Automation Engineer

Lace Lithography; Bergen; On-site; NOK 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary + equity through an

€50 gym allowance

Weekly team lunches

Annual off-site with the whole team

Relocation and immigration support

Job summary

Lace Lithography in Bergen is seeking a Senior Automation Engineer to lead the automation layer for our lab and production systems, strengthening control and reliability.

You will architect PLC-based control, integrate hardware and software, and guide commissioning and testing in the Bergen lab, with a focus on fail-safe operation and scalable architectures. The role requires collaboration across teams and skills in Rust or Python.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Automation, Electrical Engineering, Control Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 5+ years delivering PLC-based automation systems through full engineering lifecycle.
• Deep knowledge of PLC programming, interlocks, alarms, fault handling, and safe-state behavior.
• Proficiency in Rust or Python; familiarity with Git and automated testing.
• Strong cross-domain troubleshooting and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the PLC-based automation layer for Lace’s instrumentation systems.
• Design, implement, test, and maintain PLC applications for equipment sequencing, interlocks, and diagnostics.
• Build interfaces between PLCs and higher-level software using industrial protocols and data models.
• Lead hands-on integration, commissioning, validation, and troubleshooting in the Bergen lab.
• Establish automated testing, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and failure-injection procedures.
• Evaluate PLC platforms and automation technologies; help define a long-term roadmap.
• Bridge software and industrial controllers with robust data exchange and APIs.

Skills

PLC programming

Sequential control

State machines

Interlocks & alarms

Fault handling

Rust / Python

Git

Automated testing

Hardware integrations

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Automation/related field

Tools

TwinCAT

Beckhoff

EtherCAT

Git

Job description

Lace Lithography is seeking a talented and experienced Senior Automation Engineer to join our Instrumentation Control team in Bergen. In this role, you will lead the introduction and development of a robust industrial automation layer for our laboratory and production systems, strengthening system control, operational reliability, and fail-safe behavior.

Key Responsibilities

• Automation Architecture: Define and evolve the PLC-based automation layer for Lace’s instrumentation systems, establishing clear responsibilities and interfaces between industrial controllers, embedded devices, and higher-level software.
• PLC and Control Logic Development: Design, implement, test, and maintain PLC applications for equipment sequencing, subsystem coordination, interlocks, alarms, diagnostics, and controlled recovery from faults.
• Hardware-Software Integration: Build reliable interfaces between PLC systems and the wider control platform using appropriate industrial communication protocols, APIs, and data models while preserving modularity and technology flexibility.
• System Integration and Commissioning: Lead hands-on integration, commissioning, validation, and troubleshooting of automated subsystems involving sensors, actuators, motion systems, instrumentation, and supporting equipment in the Bergen lab.
• Testing and Reliability: Establish automated testing, simulation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, failure-injection approaches, and commissioning procedures that improve the reliability and maintainability of the control system.
• Technology Evaluation and Roadmap: Evaluate PLC platforms, industrial automation technologies, and architectural options. Help define a pragmatic long-term roadmap without prematurely locking the organization into a single technology or vendor.
• General Software Development: Bridge the gap between industrial controllers and higher-level systems by writing, reviewing, and maintaining code in general-purpose languages (such as Rust or Python), ensuring seamless data exchange and robust API design.

Qualifications

Required:

• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Automation, Electrical Engineering, Control Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field, plus 5+ years of professional experience delivering PLC-based automation systems through the full engineering lifecycle.
• Core Industrial Control: Deep practical knowledge of PLC programming, sequential control, state machines, interlocks, alarm management, fault handling, and safe-state behavior.
• Hardware Integration: Hands-on experience integrating sensors, actuators, motion systems, remote I/O, and industrial hardware, alongside a strong understanding of industrial communication networks and protocols.
• Software Engineering Skills: Proficiency in at least one general-purpose programming language (preferably Rust or Python). Familiarity with modern software practices, including version control (Git), code review, automated testing, and modular design.
• Systems-Level Troubleshooting: Strong ability to diagnose complex, cross-domain interactions spanning software, controllers, electronics, and physical hardware.
• Working Style: Excellent collaborative and communication skills. Comfortable working in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment.

Preferred

• Advanced Ecosystems: Experience with Beckhoff automation technology, specifically TwinCAT and EtherCAT.
• Complex Instrumentation: Background in precision motion control, signal acquisition, vacuum systems, process equipment, or semiconductor/advanced manufacturing environments.
• Safety & Compliance: Experience with functional safety, machinery risk assessment, safety PLCs, and relevant standards (IEC 61508, IEC 62061, or ISO 13849). Ability to interpret electrical schematics and control-cabinet documentation.
• Advanced Testing: Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, digital twins, automated commissioning, or failure-injection testing.

Our Team Here At Lace

consists of amazing people who’ve joined us from all over the world, driven by intense curiosity, the urge for exploration, and a desire to push the limits of physics. We promise to offer you a place among highly motivated Lacers, present you with extremely difficult problems—and have a lot of fun solving them.

Workplace & Culture

Lace operates out of two beautiful, vibrant, and strong-willed cities. Although we are cities apart, we strive to make the team feel as one.

We don’t define values—but we have one universal expectation:

Be the best team player you can be.

Perks And Benefits

• Competitive salary + equity through our incentive plan.
• €50 monthly gym allowance, weekly team lunches, monthly social events, and annual off-site with the whole team.
• Quarterly development goals with your manager and your own budget to learn and grow.
• No journey without travelling. We support relocation and immigration to make joining Lace as smooth as possible.

At Lace, we develop breakthrough chip patterning technology, which extends Moore's Law a decade beyond current tech.