Automation Engineer

SPX Flow; Portsmouth; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering firm is seeking a Senior Automation Engineer to deliver innovative automation solutions across various sectors including food, beverage, and pharmaceuticals. The role requires collaboration within a team to ensure compliance with safety standards and regulations. Candidates should have a strong background in automation design and execution, with proficiency in PLC and HMI software. Willingness to travel internationally may be required. Join us and drive your career forward in a challenging environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in automation design and execution tasks.
• Ability to ensure compliance with legislation and regulations.
• Willingness to travel internationally as needed.

Responsibilities

• Generate automation solutions and implement their characteristics.
• Ensure automation solutions are safe and comply with regulations.
• Participate in reviews and ensure completion of actions required.

Skills

Automation solution development

Technical support

Safety compliance

Team collaboration

Basic English proficiency

Tools

PLC software

HMI applications

SCADA applications

Job description

Working on both projects and bid proposals, the Automation Engineer is responsible for the execution of automation systems, or parts thereof.

The Automation Engineer is responsible for:

• developing an automation solution which meets the requirements of the proposal or project
• ensuring design and execution outputs are delivered in line with the time schedule and quality requirements
• providing technical support regarding automation design aspects throughout project and bid lifecycles
• undertaking other technical tasks as required (e.g. site surveys, feasibility studies, support to sales, etc)
• providing aftermarket support for customers with 24/7 support up to 1 week per month (possible travel)
• basic understanding of English language - written and spoken
• additional languages a benefit

In general, the Automation Engineer will work as part of a team and will collaborate closely with other team members and functional disciplines to ensure successful delivery of the project or bid scope.

We are seeking candidates who are both eligible and willing to work from within the United Kingdom, and who are prepared to travel internationally as required.

The Automation Engineer's duties include, but are not limited to the following:

Safety & Environment

• Ensuring that automation solutions are safe
• Ensuring that e-stop, isolation & maintenance aspects of solutions have been considered appropriately
• Participating in relevant reviews, as defined in SPX Flow procedures and, additionally, customer contracts, and ensuring that her/his resultant actions have been completed. (Example reviews include: Design Reviews, Risk Assessments)
• Ensuring compliance with local legislation and regulations (for the locality of the plant/process) which apply to engineering design (e.g. EU Machinery Directive)
• Acting in a safe fashion, particularly when operating outside of the known office environment (e.g. on customer and supplier sites)

Automation Design & Execution Tasks

• Generating automation solutions and defining and implementing their characteristics by means of (for example):
• Automation architecture diagrams
• Hardware and software selection and specification
• Control philosophy
• Software structure
• Functional design descriptions (e.g. FDS)
• Detailed design specifications (e.g. DDS)
• PLC software code (e.g. device logic, equipment modules, control modules, etc)
• Network and comms configuration
• Design and configuration of HMI applications
• Design and configuration of SCADA applications
• Interface with SCADA systems, I/O servers, etc
• Interface with MIS/MES systems and databases, where applicable
• Interface with ERP systems, where applicable
• Signal exchange / interfaces with other systems
• Adhering to SPX Flow procedures, and utilising applicable tools and design standards, during the development of automation solutions
• Completing design calculations (e.g. estimating number of tags) to support automation design and equipment selection
• Undertaking software simulation / Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Customer Acceptance Testing (CAT)
• Ensuring that tasks are completed in accordance with the project schedule, to the required quality and within the allocated budget.

Solution Ownership

• Ensuring that the solution, for which they are responsible, is functional, and is executed in line with applicable legislation and regulation
• Customer contractual requirements (or, in case of proposal, RFQ/URS requirements)
• SPX references, standards and best practices, where applicable
• Ensuring that design output is complete and of a consistent standard. Examples include ensuring that documentation (e.g. FDS, DDS, SFC) utilises common standards across the project/proposal and that it is delivered to a consistent level in terms of content and quality
• Ensuring that S88 based software structures are maintained and applied consistently across an installation
• Ensuring all scope elements/sub-systems for which they are responsible integrate coherently and that external interfaces are clearly understood and defined
• Considering economic factors with a view to ensuring that the overall project is delivered on budget

Job Summary

SPX Flow is looking for a Senior Automation Engineer to take a leading role in delivering automation solutions for projects across the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and other hygienic industries.