Automation & Controls Engineer

Johnson Controls Ireland HVAC; Cork; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson Controls Ireland HVAC in Cork is seeking an experienced Manufacturing Enablement Engineering specialist for a hybrid role requiring three days in the office. You will drive automation and controls deployments across sites, tackling motion control, servo/drive systems, PLCs, and machine integration.

You will lead supplier design and build, specify integration, and support process qualification to hand over automated capabilities to site teams, building repeatable automation patterns for

Qualifications

• 5+ years in industrial automation and machine controls.
• Motion and servo/drive control on EtherCAT platforms.
• Experience with PLC platforms Beckhoff, Siemens (TIA Portal), or Rockwell (Studio 5000).
• Industrial networking: EtherCAT, Profinet, or EtherNet/IP.
• Hands-on commissioning and multi-vendor integration.
• Engineering degree or equivalent hands-on experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead the automation and controls aspects of technology deployments — motion control, servo/drive systems, PLC and machine integration — directing suppliers through design and build and holding them to the requirement.
• Specify, integrate, and commission automated equipment and cells; tune to performance and ramp to stable production.
• Work with drive, motion, and automation vendors on technical evaluation and integration.
• Support process qualification and the acceptance-and-handover of automated capability to site teams.
• Build repeatable, replicable automation patterns that can be deployed across multiple JCI sites.

Skills

Industrial automation

Motion control

Servo/drive systems

PLC programming

EtherCAT

Industrial networking

Vendor collaboration

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Engineering degree

Tools

Beckhoff

Siemens TI A Portal

Rockwell Studio 5000

Job description

What you will do

As this is a Cork-based hybrid role requiring attendance in the office three days per week, candidates who are not currently based in Cork or the surrounding area would be expected to relocate. As a member of the Manufacturing Enablement Engineering team that proves and deploys new manufacturing technologies across Johnson Controls sites globally, you will work across a broad range of technically challenging controls and automation projects, building deep expertise and becoming a trusted technical reference for the business.

You will participate in the DFM process, contributing to automation and controls feasibility — whether a design can be automated, handled, and inspected in production. Where a product design requires a manufacturing capability that does not yet exist, MEE closes the gap by informing design changes, introducing the right technology, and proving that capability in a production environment. This role owns the automation and controls scope for MEE deployments, including motion control, drive and servo systems, and machine and cell integration.

How You Will Do It

• Lead the automation and controls aspects of technology deployments — motion control, servo/drive systems, PLC and machine integration — directing suppliers through design and build and holding them to the requirement.
• Specify, integrate, and commission automated equipment and cells; tune to performance and ramp to stable production.
• Work with drive, motion, and automation vendors on technical evaluation and integration.
• Support process qualification and the acceptance-and-handover of automated capability to site teams.
• Build repeatable, replicable automation patterns that can be deployed across multiple JCI sites.

Essential - What we look for

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in industrial automation and machine controls
• Motion and servo/drive control on EtherCAT-based platforms — such as ACS or equivalent — including drive tuning and multi-axis coordination.
• Working knowledge of PLC and machine-control platforms — such as Beckhoff, Siemens (TIA Portal), or Rockwell (Studio 5000) — deep enough to evaluate a supplier's design, direct the build, and commission it (hands‑on programming ability is a plus, not the core of the role).
• Industrial networking and fieldbus protocols — such as EtherCAT, Profinet, or EtherNet/IP.
• Hands‐on commissioning of automated equipment or production cells, and integration of equipment from multiple vendors into working systems.
• Ability to work across disciplines and engage vendors technically.
• Degree in a relevant engineering discipline (electrical, automation, mechatronics, or manufacturing) or equivalent hands‑on experience.

Desirable

• Robotics and pick‑and‑place — SCARA, delta, or collaborative robots — such as FANUC, ABB, or KUKA.
• Machine vision — inspection or guidance systems — such as Cognex or Keyence.
• High‑precision or high‑volume manufacturing — experience where tolerance and repeatability matter.
• Adjacent process exposure — laser, joining/brazing, or thermal‑product manufacturing.
• Capability transfer — handing automated capability over to site or production teams.

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