Automation Engineer - PLC / Plant Control (m/f/d)

Metycle; Köln; Híbrido; EUR 70.000 - 90.000; Jornada completa

Ventajas ofrecidas por este puesto de trabajo

Flexible hours

Remote work

Descripción de la vacante

METYCLE in Köln seeks an experienced Industrial Automation Engineer to own the plant’s control systems from design through commissioning and into stable production. You will manage PLC programming, safety concepts, and integration across multiple machine suppliers, while enabling data access for OT/IT systems.

You will collaborate with an international team, contribute to a sustainable recycling initiative, and travel to our Belgium facility as needed.

Formación

• 5+ years hands-on programming and commissioning industrial control systems.
• Siemens TIA Portal / S7-1200 & S7-1500 with SCL, LAD/FBD, HMI/SCADA.
• Strong machine safety competence incl. EN ISO 13849 and LED approach.
• Able to read electrical schematics and troubleshoot shop-floor cabinets.
• Experience with brownfield projects, legacy migrations and multiple suppliers.

Responsabilidades

• Design, write and own PLC programs for plant control and HMI.
• Lead commissioning through FAT/SAT to stable production.
• Design stop and interlock logic for high plant availability.
• Implement safety concepts on F-CPU with e-stop, zone isolation and guard interlocks.
• Own EN ISO 13849 performance-level determinations and CE file collaboration.
• Integrate control systems from different machine suppliers into one line.
• Hold suppliers to code quality and documentation standards.
• Expose plant data via OT/IT interfaces (OPC UA, MQTT, Modbus TCP).

Conocimientos

PLC programming

Commissioning expertise

Safety systems

Electrical schematics

Vendor management

English fluency

Herramientas

Siemens TIA Portal

S7-1200

S7-1500

HMI/SCADA

PROFINET

PROFIBUS

Modbus TCP

Drives/VFDs

Python

C#/TIA Openness

SQL

Linux

Docker

MES/IIoT

Descripción del empleo

Metycle: where innovation meets sustainability

We are reshaping the global secondary metals industry to accelerate the circular flow of metals. By combining global trading, advanced processing and digital intelligence, we make secondary metals more predictable, transparent and scalable, strengthening industrial supply chains and reducing reliance on primary metal production.

And the impact is significant: recycling aluminium can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 95% compared with primary aluminium production.

And we take it further! Our SmartSorting Hubs combine advanced sorting technology, automation and AI to transform how complex scrap is processed, turning selected mixed streams into better-defined industrial feedstock while improving material quality and traceability.

Join us at a defining stage as we bring the $600 billion scrap metals industry into the 21st century and build a new global standard for secondary metals.

READY TO MAKE AN IMPACT?

If you are passionate about industrial automation, solving complex technical challenges, and building something from the ground up, join our team as an Industrial Automation Engineer.

The machinery is the easy part to buy. The control system that turns it into a plant - and the standards, documentation, and data that keep it running - is what we are hiring you to own.

We are looking for an experienced Industrial Automation Engineer to take ownership of our plant’s control systems from design through commissioning and into stable production. You bring deep hands-on experience in programming and commissioning industrial control systems and are comfortable taking responsibility for the PLC, safety systems, HMI, industrial networking, and interfaces between multiple machine suppliers.

Beyond programming, you understand what it takes to make a plant genuinely reliable in production and have the technical confidence to hold suppliers to high professional standards. Join our international team, help build innovative solutions for scrap metal processing, and contribute to a more sustainable future.

YOUR MISSION

• PLC & Plant Control: Design, write, and own the PLC program using Siemens TIA Portal / S7-1200 & S7-1500, including control logic, sequencing, fault handling, and HMI
• Commissioning & Production: Take the plant from design through commissioning to a stable, running line, owning the full journey through FAT/SAT and the hands-on work required to make the plant genuinely reliable
• Plant Availability: Design stop and interlock behaviour to minimise unnecessary downtime — allowing unaffected parts of the plant to keep running when it is safe to do so. Plant availability is a direct business outcome here, and you will directly influence it
• Machine Safety: Implement the machine-safety control concept on a fail-safe F-CPU with F-I/O, including the hardwired e-stop loop, PLC-enforced zone isolation that cannot be overridden, guard interlocks, and controlled, sequenced shutdown
• Safety & Compliance: Be our in-house technical counterpart on EN ISO 13849 performance-level determination and the CE file, working with external assessors while retaining ownership of the technical approach and decisions
• Machine Integration: Integrate control systems from several different machine suppliers into one coherent line, so that a single stop is genuinely a single stop across the whole plant
• Supplier Management: Hold machine builders and panel builders to specification, including unlocked code, complete documentation, and standards compliance
• OT / IT & Industrial IoT: Get plant data out over OPC UA / MQTT / Modbus TCP into our own systems, so stoppage reasons, energy use, and throughput become actionable data. Work closely with our Industrial IoT team, who own the edge and data side of that boundary

YOUR PROFILE

• 5+ years of hands-on experience programming and commissioning industrial control systems, with a track record of bringing production equipment or complete lines into stable operation
• Deep Siemens TIA Portal / S7-1200 & S7-1500 experience, with strong skills in SCL, LAD/FBD, HMI/SCADA, industrial networking (PROFINET, PROFIBUS, Modbus TCP), drives/VFDs, and fault-finding
• Strong machine safety competence, including F-CPU / Safety Integrated and EN ISO 13849, with the ability to explain and defend performance-level determinations
• Comfortable reading electrical schematics and troubleshooting cabinets, hardware, signals, wiring, and control behaviour directly on the shop floor. You have brought at least one production line from commissioning into stable production; maintenance-only experience is not sufficient
• Experience working with machine and panel builders, with the confidence to hold suppliers accountable for code quality, documentation, standards compliance, and professional delivery
• Experience with brownfield projects and legacy migration (STEP 7 Classic → TIA); experience in bulk material handling, recycling, sorting, or minerals processing is a plus
• Experience with PLC version control, simulation / digital twins, or structured automation approaches is desirable. Additional IT/OT skills such as Python, C#/TIA Openness, SQL, Linux, Docker, MES/IIoT, OT network segmentation, or IEC 62443 are a plus
• Independent, structured, and hands-on, with a strong sense of ownership. You challenge assumptions, hold suppliers to a high standard, and document what you build
• Fluent in English; German and/or Dutch is a plus. Ideally based in or near Cologne or the Benelux/border region, with valid EU work authorisation and the willingness to travel to our Smart Sorting Facility in Belgium, Maasmechelen

WHY JOIN US?

• You will have the opportunity to challenge the status quo and work on an innovative venture with a significant impact
• You will be able to take ownership and shape the future of metal recycling and green energy solutions at an early stage
• We offer a competitive salary including virtual company shares
• We offer an environment with flat hierarchies and a steep learning curve with exciting growth opportunities
• You will benefit from flexible working hours and the opportunity to work remotely or from a shared office location
• We promote an inclusive, diverse and supportive work environment

CONTACT

Discover more about METYCLE:

About us | LinkedIn

We look forward to receiving your application. Irene Prinz is happy to answer any questions you may have: [phone].