Automation Manager

Morgan McKinley; Dublin; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Morgan McKinley is seeking an Automation Leader for a major, 24/7 medical device manufacturing site in Dublin. You will direct the automation function, set strategy, and lead a team of Automation Engineers and Technicians across plant-wide projects.

The role oversees design-to-acceptance of automation initiatives, manages vendors, drives reliability, and supports continuous improvement in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years' experience in automation, equipment software or related engineering environment.
• Strong Rockwell/Allen-Bradley expertise with hands-on PLC programming experience.
• Previous experience leading and developing engineering/automation teams.
• Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis capability.
• Experience delivering automation projects within a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the site's long-term automation strategy
• Lead, mentor and develop a team of Automation Engineers and Technicians
• Oversee plant-wide automation projects from design through equipment acceptance
• Manage automation vendors and external technology partners
• Drive equipment reliability, continuous improvement and operational excellence
• Allocate engineering resources across 24/7 production support and project delivery
• Act as the senior escalation point for complex automation and equipment failures
• Lead root-cause investigations alongside Engineering, Operations, Quality and Validation
• Own and support automation change control and software revision control
• Support equipment upgrades, validation and NPI activities
• Drive machine safety and risk reduction initiatives
• Contribute to engineering budgets and wider site improvement programmes

Skills

Automation leadership

Team leadership

Rockwell/Allen-Bradley PLCs

Troubleshooting

Vendor management

Education

Bachelor's in Electrical/Software/Manufacturing Engineering

Tools

Rockwell Automation

Cognex Vision

SCADA/HMI

SQL Server

Job description

Job Description

Automation Manager Location: Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin Permanent | On-site manufacturing environment We are currently recruiting for an Automation Leader to lead the automation function at a major, highly automated medical device manufacturing site in Dublin. This is a senior engineering leadership position, responsible for setting the site's automation strategy while remaining closely connected to day-to-day manufacturing operations. You will lead an experienced team of Automation Engineers and Technicians, oversee plant-wide automation projects and act as the senior escalation point for complex automation and equipment issues.

The Opportunity

The site is a large-scale, high-volume manufacturing operation employing approximately 450 people and operating 24/7, 365 days a year. Automation and equipment reliability are fundamental to maintaining production performance, making this a genuinely operational leadership role rather than a traditional office-based engineering position. You will lead a team of 8 automation professionals, comprising Automation Engineers and Automation Technicians, with responsibility for developing the team and ensuring the right balance between immediate production support and longer-term automation projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the site's long-term automation strategy
• Lead, mentor and develop a team of Automation Engineers and Technicians
• Oversee plant-wide automation projects from design through equipment acceptance
• Manage automation vendors and external technology partners
• Drive equipment reliability, continuous improvement and operational excellence
• Allocate engineering resources across 24/7 production support and project delivery
• Act as the senior escalation point for complex automation and equipment failures
• Lead root-cause investigations alongside Engineering, Operations, Quality and Validation
• Own and support automation change control and software revision control
• Support equipment upgrades, validation and NPI activities
• Drive machine safety and risk reduction initiatives
• Contribute to engineering budgets and wider site improvement programmes

Technical Environment

• Allen-Bradley / Rockwell PLCs and programming
• Cognex high-speed vision systems
• ControlNet, DeviceNet and Ethernet industrial communications
• VFD and servo motion systems
• SCADA / HMI systems
• EtherNet/IP, Profinet, Modbus and OPC UA
• SQL Server / database technologies

What We're Looking For

• Degree in Electrical, Software, Manufacturing Engineering or a related discipline
• 8+ years' experience within automation, equipment software or a related engineering environment
• Strong Rockwell / Allen-Bradley expertise with hands-on PLC programming experience
• Previous experience leading and developing engineering/automation teams
• Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis capability
• Experience delivering automation projects within a fast-paced manufacturing environment
• Strong continuous improvement mindsetmtp? Wait you accidentally inserted? I apologize. The intention was to keep the corrected list: