Equipment Automation Engineer

Sire Search; Breda; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Sire Search seeks an Equipment Automation Engineer for a Breda-based manufacturing site. The role owns automation deliverables across the lifecycle of new and upgraded equipment, partnering with engineering, manufacturing, quality and external suppliers.

The position requires a degree in Industrial Automation or related field, 5+ years of regulated manufacturing automation experience, and strong knowledge of PLC/HMI/SCADA, Cognex vision systems and GMP practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Industrial Automation Engineering, Industrial Information Systems, or similar.
• 5+ years’ experience delivering automation / process control / information systems support in a regulated manufacturing environment (biotech, pharma, or similar).
• Proven experience running workstreams independently within cross-functional project teams.
• Experience with labelling and packaging equipment is essential.
• Working knowledge of automation technologies such as PLC, HMI, SCADA, industrial PCs, and vision systems (e.g., Cognex).
• Fluent in English (written and spoken).

Responsibilities

• Lead automation activities for equipment projects in Device Assembly, Inspection, Labelling, and Packaging areas.
• Write and/or review automation and engineering documentation (URS, FDS, HDS, SDS).
• Support installation, testing, commissioning, and qualification activities (including vendor testing phases).
• Ensure systems comply with GMP and site security requirements.
• Implement internal automation standards for hardware and software.
• Install monitoring tools and support data integrity assessments.
• Provide hypercare on the shop floor after implementation as required.
• Report progress to project management and key stakeholders.

Skills

Automation experience

GMP experience

Cross-functional teamwork

Education

Industrial Automation / Industrial Information Systems degree

Tools

PLC

HMI/SCADA

Cognex vision systems

Industrial PCs

Job description

Company

A leading global organization in the life sciences sector is expanding its manufacturing operations in the Netherlands. The site works in a highly regulated environment, with a strong focus on quality, compliance, and continuous improvement. The organization is investing in new and upgraded production and packaging equipment and is strengthening its engineering capabilities to support long-term operational readiness.

Job Description

For a production site in Breda, we are looking for an Equipment Automation Engineer to support the automation scope of new and upgraded manufacturing equipment. The Equipment Automation Engineer (Packaging & Inspection) will take ownership of automation deliverables across the full equipment lifecycle—design, installation, commissioning, and ongoing support—working closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and external equipment suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Leading automation activities for equipment projects in Device Assembly, Inspection, Labelling, and Packaging areas
• Writing and/or reviewing key automation and engineering documentation (e.g., URS, FDS, HDS, SDS)
• Supporting installation, testing, commissioning, and qualification activities (including vendor testing phases where needed)
• Ensuring systems align with site and network security requirements (e.g., domain settings, firewall considerations)
• Implementing internal automation standards for both hardware and software
• Installing required monitoring tools and supporting data integrity assessments
• Performing or supporting automation preventive maintenance assessments
• Advising on automation spare parts and contributing to asset spare parts lists
• Creating, testing, and maintaining backup/restore procedures and work instructions for configurable components
• Creating parameter management and audit trail review work instructions
• Creating and updating Asset Parameter Lists (APLs)
• Supporting integration to a PI data historian (or similar data platform)
• Training maintenance/engineering teams and relevant operators on automation-related topics
• Providing “hypercare” support on the shop floor after implementation as required
• Providing progress updates and reporting to (project) management and key stakeholders

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Industrial Automation Engineering, Industrial Information Systems, or similar
• At least 5 years’ experience delivering automation / process control / information systems support in a regulated manufacturing environment (biotech, pharma, or similar)
• Proven experience running workstreams independently within cross-functional project teams
• Experience with labelling and packaging equipment is essential
• Working knowledge of industrial automation technologies such as PLC, HMI, SCADA, industrial - PCs, and vision systems (e.g., Cognex)
• Strong understanding of working in regulated environments (e.g., GMP)
• Fluent in English (written and spoken)
• Willingness to occasionally work outside office hours when project activities require it

Other Information

This position is based on-site in Breda, the Netherlands, and offers the opportunity to contribute to high-impact equipment projects within a modern, regulated production environment.

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