Automation Manager

£50-60K
Newtownards – Down

ref: A15-S3439
 
AUTOMATION MANAGER – Greater Belfast
Reporting to Head of Site Operations, we are seeking an Automation Manager for our client based in Greater Belfast.  Company has an exceptionally good reputation with very little turnover in Engineering team.   Engineers have only left the Automation team through retirement as opposed to any turnover in staff.
 
The role:
    • Responsible for the development of the automation strategy for the site, leading the automation team in the delivery of all site-based automation activities.  
    • The scope of the role will encompass activities within operational, project and continuous improvement environments, to support and enable the site in achieving its strategic objectives.
    • You will lead and manage a team of people and will be responsible for the selection and management of any relevant external service providers.  You will liaise with all relevant stakeholders in the planning, management, co-ordination and financial control of all automation projects and systems within the site.  
    • You will lead the execution of capital projects involving automation projects, with a focus on both new processes and system/technology changes to improve the performance of existing assets.
    •  
Responsibilities:
    • Demonstrate strong leadership skills, providing work direction and guidance to direct reportees in improving performance management, coaching and developing team members, training initiatives and business process improvements.
    • Provide necessary leadership for the Automation function to support and align with site strategy, site goals and vision.
    • Ensure optimum delivery of automation services within both a project, operational and continuous improvement environment.
    • Ensure an active and clear site automation strategy, with a focus on future-proofing and latest developments in technology, making recommendations to the business as appropriate.
    • Work with stakeholders to establish clear automation requirements and objectives, key activity milestones and determine best strategy for automation execution within the agreed timeframes and budget, ensuring a comprehensive handover including training.
    • Lead the development of site automation projects, ensuring best use of both internal and external (third party) resources, including the identification and selection of a site automation partner.
    • Organise testing, commissioning and validation of project automation works, involving key stakeholders as appropriate e.g., quality assurance, health and safety, operations etc.
    • Management of all external automation providers, evaluating their technical and budgetary proposals and management of their delivery.
    • Provide automation data solutions to support the operational management of production and processes and deliver data collection and reporting solutions for the site.
    • Contribute to the preparation of annual site budgets for the Automation Department.
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Essential Criteria:
    • Degree in any Engineering discipline
    • Experience of a similar role in a food manufacturing or FMCG environment
    • Experience of people management – either direct reports or management of contractors, training and developing a technical team
    • Proven experience in continuous improvement methods.
    • Experience of delivering large scale automation-related projects, from initial specification and design, through to commissioning and handover.
    • Experience of operational support of automation systems in an FMCG environment (ideally food and drink)
    • Computer literate with high proficiency in MS Office, in particular Excel and Word
    • Knowledge of PLC systems, such as Siemens S7 and Wonderware SCADA/HMI
    • Knowledge of industrial communication protocols, e.g. Profibus, Profinet
    • Knowledge of SQL databases.
    • Supporting of internal/external regulatory/customer/supplier audits and accreditations.
 
Sparked your interest?  What to do now:
To apply please forward your CV (in Word format) using the link provided, or for a confidential conversation on this or any other roles in the pipeline please click on the ‘View Profile’ link in the ad.  
TechMet is a dedicated Engineering and Technical Recruitment Consultancy.
The consultant managing your application  has 20+ years dealing with this client and hence can provide a very informative insight into the role.