Maintenance Automation Engineer

Stacked Farm; Gold Coast City; On-site; AUD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Stacked Farm Pty is seeking a Maintenance Automation Engineer to advance and support its industrial automation systems at scale on-site in Australia. You will design PLC code, develop control strategies with Ignition SCADA, and ensure system reliability while collaborating with electrical, mechanical, and software engineers.

The role demands 3+ years in automation, strong communication, and a proactive, learning mindset to stay current with emerging automation technologies and standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Automation Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering or a related discipline.
• 3+ years of hands-on experience in industrial automation, PLC programming or control systems engineering.
• Demonstrated experience with Ignition SCADA or similar HMI/SCADA systems.
• Proficient in structured programming and version control tools (e.g. Git, GitHub).
• Exposure to IIoT concepts, architecture, and protocols is advantageous but not essential.
• Experience working in an agile, fast-paced, engineering environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Innovative and solutions-oriented mindset with a passion for automation and technology.
• Strong communicator who can explain technical concepts clearly to a variety of stakeholders.
• Adaptable and eager to learn new tools, technologies, and frameworks.
• Takes ownership of outcomes and is committed to excellence in execution.
• Works effectively both independently and within a team.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain PLC-based automation code using Structured Text and efficient coding practices.
• Develop and implement robust control strategies for process automation using SCADA/HMI systems, particularly Ignition.
• Test and validate system functionality to ensure performance, stability, and safety across all operational automation platforms.
• Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and software engineers to ensure seamless integration of automation systems into broader infrastructure.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues in PLCs, HMIs, and industrial networks in real-time environments.
• Maintain clear and structured documentation for automation architecture, logic flows, code libraries, and system configurations.
• Support version control, testing, and continuous integration workflows across all automation codebases.
• Proactively monitor systems, identify improvement opportunities, and deliver enhancements for performance and efficiency.
• Stay up-to-date on emerging technologies, standards, and best practices in automation, control, and industrial networking.
• Work closely with multidisciplinary teams including software, electrical, mechanical and operations teams.
• Collaborate with suppliers and technology partners to implement and refine automation components.
• Provide technical insight during project planning and design reviews to ensure automation systems meet operational needs.
• Support knowledge sharing and foster a continuous learning environment within the engineering team.

Skills

Ignition SCADA

PLC programming

Git

Industrial automation

Communication skills

Agile environment

Education

Bachelor's degree in Automation/Electrical/Mechatronics/Computer Engineering or related

Tools

Ignition SCADA

Git

Job description

Stacked Farm is leading the way in automated indoor vertical farming - driven by innovation, efficiency and sustainability. With proprietary automation technology, we've reimagined how leafy greens are planted and harvested: faster, cleaner and greener than ever before. Recently named 2025 Sustainability Leader by The Australian Financial Review, winning both the Agriculture & Environment category and the title of Overall Innovation Winner, we're now bringing our proven model and premium-quality produce to the U.S. As we expand rapidly with new farms and advanced product lines, we're reshaping the AgTech landscape.

Find out more about us here - https://stackedfarm.com/au

About the role

The Maintenance Automation Engineer will play a critical role in the ongoing development, optimisation, and support of Stacked Farm’s advanced automation systems. This position requires hands-on experience with industrial control systems, PLC programming, SCADA platforms (such as Ignition), IIoT technologies, and industrial networking protocols.

Working as part of a fast-paced, innovative engineering team, you will contribute to the design and refinement of automation code, test system functionality, troubleshoot issues, and enhance system reliability for large-scale mission-critical operations. The ideal candidate brings both technical depth and creative problem-solving skills, with a desire to continuously learn and apply modern automation technologies to deliver scalable, efficient, and intelligent automation solutions.

Key responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain PLC-based automation code using Structured Text and efficient coding practices.
• Develop and implement robust control strategies for process automation using SCADA/HMI systems, particularly Ignition.
• Test and validate system functionality to ensure performance, stability, and safety across all operational automation platforms.
• Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and software engineers to ensure seamless integration of automation systems into broader infrastructure.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues in PLCs, HMIs, and industrial networks in real-time environments.
• Maintain clear and structured documentation for automation architecture, logic flows, code libraries, and system configurations.
• Support version control, testing, and continuous integration workflows across all automation codebases.
• Proactively monitor systems, identify improvement opportunities, and deliver enhancements for performance and efficiency.
• Stay up-to-date on emerging technologies, standards, and best practices in automation, control, and industrial networking.
• Work closely with multidisciplinary teams including software, electrical, mechanical and operations teams.
• Collaborate with suppliers and technology partners to implement and refine automation components.
• Provide technical insight during project planning and design reviews to ensure automation systems meet operational needs.
• Support knowledge sharing and foster a continuous learning environment within the engineering team.

About you:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Automation Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering or a related discipline.
• 3+ years of hands‑on experience in industrial automation, PLC programming or control systems engineering.
• Demonstrated experience with Ignition SCADA or similar HMI/SCADA systems.
• Proficient in structured programming and version control tools (e.g. Git, GitHub).
• Exposure to IIoT concepts, architecture, and protocols is advantageous but not essential.
• Experience working in an agile, fast‑paced, engineering environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Innovative and solutions‑oriented mindset with a passion for automation and technology.
• Strong communicator who can explain technical concepts clearly to a variety of stakeholders.
• Adaptable and eager to learn new tools, technologies, and frameworks.
• Takes ownership of outcomes and is committed to excellence in execution.
• Works effectively both independently and within a team.

Don’t tick every box?

At Stacked Farm, we value people who can learn quickly, ask good questions, solve problems and get things done. We’ll give you the context, support and expertise around you to learn the parts you don’t already know.