Automation Engineer

Y-Axis; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employer pension contribution

Health and wellbeing support (dental/5

Life assurance (3x annual salary)

Holiday buying and selling options

Training and development support

Regular site equipment investment

Job summary

Yolk Recruitment is representing an established food manufacturer in the search for an Automation Engineer to strengthen its site capability. You will own fault-finding and reliability across SCADA and control systems in a high-volume environment, with hands-on support on machinery.

The role focuses on an afternoon shift pattern, collaborating with an experienced SCADA specialist and production colleagues to reduce downtime and improve process reliability. London site, UK.

Qualifications

• Experience with SCADA, PLC-controlled machinery or industrial automation in a live production setting.
• Strong fault-finding and diagnostic abilities on complex control systems.
• Ability to review existing code, controls and parameters to resolve faults.
• Hands-on engineering mindset to work directly on machinery when needed.
• Experience in regulated environments (food, beverage, pharma) is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Maintain, monitor, and troubleshoot site SCADA and industrial automation systems.
• Respond to controls failures, system interruptions, and automation-related production issues.
• Identify root causes of faults and restore equipment to safe operation efficiently.
• Support PLCs, drives, sensors, and wider control systems fault-finding.
• Provide hands-on electrical and mechanical engineering support as required.
• Complete planned preventive maintenance and automate reliability improvements.
• Collaborate with production teams to improve reliability and reduce downtime.
• Document faults, repairs, and scheduled work in the maintenance system.

Skills

SCADA

Industrial automation

PLC fault-finding

Electrical engineering

Diagnostics

Maintenance planning

Team collaboration

Education

Electrical engineering qualification or apprenticeship

Job description

Automation Engineer at Yolk Recruitment Ltd

London, British Columbia, United Kingdom - Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

16 Nov, 26

0.0

Posted On

18 Aug, 26

Experience

0 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Yes

Skills

Information Services

Description

Yolk Recruitment is exclusively representing an established food manufacturer in the search for an Automation Engineer to strengthen its site capability.

This is a rare opportunity for an engineer with SCADA, controls, or industrial automation expertise to take ownership of fault-finding and system reliability within a high-volume production environment. The vacancy is planned around a weekday afternoon shift, extending engineering automation support across a greater portion of the operating day while avoiding a traditional rotating shift pattern.

What You'll Do:

• Maintain, monitor, and troubleshoot site SCADA and industrial automation systems
• Respond to controls failures, system interruptions, and automation-related production issues
• Identify the root causes of faults and restore equipment to safe operation as efficiently as possible
• Maintain existing controls infrastructure rather than focusing primarily on developing entirely new systems
• Support PLC, drive, inverter, sensor, and wider control-system fault-finding, according to your experience
• Provide hands-on electrical and mechanical engineering support when production machinery requires attention
• Complete planned preventive maintenance alongside automation-focused responsibilities
• Work closely with production teams and the wider engineering department to improve reliability and reduce downtime
• Share knowledge with colleagues and learn from a highly experienced on-site SCADA specialist
• Maintain accurate records of faults, repairs, and scheduled work through the site maintenance system
• Operate in accordance with stringent health, safety, hygiene, and food manufacturing standards

What You'll Bring:

• Experience working with SCADA, PLC-controlled machinery, or industrial automation systems
• Strong diagnostic and fault-finding skills within a live production or process environment
• The ability to investigate existing code, controls, and system parameters when equipment stops or behaves unexpectedly
• A practical engineering background and the willingness to work directly on machinery when required
• Electrical engineering knowledge, ideally supported by a relevant qualification or apprenticeship
• Experience within food, beverage, FMCG, pharmaceutical, process manufacturing or another regulated environment would be advantageous
• A calm, logical and methodical approach to complex technical issues
• Good communication skills and the ability to work effectively with engineers, operators, and production colleagues
• A genuine interest in developing broader controls, electrical and maintenance expertise

Why You Should Apply:

Automation engineers are often expected to choose between highly specialised controls work and general maintenance. This role offers a balance of both. You will be the automation-focused member of the team, concentrating on SCADA and control's reliability while remaining close to the machinery and production process.

The planned hours are based around a Monday-to-Friday afternoon shift. The precise working pattern will be agreed around site coverage requirements, with the qualification call discussing an approximate afternoon start and finish around midnight rather than a permanent overnight pattern. Other engineers remain on site until 10:00pm, and the facility continues operating with wider production staffing beyond that point.

You will also benefit from working alongside a highly experienced SCADA specialist with extensive knowledge of the plant, providing valuable access to site-specific guidance and technical mentoring.

The package includes:

• Salary of up to £60,000 for an engineer with the right depth of automation expertise
• A consistent weekday afternoon shift, with final hours agreed during the recruitment process
• 33 days' annual leave for a five-day working pattern
• Employer pension contribution of 5%, with a 3% employee contribution
• Health and wellbeing support, including dental and optical cashback
• Three times annual salary life assurance
• Holiday buying and selling options
• Company sick pay increasing with length of service
• Accredited technical training and support for relevant development requests
• Regular investment in site equipment and manufacturing capability
• A structured interview process, normally involving an initial Teams conversation followed by one on-site meeting and factory tour