IT OT Automation Engineer

SimoTech; Athlone; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Autonomy

Skill development

Capital projects

Job summary

SimoTech is seeking experienced Automation Engineers (IT/OT) to support a greenfield expansion within a pharma OSD site. You will join a multidisciplinary team to design, implement, integrate and commission automation systems, ensuring compliance and readiness for operational use.

The role covers IT/OT delivery across PLC/SCADA, historians, MES and cloud integrations, with a focus on secure, scalable automation infrastructure and close collaboration with manufacturing, validation and IT teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Automation, Electrical Engineering, IT, CS or related discipline.
• 3–5 years of IT/OT project delivery experience, preferably pharma or regulated environments.
• Strong understanding of IT/OT delivery methodologies, governance, controls and reporting.
• Experience across PLC, SCADA, process systems and networking with emphasis on integration.
• Excellent stakeholder communication across technical and operational teams.
• GAMP principles, commissioning, change control and operational readiness experience.
• Facilitation, documentation and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with Siemens/Schneider PLC/SCADA, Aveva PI, Ignition, ThinManager, MES PAS-X desirable.
• Familiarity with Active Directory, ITIL/ServiceNow, and enterprise integration concepts desirable.
• Knowledge of cybersecurity controls, OT networking and cloud/edge integration desirable.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of IT/OT project work packages from initiation to handover with scope, schedule and resource management.
• Coordinate with engineering, manufacturing, maintenance, IT security, vendors and integrators to align delivery plans.
• Lead requirements gathering and contribute to OT system design (PLC/SCADA/DCS, historians, MES) and IT integrations.
• Embed GxP change control, permit-to-work, validation readiness and op cutover planning in delivery.
• Manage procurement and vendor performance including scope, acceptance criteria and milestones.
• Oversee FAT/SAT, UAT, documentation reviews and operational handover activities.
• Support project governance and drive continuous improvement through lessons learned and risk management.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

IT/OT delivery

GAMP principles

Cybersecurity awareness

Communication across teams

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Automation/Electrical Engineering/IT/CS

Tools

Siemens PLC/SCADA

Schneider PLC/SCADA

Aveva PI

Ignition

ThinManager

MES PAS-X

ITIL/ServiceNow/AD familiarity

OT networking/Cloud integration

Job description

SimoTech provides manufacturing automation and IT systems engineering, project management and validation services. We partner with life sciences companies to design, build, operate and optimise critical process automation systems that deliver fast track project delivery, operational efficiency, improve manufacturing agility and achieve regulatory compliance.

Why SimoTech

What is it like to work at SimoTech? With a strong collaborative teamwork culture based on respect, trust and excellence, we play a critical partnering role to our clients’ life-changing supply of products to patients. In return, there is excellent salary, benefits, career progression, educational support and much more.

SimoTech is seeking multiple experienced Automation Engineers (IT/OT) to support the ramp-up of a major greenfield expansion within a pharmaceutical Oral Solid Dose (OSD) manufacturing site. Each engineer will support key automation and digital technology areas, across PLC/SCADA, (Siemens), eSCADA (Ignition), ThinManager, AVEVA PI, VPE-managed equipment, and associated automation systems.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary project team, the successful candidates will play a key role in the design, implementation, integration, commissioning, and operational readiness of their assigned technology domain. The role involves close collaboration with manufacturing, engineering, validation, quality, cybersecurity, and global IT teams to ensure systems are delivered safely, compliantly, and in alignment with project and business objectives.

Responsibilities include supporting end-to-end technical delivery, system integration, vendor coordination, risk management, troubleshooting, and lifecycle support across both Operational Technology (OT) and enterprise IT environments. Candidates will play a critical role in establishing scalable, reliable, and cybersecure automation infrastructure that will underpin future manufacturing capacity and operational excellence at the site.

Key Responsibilities

• Take ownership of IT/OT project work packages from initiation to handover, ensuring scope alignment, schedule control, resource management, and benefits realization.
• Coordinate with engineering, manufacturing, maintenance, IT security, vendors, and system integrators to develop aligned delivery plans.
• Lead requirements gathering and contribute to solution design for OT systems (PLC/SCADA/DCS, historians, MES) and relevant enterprise IT integrations (e.g., cloud platforms, data management solutions).
• Embed compliance requirements in delivery, including GxP change control, permit-to-work, validation readiness, and operational cutover planning.
• Manage procurement and vendor performance, including scope definition, acceptance criteria, delivery milestones, and change control.
• Oversee testing and commissioning activities such as FAT/SAT, UAT, documentation reviews, and operational handover activities.
• Support project governance routines and drive continuous improvement through lessons learned and risk management.

Key Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Automation, Electrical Engineering, IT, Computer Science, or related discipline.
• Minimum 3–5 years’ experience delivering IT/OT projects, ideally in pharma or regulated manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated understanding of IT/OT delivery methodologies, project governance, controls, and reporting frameworks.
• Experience across multiple IT and OT technologies, including PLC, SCADA, process systems, and networking, with an emphasis on integration projects.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to communicate across technical and operational teams, including leadership.
• Proven experience with GAMP principles, commissioning practices, change control, and operational readiness.
• Excellent facilitation, documentation, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Practical experience with automation platforms such as Siemens or Schneider PLC/SCADA, Aveva PI, ThinManager, Ignition, and MES solutions (e.g., PAS-X) is considered desirable.
• Familiarity with Active Directory, ITIL frameworks (including ServiceNow), and enterprise integration principles is considered desirable
• Knowledge of cybersecurity controls, OT networking, and cloud/edge integration technologies is considered desirable.

What SimoTech Can Offer

• Role provides a high degree of autonomy to allow the successful candidate to reach their full potential.
• Develop new skills and enhance technical ability by working with innovative technologies in a multi-disciplined environment.
• Opportunity to work with large corporate clients on exciting capital projects.