Senior Controls Engineer, Innovation

Barry-Wehmiller Companies; Doncaster; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Barry-Wehmiller Packaging seeks an experienced automation engineer to design, integrate, and validate controls for packaging and machinery. You will work with customers and internal teams to translate unmet needs into technical requirements, then build prototypes and test solutions across PLCs, HMIs, motion, sensors, and safety systems.

Role includes partnering with Product and Engineering Operations to move concepts toward scalable products, ensuring safety, reliability, and manufacturability,

Qualifications

• Formal education aligned with electrical/automation engineering.
• Strong ability to read, create, and update electrical schematics and BOMs.
• Experience implementing controls across PL C, HMI, and sensors.

Responsibilities

• Find the opportunity with customers and teams to uncover needs and create use cases and requirements.
• Shape concepts balancing customer value with feasibility, safety, cost, manufacturability, and scale.
• Build and program prototypes; design, integrate, and test controls and industrial networks.

Skills

PLC development

HMI development

Servo motion

Industrial networks

Machine safety

Electrical schematics

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

AutoCAD Electrical

EPLAN

Job description

What You’ll Do - Create What’s Next

• Find the opportunity. Work with customers and commercial, field, and engineering teams to uncover unmet needs and turn them into clear use cases and technical requirements.
• Shape the concept. Create solutions that balance customer value with feasibility, safety, reliability, cost, manufacturability, serviceability, and scale.
• Build and program prototypes. Design, integrate, and test controls using PLCs, HMIs, motion, vision, sensors, drives, safety systems, and industrial networks.
• Explore emerging technology. Assess new tools and platforms for technical fit, risk, and business value.
• Prove what works. Create test plans, run structured experiments, analyse results, and make evidence-led recommendations to advance, refine, redirect, or stop a concept.

Engineer, Integrate & Deliver

• Integrate complete systems. Connect primary machinery with third party equipment and optimise sequences, motion profiles, and cycle times.
• Design safety in. Apply machine safety requirements and configure controllers, zones, guarding interfaces, light curtains, interlocks, and safety-rated monitored stops.
• Take solutions from build to start-up. Support debug, validation, FAT, installation, SAT, commissioning, and optimisation.
• Solve the hard problems. Troubleshoot complex issues, identify root causes, and implement robust fixes.

Turn Ideas into Scalable Products

• Transfer technology. Partner with Product and Engineering Operations to convert successful concepts into reusable architectures, software modules, standards, and implementation guidance.
• Support pilots and first installations. Demonstrate prototypes, support pilot builds and customer launches, and feed real world learning into future solutions.
• Own your delivery. Plan controls activities, meet agreed requirements and schedules, and communicate progress, risks, and trade-offs clearly.

Collaborate & Raise the Standard

• Connect teams. Work across Innovation, Product, Engineering Operations, Manufacturing, Project Management, Field Service, Applications, and Commercial teams to keep development focused on real customer and business value.
• Engage externally. Collaborate with customers, suppliers, and technology partners to evaluate solutions and gather feedback.
• Make knowledge usable. Keep programs, electrical documentation, configurations, test records, and backups accurate and under version control, then share learning across teams.
• Keep improving. Strengthen development methods, testing practices, reusable content, and technology standards using lessons from prototypes, pilots, and field applications.

What Success Looks Like

• You anchor innovation in a clear customer, market, or operational need.
• You turn promising ideas into functional, testable prototypes.
• You use evidence to decide what to advance, reshape, or stop.
• You move winning concepts beyond proof of concept into products, platforms, standards, or reusable modules.
• You build controls architectures and software that are safe, reliable, maintainable, and ready to reuse.
• You surface technical issues early, solve them at root cause, and equip other teams to adopt and sustain the solution.

Requirements

• You will work across engineering offices, laboratories, manufacturing and test areas, and customer sites.
• You will work safely around moving machinery and industrial electrical systems, using required PPE.
• Domestic and international travel of up to 25% is expected for projects, pilots, training, and customer support.
• Occasional extended or non-standard hours may be needed during testing, start-up, field installation, or critical project deadlines.
• A bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics, Automation/Controls, or a related field—or an equivalent blend of technical education and experience.
• 5+ years designing, programming, integrating, testing, or commissioning industrial automation and controls.
• Strong PLC and HMI development experience.
• Hands-on experience with servo motion, VFDs, sensors, industrial networks, and machine-safety technologies.
• The ability to read, create, and update electrical schematics, panel layouts, and bills of material using AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, or similar tools.
• Experience supporting automated equipment through debug, FAT, installation, start-up, commissioning, and SAT.
• A talent for translating customer challenges into technical requirements, experiments, and practical concepts.
• Clear communication, sound judgement, and the flexibility to make progress as requirements and priorities evolve.

Even Better If You Have

• Experience with Rockwell Automation, Siemens, or Allen-Bradley platforms.
• Depth in robotics, machine vision, high-speed servo motion, simulation, data acquisition, advanced sensing, or inspection.
• Experience with FANUC, ABB, KUKA, Yaskawa/Motoman, or Universal Robots.
• Knowledge of industrial connectivity and data protocols such as OPC UA or MQTT.
• Familiarity with version control for controls software and with product-development or commercialisation processes.

Physical Requirements

• Comfortable combining extended computer-based programming and testing with hands-on work around machinery.
• Able to stand, walk, bend, reach, climb, and kneel when inspecting, testing, troubleshooting, or commissioning equipment.
• Able to work across office, laboratory, manufacturing, warehouse, and customer environments.
• Able to occasionally lift and carry tools, materials, or equipment weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Comfortable using standard office and engineering equipment, including computers, programming devices, and meters.

BW Packaging is driving performance at the intersection of people, technology, and customer care. As part of the privately held Barry-Wehmiller family, we unite a global team of packaging experts with a clear purpose: People Who Care, Building Solutions that Perform. We take on our customers’ toughest challenges as our own - delivering both innovative and enduring solutions that set the standard for value and performance. Our strength comes from our people and the power of our brands - trusted names in packaging that are known worldwide for engineering excellence, application expertise, and lifetime commitment to customer success. Truly Human Leadership guides our belief that exceptional business results and profound respect for people together provide the foundation of enduring success. We are committed to forging lasting partnerships with our customers, earning their trust through integrity, expertise, and execution. With our full range of packaging solutions and long-term partnership and service, we help customers achieve operational excellence today while building the future of packaging together. Barry-Wehmiller is a diversified global supplier of engineering consulting and manufacturing technology for the packaging, corrugating, sheeting and paper-converting industries. By blending people-centric leadership with disciplined operational strategies and purpose-driven growth, Barry-Wehmiller has become a $3 billion organization with nearly 12,000 team members united by a common belief: to use the power of business to build a better world. BW Packaging