Lead Control Systems Engineer

Meritus; Stone; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

28 days holiday + bank holidays

6.5% matched pension

Private Medical Insurance

Professional development

Major UK energy projects

Membership support

Job summary

Meritus seeks a Lead Control Systems Engineer to drive PLC, SCADA and automation projects for the UK energy sector. You will provide technical leadership across the full lifecycle, from requirements capture to commissioning, across Schneider, Siemens and Rockwell platforms.

The role is based in Stone, Staffordshire with hybrid on-site presence 2-3 days per week. You will mentor engineers, manage safety and cybersecurity considerations, and engage with customers and cross-functional teams to

Qualifications

• Proven experience delivering industrial control systems through full lifecycle.
• Strong PLC programming on Schneider, Siemens or Rockwell platforms.
• Experience developing SCADA, HMI and automation solutions.
• Knowledge of Modbus, OPC UA, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, PROFIBUS, DNP3, MQTT.
• Experience producing engineering documentation (FDS/SDS, I/O schedules, test specs).
• Understanding of commissioning, FAT, SAT and system integration.
• Knowledge of industrial cybersecurity and engineering change control.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication with customers and teams.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel to sites.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for PLC, SCADA, HMI and automation systems.
• Develop control philosophies, system architectures and design docs.
• Lead PLC software development and assurance across platforms.
• Design and integrate SCADA/HMI solutions with alarms, trends, reports.
• Ensure robust industrial communications and cyber security.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary engineering activities across teams.
• Lead design reviews, software reviews and governance.
• Support FAT, SAT, commissioning and handover.
• Identify risks and changes through project delivery.
• Mentor engineers across the control systems team.

Skills

Industrial control systems

PLC programming

SCADA/HMI development

Industrial communications

Engineering documentation

Commissioning lifecycle

Cybersecurity in OT

Stakeholder management

UK travel

Education

Engineering degree in Control Systems / Automation / Electrical / Electronic

IEng or CEng registration (or working towards)

Tools

Schneider EcoStruxure Control Expert

Siemens TIA Portal

WinCC

PCS7

Rockwell Studio 5000

AVEVA System Platform

Ignition

Zenon

Job description

Lead Control Systems Engineer – PLC / SCADA / AUTOMATION – £NEG (ENQUIRE FOR DETAILS) – STONE, STAFFORDSHIRE, HYBRID 2-3 DAYS PER WEEK ON-SITE

MERITUS are recruiting for a Lead Control Systems Engineer to join a leading systems integration and engineering business, delivering complex industrial automation, PLC, SCADA and operational technology solutions across the UK energy sector.

We're looking for an experienced Control Systems Engineer with a strong background in industrial automation, PLC programming, SCADA systems and operational technology to provide technical leadership across major energy infrastructure projects. Working across the full engineering lifecycle, you'll lead the development and delivery of control and automation systems supporting energy generation, transmission, distribution, storage and critical infrastructure applications.

You’ll work closely with Project Managers, electrical engineers, hardware teams, customers and site personnel to develop robust, secure and reliable automation solutions using Schneider Electric, Siemens and Rockwell Automation platforms. From requirements capture and architecture development through software design, testing, commissioning and handover, you'll provide technical direction and engineering assurance on a range of high‑profile projects.

Responsibilities:

• Provide technical leadership for the delivery of PLC, SCADA, HMI and industrial automation systems.
• Develop control philosophies, system architectures, functional design specifications, software design specifications and testing documentation.
• Lead PLC software development and technical assurance activities across Schneider, Siemens and Rockwell platforms.
• Design and integrate SCADA and HMI solutions including alarms, trends, historian interfaces, reporting and operator displays.
• Ensure robust implementation of industrial communications including Modbus, OPC UA, PROFINET, PROFIBUS, EtherNet/IP, DNP3 and MQTT.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary engineering activities across control systems, electrical, process, safety, cybersecurity and commissioning teams.
• Lead design reviews, software reviews, technical assessments and engineering governance activities.
• Support Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), commissioning and customer handover.
• Identify and manage technical risks, assumptions, dependencies and change requests throughout project delivery.
• Provide mentoring, coaching and technical guidance to engineers across the wider control systems team.

Skills & Experience:

Essential:

• Proven experience delivering industrial control systems, automation or operational technology projects through the full engineering lifecycle.
• Strong PLC programming experience using Schneider Electric, Siemens and/or Rockwell Automation platforms.
• Experience developing SCADA, HMI and industrial automation solutions.
• Knowledge of industrial communications including Modbus, OPC UA, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, PROFIBUS, DNP3 and MQTT.
• Experience producing engineering documentation including FDS, SDS, I/O schedules, cause-and-effect matrices and test specifications.
• Strong understanding of commissioning, FAT, SAT and system integration activities.
• Knowledge of industrial cybersecurity, configuration management and engineering change control.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills with the ability to engage customers and multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel to customer sites as required.

Desirable:

• Experience with Schneider EcoStruxure Control Expert, Siemens TIA Portal, WinCC, PCS7, Rockwell Studio 5000, FactoryTalk or equivalent industrial automation platforms.
• Experience with AVEVA System Platform, Plant SCADA, Ignition, Zenon or similar SCADA technologies.
• Knowledge of IEC (phone number removed) programming standards and industrial software development best practice.
• Understanding of IEC 62443 cybersecurity standards and secure OT environments.
• Experience with IEC 61508, IEC 61511 or safety-related control systems.
• Experience within energy generation, renewables, battery energy storage systems (BESS), utilities, transmission and distribution networks or other critical infrastructure sectors.
• Experience delivering brownfield upgrades, system migrations and integration with enterprise or control centre systems.
• Degree, HNC/HND or equivalent qualification in Control Systems, Automation, Electrical, Electronic or related Engineering discipline.
• Working towards or holding IEng or CEng professional registration.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary (£Neg - enquire for details).
• 28 days holiday + bank holidays.
• 6.5% matched pension.
• Private Medical Insurance.
• Professional development and career progression.
• Opportunities to work on major UK Energy infrastructure programmes.
• Support for professional memberships and relevant qualifications.

This is an excellent opportunity for a Control Systems Engineer, Automation Engineer, PLC Engineer, SCADA Engineer, EC&I Engineer, Systems Engineer, Electrical Controls Engineer, OT Engineer or Industrial Automation Engineer to join a growing engineering organisation delivering critical national infrastructure projects across the UK energy sector.

You’ll play a key role in the design, integration and delivery of advanced PLC, SCADA and automation systems, working on projects spanning power generation, renewables, utilities, energy storage and operational technology environments while contributing to the UK’s transition to a more resilient and sustainable energy network.