Automation Engineer - Production Line Integration

Aerospacelab; Mont-Saint-Guibert; On-site; EUR 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Aerospacelab, a growing satellite manufacturer, seeks an Automation & Robotics Engineer to design, integrate and maintain automated production and inspection cells combining controls, vision and robotics. This hands-on role has no people management and involves close collaboration with production, quality and R&D teams to deliver high-rel automation for satellite lines.

You will work on PLC/motion controllers, machine vision, robot integration, and Python tooling across Windows and Linux, with a

Qualifications

• Master's degree in electromechanical, mechatronics, automation or related field.
• Around 5 years of hands-on experience in industrial automation or robotics.
• Solid experience with PLC programming and fieldbus protocols in production.
• Strong Python skills for automation software.
• Experience integrating industrial robots (UR or equivalent).
• Comfortable working across Windows and Linux with Git.
• Fluent in English; French and/or Dutch are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop automated production and inspection cells: mechanical/electrical integration, controls architecture, and software.
• Program and commission PLC/motion controllers (Beckhoff/TwinCAT or equivalent) and fieldbus networks (EtherCAT, Modbus, OPC UA).
• Develop and deploy machine vision pipelines (HALCON or equivalent) for calibration and inspection.
• Integrate industrial robots (UR or equivalent) into production workflows, including tooling and safety.
• Write production-grade Python software for equipment orchestration, data acquisition, and process monitoring across Windows and Linux.
• Diagnose and resolve integration issues across controls, vision, robotics, and software on live lines.
• Document architectures and share knowledge within the automation community.

Skills

PLC programming

Python scripting

Robotics integration

Industrial controls

Git

Linux/Windows

English fluency

UR robots

Problem solving

Cross-functional

Education

Master's degree in electromechanical / mechatronics / automation

Tools

HALCON

OpenCV

ROS/ROS2

Docker

Git

GenICam SDKs

Job description

About Aerospacelab

Our mission is supported by an ambitious vertically integrated approach: design & manufacture of small satellites combined with development of earth observation services.

Since its creation in 2018, the company has already grown substantially. Our team gathers more than 25 engineering expertise, from hardware design to software development & data science.

In 2026, Aerospacelab counts offices in Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium), Toulouse (France), Lausanne (Switzerland) and US West Coast with more than 450 full-time employees, with the ambition to position itself as the European leader in small satellites.

Your role

Aerospacelab is looking for an Automation& Robotics Engineer to join our production engineering team. You willdesign, integrate, and maintain automated production and inspection cellscombining industrial controls, machine vision, and robotic manipulation – fromPLC/motion architecture down to the Python tooling that ties it all together.This is a hands-on, purely technical role with no people-managementresponsibilities, working closely with production, quality, and R&D teams to bring flexible, high-reliability automation to our satellite manufacturinglines.

Key responsibilities

• Design and develop automatedproduction and inspection cells: mechanical/electrical integration, controlsarchitecture, and software.
• Program and commissionPLC/motion controllers (Beckhoff/TwinCAT or equivalent) and fieldbus networks(EtherCAT, Modbus, OPC UA).
• Develop and deploy machinevision pipelines (camera synchronization, calibration, defect/dimensionalinspection) using tools such as HALCON or equivalent frameworks.
• Integrate industrial robots(e.g. Universal Robots) into production workflows, including tooling, pathplanning, and safety.
• Write production-grade Pythonsoftware for equipment orchestration, data acquisition, and process monitoring,running across Windows and Linux.
• Diagnose and resolveintegration issues across the full stack – controls, vision, robotics, andsoftware – on live production lines.
• Document architectures andshare knowledge within the automation community of practice.

Must have

• Master’s degree inelectromechanical, mechatronics, automation, or a related engineering field, orequivalent hands-on experience.
• Around 5 years of relevanthands-on experience in industrial automation, robotics, or productionengineering (medior level).
• Solid hands-on experience withindustrial controls (PLC programming, fieldbus/industrial protocols) in aproduction environment.
• Strong Python skills applied toindustrial/automation software (not a beginner level).
• Practical experienceintegrating industrial robots (UR or equivalent) into real production or labsetups.
• Comfortable working acrossWindows and Linux, with version control (Git) as part of the daily workflow.
• Problem-solver with a hands-onmentality, comfortable moving between low-level hardware debugging and softwaredesign.
• Fluent in English; Frenchand/or Dutch are a plus.

Nice to have

• Experience with machine visionlibraries (HALCON, OpenCV) and industrial camera SDKs (e.g. GenICam-basedcameras).
• Exposure to ROS/ROS2,containerized deployments (Docker), or CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience in an aerospace,space, or other highly regulated manufacturing environment.