senior autmation engineer. sydney
About the Company
Our client is a boutique systems integrator with niche expertise in process automation for the beverage industry. With a strong and tight-knit team, they deliver turnkey automation and digitalisation solutions that optimise the plant systems for major blue-chip end customers. Proud of the reputation that they’ve built and with a genuinely collaborative culture, you’re trusted to manage your own work and individual contributions are visible and valued. If you’re currently in a larger integrator where your work disappears into someone else’s spreadsheet, this will feel refreshingly different.
About the Role
This is a role for an Engineer who can step beyond execution. You’ll design automation solutions for major systems at highly respected customers, and you’ll own the customer relationship along the way: meeting them, understanding what they need, and building the trust that gives them confidence the solution will deliver.
Leaning on your experience, you’ll also mentor, guide and help develop a junior team, shaping their technical growth and how the engineering gets done. You might already be leading a team but if you’ve been the strong technical contributor who’s dabbled in mentoring but never had real responsibility for developing people, this is the step up.
Specifically you will:
- Engage directly with major customers to define scope, develop functional descriptions, and manage solutions through to acceptance
- Lead the design, development, and commissioning of automation systems across PLC, SCADA, and MES, integrating IT and OT in line with Industry 4.0 and ISA standards
- Write, develop, test, and debug PLC code across Siemens, Rockwell, and other platforms
- Develop SCADA interfaces against P&IDs
- Produce project documentation, from functional descriptions to training manuals
- Run peer code reviews and participate in stand-ups and planning sessions
- Mentor more junior engineers on best practices and technical knowledge
- Carry out remote and on-site commissioning — instrumentation, IO testing, production testing, CIP validation, and site acceptance testing
- Train client teams on the systems you’ve delivered
About You
You're a capable and ambitious Automation Engineer or Senior who wants more than another project on the pile. You're ready to develop your skills in leading projects end to end, take responsibility for mentoring others, and be trusted with the customer relationships that make solutions succeed. You want your next move to stretch you and provide career path.
You have / are:
- At least three to four years of automation engineering / control systems design experience
- Demonstrable experience leading, managing, or mentoring more junior engineers
- Proficient in Siemens, Rockwell, Omron or A+B PLC platforms. Codesys is a bonus
- Experience across PLC design and development as well as SCADA / HMI, and MES environments
- Working knowledge of ISA 88, 95 and 106 standards
- Experience on systems for applications involving the movement of fluids — whether beverage, water, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, or oil and gas.
- Comfortable in front of customers — you build trust, not just code
- Working knowledge of IT/OT integration tools and practices
- Good software, server and edge device experience.
- Based in Sydney or keen to relocate (with Australian working rights)
- Driving licence
- Exposure to data analytics and cloud or on-premises solution design would be an advantage but is not essential
Ready to Talk?
If you’re looking for a specialist team where your work matters and your judgement is trusted, get in touch. Contact Ian Eker at ian.eker@liftpass.com.au / 0435985089 for a confidential conversation and a copy of the full position description.
