented, reviewed, tested, and approved before implementation.
• Develop standard operating procedures for automated equipment startup, shutdown, changeover, fault recovery, and emergency response.
• Support production teams in standardizing machine operation, process settings, and equipment recovery procedures.
• Collaborate with quality assurance teams to integrate automated inspection, measurement, traceability, and process verification capabilities.
• Implement automation solutions that improve product consistency, reduce manufacturing defects, and strengthen process control.
• Support the integration of machine vision systems for component identification, dimensional inspection, defect detection, and assembly verification.
• Coordinate the implementation of automated testing and inspection equipment to improve quality control efficiency.
• Ensure production data and inspection results are recorded accurately and can be traced to relevant products, batches, or production runs.
• Support statistical process monitoring and automated data collection to identify quality trends and deviations.
• Assist in investigating production nonconformities associated with machine settings, control logic, equipment performance, or automation failures.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation for automation systems, including functional design specifications, control narratives, wiring diagrams, and operating instructions.
• Prepare engineering reports covering commissioning outcomes, system performance, recurring faults, corrective actions, and improvement recommendations.
• Ensure factory automation systems comply with applicable electrical safety requirements, machinery regulations, and relevant industry standards.
• Conduct or support risk assessments for automated production equipment, robotic work cells, conveyors, and machine interfaces.
• Coordinate the implementation and verification of emergency stops, safety interlocks, light curtains, protective guarding, and other safety devices.
• Support the design and validation of safety-related control functions in accordance with applicable requirements.
• Work with health and safety teams to reduce risks associated with automated machinery, maintenance activities, and human-machine interaction.
• Establish safe procedures for equipment isolation, maintenance access, manual intervention, and recovery from abnormal operating conditions.