Senior IT OT Automation Engineer

SimoTech; Athlone; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Autonomy to influence delivery

Skill development with innovative tech

Work with large corporate clients

Job summary

SimoTech provides manufacturing automation and IT systems engineering, with a focus on life sciences. Senior Automation Engineers will lead IT/OT delivery for a major expansion at a pharmaceutical OSI site, owning key automation domains and coordinating across engineering, validation, cybersecurity, and IT teams.

Role requires 5–8 years in IT/OT projects, strong PLC/SCADA experience (Siemens), and familiarity with GMP/GAMP, risk management, and vendor coordination.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Automation, Control Systems, Computer Science, IT, Engineering, or related discipline.
• Minimum 5-8 years of relevant experience within IT/OT automation project delivery.
• Proven track record of delivering end-to-end IT/OT projects in regulated manufacturing environments.
• Expertise in PLC and SCADA systems (Siemens or Schneider), plus experience with ThinManager, Ignition, and Aveva PI.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of major IT/OT work packages from project initiation through handover.
• Lead technical and delivery alignment across stakeholders including engineering, IT, cybersecurity, QA, vendors, and system integrators.
• Define and review technical requirements and oversee solution design for OT systems (PLC/SCADA/DCS, historians, MES, OT networks).
• Embed GMP, cybersecurity, and quality standards with compliance to GAMP and change control processes.
• Manage vendor performance including drafting/SOWs and milestone criteria.
• Direct testing and commissioning activities (FAT/SAT/UAT) and structured handover.
• Prepare governance reporting and support steering committees and risk reviews.
• Mentor junior automation engineers to ensure delivery quality and knowledge transfer.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Automation/Control Systems/Computer Science/Engineering

Tools

Siemens PLC/SCADA

ThinManager

Ignition

Aveva PI

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 Senior 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 take technical ownership of a key automation and digital technology area, 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 lead 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 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 major IT/OT work packages from project initiation through handover, managing scope, schedule, budget, risks, and resource planning.
• Lead technical and delivery alignment across multiple stakeholders, including engineering, IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, QA, vendors, and system integrators.
• Define and review technical requirements and oversee solution design for OT systems such as PLC/SCADA/DCS, historians, MES, OT networks, and integration with IT systems and cloud platforms.
• Embed GMP, cybersecurity, and quality standards throughout delivery with compliance to GAMP and change control processes.
• Manage vendor performance including drafting/approving statements of work, setting acceptance criteria, and overseeing milestone delivery.
• Direct testing and commissioning activities, such as FAT/SAT, UAT, documentation review, and structured operational handover.
• Prepare governance reporting and support steering committees, risk reviews, and cadence meetings for project alignment.
• Mentor and guide junior and intermediate automation engineers to ensure consistent standards of delivery and knowledge transfer.

Key Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Automation, Control Systems, Computer Science, IT, Engineering, or related discipline.
• Minimum 5-8 years of relevant experience within IT/OT automation project delivery.
• Proven track record of successfully delivering end-to-end IT/OT projects in regulated manufacturing environments.
• Expertise in PLC and SCADA systems (Siemens or Schneider), plus experience with one of ThinManager, Ignition, and Aveva PI.
• Strong understanding of project delivery methodologies, governance, and risk controls, with practical application in pharma or similar environments.
• In-depth knowledge of GMP practices, GAMP principles, and computer system lifecycle management.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to communicate to senior leadership and influence decision-making.
• Excellent leadership, problem-solving, and documentation skills.
• Knowledge of 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.