Controls and Automation Engineer

Skin + Me; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 Days Holiday (+ Bank Holidays)

Free Breakfast & Lunch

Equity and share award package

Health and wellbeing focus

Discounted Skin + Me products

Generous employee referral scheme

Job summary

Skin + Me is seeking a skilled Controls and Automation Engineer to join their Operations Team at their factory in North Acton, Greater London. In this role, you will lead automation projects from inception to commissioning, improving safety and efficiency within manufacturing processes.

The ideal candidate will have a relevant degree and programming experience with PLC systems. Benefits include health plans, equity options, and complimentary meals.

Qualifications

• Minimum of one year programming experience with PLC systems.
• Familiarity with electrical safety and wiring.
• Ability to document complete control system solutions.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of controls and automation projects from start to finish.
• Design, program, and test PLC-based control systems.
• Support new product introductions and build automation solutions.
• Drive continuous improvement across systems.
• Provide hands-on expertise during upgrades and commissioning.
• Collaborate with teams to create practical automation solutions.
• Contribute to automation standards and best practices.

Skills

Programming PLC systems (IEC 61131-3)

Understanding of electrical schematics

Problem-solving in manufacturing

Collaboration with cross-functional teams

Education

Degree in mechanical engineering or related field

Tools

Siemens TIA

SolidWorks

Job description

Skin + Me is a mission driven start‑up with seriously big skin goals. We're looking for an exceptional Controls and Automation Engineer to join our Operations Team at Skin + Me. This is a full time role based at our state of the art factory in North Acton.

About the role

As a Controls and Automation Engineer at Skin + Me you will be part of the end‑to‑end project process – spanning from initial system specification, all of the way to commissioning and system handover to production teams. The ideal candidate will have a degree in either mechanical engineering, controls and automation, mechatronics, electrical, or similar, and be highly competent at problem solving challenges in a manufacturing environment.

What You'll Do

• Take ownership of controls and automation projects from start to finish – from understanding what's needed through to commissioning and handover into production
• Design, program and test PLC‑based control systems for new equipment, production lines and NPI projects, making sure everything is robust, well‑documented and ready to scale
• Support new product introductions by building and adapting automation solutions as our products and processes evolve
• Drive continuous improvement across our systems – enhancing safety, reliability, performance and long‑term maintainability
• Provide hands‑on expertise during upgrades, commissioning and when production needs critical support
• Collaborate closely with cross‑functional teams to create automation solutions that are practical, scalable and truly meet manufacturing needs
• Contribute to shaping our automation standards, best practices and system architecture as we continue to grow and scale our factory

Who You Are

• Have a minimum of a years experience programming (IEC 61131‑3) PLC systems
• Understanding of electrical schematics, wiring, and electrical safety
• Ability to spec and document complete control system solutions, deriving them from factory requirements and new product introduction projects
• Able to work well under pressure (for example during a stop in a production line for upgrade or fixes) in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment

Bonus Points

• Programming with Siemens TIA, specifically with S7‑1500 PLC's
• Deployment of complex, multi‑axis motion control systems
• Experience with closed loop motion control systems, more specifically linear and rotary servo motors
• Hands on experience wiring both DC control circuits, and AC (low voltage) power systems to accepted standards
• Understanding of electrical legislation, safety procedures, standards. Especially functional safety
• Knowledge and use of CAD packages to design mechanical parts, specifically SolidWorks

Benefits

• 25 Days Holiday (+ all the usual Bank Holidays)
• Free Breakfast & Lunch – It's important you are well fuelled for the day so we've got your breakfast and lunch covered. Plus drinks and snacks are available too!
• Equity – We offer a competitive salary and a generous share award package that means every employee has a stake in the business. We really are all in this together
• Health and wellbeing focus – We offer a healthcare cash plan, cycle to work schemes plus free healthy breakfast and lunch in the office. We'll be sure to always prioritise your physical and mental health
• Culture club – Our culture club team meets every week to make sure we celebrate our big wins and milestones too, with parties, surprises and more.
• You'll get highly discounted Skin + Me products for you, and 10 friends + family too.
• Generous employee referral scheme, if you know more fabulous people refer them to work with us too.