About the Role
Our client, an established water and wastewater contractor, is seeking a Lead Automation Engineer to head up the automation engineering function within their Automation and Switchgear team in Charleville, Co Cork.
The team designs and delivers automation and control systems for major water and wastewater projects, and for operation and maintenance frameworks with Uisce Éireann and Thames Water. You will lead a growing team of automation engineers and graduates, taking high-level infrastructure designs through to live, working systems on site.
This is a senior role for someone with 10–15 years of hands-on automation experience who wants to shape how a team works, not just deliver their own projects.
Employment type: Permanent
Working pattern: Hybrid — Charleville, Co Cork and remote
Team Leadership
- Lead, mentor and grow a team of automation engineers and graduate engineers
- Allocate work across projects and frameworks, balancing deadlines, workload and experience
- Set and maintain engineering standards for PLC, HMI and SCADA software across the team
- Review designs, code and documentation before they go to the client or to site
- Develop graduates into capable engineers through coaching and hands-on project work
- Work closely with the switchgear, electrical and project delivery teams
Engineering Delivery
- Turn high-level process and infrastructure designs into working automation and control systems
- Oversee PLC and HMI development across Allen Bradley, Siemens, Mitsubishi and ABB platforms
- Guide SCADA architecture on Ignition and AVEVA
- Specify and integrate industrial communications, including Profinet, Ethernet/IP, OPC UA, Modbus TCP/IP, radio communications and VPN links
- Support commissioning and resolve complex technical issues on site
- Act as the senior technical point of contact for automation on major projects
Lifecycle Ownership
- Own automation deliverables across the full project lifecycle, from P&IDs through URS and FDS
- Prepare and review FAT and SAT protocols, and oversee testing through to handover
- Make sure documentation meets client and framework requirements
Essential Requirements
- 10–15 years of verified hands-on experience with industrial automation platforms
- Expert-level PLC and HMI deployment on Allen Bradley, Siemens, Mitsubishi and ABB
- Strong working knowledge of Ignition and AVEVA SCADA architectures
- Solid experience with industrial communications: Profinet, Ethernet/IP, OPC UA, Modbus TCP/IP, radio communications and VPN
- Full lifecycle experience across P&ID, URS, FDS and FAT/SAT preparation and review
- Experience leading, mentoring or supervising engineers
- Degree in Electrical, Electronic, Control or Automation Engineering, or equivalent professional experience
- Willingness to travel to project sites as required
Desirable Experience
- Automation in water and wastewater treatment or other utilities
- Telemetry and remote monitoring of pumping stations and treatment works
- Familiarity with Uisce Éireann or Thames Water automation standards
- Working alongside MCC and switchgear design and build teams
- Awareness of OT cybersecurity practice, such as IEC 62443
- Chartered Engineer status, or working towards it
What's on Offer
- A permanent, senior role leading and building a dedicated automation team
- Hybrid working between Charleville and home
- Work on major projects and operation and maintenance frameworks for Uisce Éireann and Thames Water
- Competitive salary, depending on experience