Software and Controls Engineer

Warburtons; Bolton; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit share

Extra annual leave

Pension scheme

Private medical insurance

Employee discounts

Personal development

Kitchens on site

Wellbeing program

Job summary

Warburtons in Bolton is seeking a Software Controls/Automation Engineer to maintain software/hardware infrastructure and lead continuous improvement projects in a highly automated production facility.

The role focuses on reducing downtime, improving plant performance, and supporting RCA investigations, with opportunities to work with safety teams and improvement initiatives. You will be encouraged to develop new ideas and grow within a dynamic engineering team.

Qualifications

• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency via plant automation.
• Fault-finding and maintenance of PLC control systems.
• Experience with Allen Bradley platforms (RSLogix/Logix).
• Knowledge of protocols and networks.
• Strong electrical knowledge of control systems.
• Experience in project management.
• Awareness of functional safety.
• Proven improvements reducing downtime or increasing efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Update knowledge of latest technologies to optimise processes.
• Ensure plant controls are safe to operate and compliant.
• Support and manage site implementation of reliability strategy.
• Help develop budgets and lead capital projects.
• Foster continuous improvement across hardware and software.
• Train engineers on PLC/control systems.

Skills

Automation improvements

Fault finding

Ladder logic programming

Allen Bradley familiarity

Industrial networks

Electrical control systems

Project management

Functional safety awareness

Education

Electrical automation training

Tools

RSLogix500/Logix5000

Job description

Are you a Software Controls Engineer, Automation Engineer or an Electrical Engineer with a passion for automation and improving plant performance?
Due to a promotion, we have an exciting opportunity for a Software Controls/Automation Engineer. Working in a day-based role as part of a highly skilled and well-established engineering team, you’ll be driven and skilled at both delivering automation improvement solutions and in finding and rectifying faults on plc-controlled equipment and networks.
At our Bolton site, you’ll join colleagues working across 3 operating plants – with a culture that values teamwork, development, and innovation.

Now is a great time to join a business that’s thriving, evolving, and investing in the future.

• Shift Pattern: Monday to Friday (Days based role)
• Benefits include: profit related bonus, 5 weeks of annual leave (opportunity to buy more), award winning pension scheme and benefits for you and your family.

The Recipe

You’ll be working to maintain all software, hardware infrastructure and control systems. You’ll also identify and complete continuous improvement projects to increase plant efficiency, reduce downtime and save energy and associated costs.
Your work will focus on improving plant performance and efficiency, supporting in breakdown resolution followed by taking a leading role in the investigation into route cause analysis (RCA) to prevent future occurrences. You’ll enjoy the variety of a manufacturing environment and be keen to get involved in other work such as safety teams and improvement initiatives.
You’ll be encouraged and supported to foster new ideas and perspectives whilst driving change. We promote a culture of continuous improvement whilst working on a changing approach to reliability centred maintenance in a highly automated production facility.

The Role

• Requirement to ensure knowledge of latest technologies and practices are continually updated with opportunities identified to optimise manufacturing processes
• Safety - Adherence to relevant safety standard across all activities (including external contractors). Ensure plant controls are safe to operate, maintain and personnel conform to health & safety legislation, policies and standards.
• Through effective software and hardware management processes, supports and manages site implementation of a Business led engineering reliability strategy.
• Support the development of site revenue and capital budgets, whilst identifying and leading the execution of relevant capital projects.
• Drive a proactive Engineering Continuous Improvement culture cross-functionally. Through contributing to the improvement and development of manufacturing hardware & software activities
• Training and coaching of Engineers to an agreed working knowledge in PLC / control systems to ensure they have the required competency and capability to support bakery performance
• Ensure supplier contract content & supplier relationship is maintained, and supplier effectiveness is reviewed.

Essential Ingredients

• You’ll have a strong drive to identify opportunities for equipment improvement using plant-based automation and related solutions to help improve efficiency and performance.
• Experience in fault finding and maintaining existing control systems, preferably with Allen Bradley (Rockwell) platforms (RSLogix500, Logix5000 etc.)
• Experience of software development and programming languages including ladder logic
• Knowledge of communication protocols and networks
• Strong electrical knowledge and understanding of control related systems
• Knowledge and experience of project management
• Knowledge / awareness off functional safety
• Proven experience of improvements resulting in a reduction of breakdowns or increased efficiency
• Formal electrical automation training with an awareness of process and mechanical engineering.

Successful candidates must have, or be eligible to obtain, the right to work in the UK before commencing employment.

Extra Dough

At last and by no means least you will want to know what your breads worth.

• A slice of the annual profits (discretionary profit share)
• Family time is important to us so as well as your holiday entitlement, we'll give you the opportunity to purchase up to an extra weeks annual leave
• Award winning pension scheme with company contributions
• Private medical insurance and life assurance
• Products you will love along with deals and discounts for you and the family through our Extra Dough website
• Continued investment in your personal development
• Fully stocked kitchens filled with our delicious products for you to enjoy with your daily brew!
• Support for your health and wellbeing, including access to free physiotherapy, 24/7 access to a confidential helpline for practical advice and a comprehensive occupational health service

We respect and value difference. We look to create an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Companies that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, or any other aspect which makes them unique, are proven to be better companies. More importantly, creating an environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best work, is the right thing to do.