Manufacturing Excellence Engineer- Utilities

Thornton Tomasetti; Cootehill, Dromore West; On-site; EUR 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Abbott Ireland Nutrition Division Cootehill is hiring an Automation and Utilities Engineer to advance manufacturing excellence across CHP, steam, refrigeration, water treatment and other utility systems. You will lead automation projects, develop dashboards and KPI reporting, and partner with facilities teams to drive reliability and efficiency.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field and at least 3 years in a manufacturing or utilities environment, with hands-on

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Automation, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Science.
• Minimum 3 years experience in manufacturing, engineering, utilities or science environment.
• Experience with dashboard development, data analytics and performance reporting systems.
• Knowledge of reliability engineering, automation systems and continuous improvement methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Follow Health and Safety rules in the plant.
• Lead development and maintenance of utility dashboards and KPI reporting.
• Develop automated reporting solutions using Power BI, SCADA, Historian.
• Gather, analyse and interpret utility performance data to identify optimisation opportunities.
• Act as Utilities SME for automation systems (PLC, SCADA, BMS, Historian).
• Identify automation opportunities to improve reliability and efficiency.
• Lead Root Cause Analysis investigations for utility equipment.
• Support Industry 4.0 and digital transformation across the site.
• Maintain departmental KPIs and reporting structures.

Skills

Dashboard development

Data analytics

Reliability engineering

Automation systems

SCADA

Power BI

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Automation, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Science

Tools

Power BI

SCADA

Historian

PLC

BMS

Job description

About Abbott

Abbott has maintained a strong presence in Ireland since 1946 and celebrates its 80th anniversary in the country in 2026. The company supports the Irish healthcare sector with a broad portfolio spanning diagnostics, diabetes care, medical devices and nutritional products.

Today, Abbott employs more than 6,500 people across ten sites located in Dublin, Donegal, Clonmel, Cootehill, Galway, Kilkenny, Longford and Sligo.

Abbott Ireland Nutrition Division Cootehill Cavan

Abbott Nutrition produces a range of infant formulae in all pack sizes under the brand name "Similac". To complement the range of "Similac" infant formulae, the facility also manufactures a range of follow-on formulae under the brand name of "Gain". The essential ingredient is liquid skim-milk and this is combined with carbohydrate, vegetable oils, vitamins and minerals. The product is blended, pasteurised, dried and packaged at the site and once packaged, is distributed to Europe, South East Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Canada.

Established in 1975, Abbott Nutrition in Ireland is the largest powder manufacturing facility for the production of infant formulae within the Abbott Corporation worldwide.

Approximately 1,000 dairy farms in Ireland and Northern Ireland supply quality milk to the Cootehill facility which processes 500,000 litres per day. This secure supply together with Ireland’s reputation as a green, clean environment is of significant strategic importance to Abbott Nutrition.

Primary Function / Goals / Objectives

• Follow all Health and Safety Rules and Regulations in the plant.
• Report any current or potential hazards to your immediate Supervisor/Dept. Manager immediately.
• The correct Personal Protective Equipment (P.P.E.) must be worn at all times. Safety glasses, safety shoes and gloves as appropriate.
• He/she is responsible for consulting any SOPs for any job task they may carry out and ensuring they fully understand and adhere to the SOP.
• Manage risk to the achievement of organisational objectives in the areas of environmental health and safety, utility reliability, asset capability, energy performance, quality and production.
• Responsible for driving Manufacturing Excellence within the Utilities Department through automation, reliability engineering, digitalisation and performance management.
• Lead the development and maintenance of utility dashboards, KPI reporting systems and visual management tools.
• Develop automated reporting solutions using Power BI, SCADA, Historian and other digital platforms.
• Gather, analyse and interpret utility performance data to identify optimisation opportunities and drive data-based decision making.
• Develop performance monitoring systems for CHP, steam generation, refrigeration, compressed air, HVAC, water treatment and wastewater systems.
• Act as the Utilities Department SME for automation systems including PLC, SCADA, BMS and Historian platforms.
• Identify and implement automation opportunities that improve reliability, efficiency and operational performance.
• Develop and maintain utility asset reliability programmes and predictive maintenance initiatives.
• Lead Root Cause Analysis investigations for utility equipment and automation failures.
• Monitor and improve MTBF, MTTR, utility availability and asset reliability metrics.
• Support Industry 4.0, digital transformation and smart utility initiatives across the site.
• Maintain departmental KPIs, visual boards and transparent reporting structures.
• Track and report improvement projects and utility performance to relevant stakeholders.

Education Required

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Automation, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Science.

Knowledge

• Minimum 3 years experience working within a manufacturing, engineering, utilities or science environment.
• Knowledge of automated manufacturing and utility environments with a strong understanding of FMCG operations.
• Experience with dashboard development, data analytics and performance reporting systems.
• Knowledge of reliability engineering, automation systems and continuous improvement methodologies.

Please note any offer of employment for this position is conditional upon the successful completion of a pre-employment medical examination, including drug and alcohol screening, conducted by a medical practitioner designated by the Company.

The base pay for this position is N/A. In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.

JOB FAMILY: Engineering

DIVISION: ANSC Nutrition Supply Chain

LOCATION: Ireland > Cootehill : Dromore West

ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS:

WORK SHIFT: Ie - Chsal39 (Ireland)

TRAVEL: No

MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE: Not Applicable

SIGNIFICANT WORK ACTIVITIES: Not Applicable

Abbott is about the power of health. For more than 135 years, Abbott has been helping people reach their potential - because better health allows people and communities to achieve more. With a diverse, global network serving customers in more than 160 countries, we create new solutions - across the spectrum of health, around the world, for all stages of life.

Whether it's next-generation diagnostics, life-changing devices, science-based nutrition, or novel reformulations, we are advancing some of the most innovative and revolutionary technologies in healthcare, helping people live their best lives through better health.

The people of Abbott come to work each day with relentless energy, enthusiasm and a promise to enhance the health and well-being of millions of people. They push the boundaries to help manage and treat some of life's greatest health challenges.

An equal opportunity employer, Abbott welcomes and encourages diversity in our workforce.