Automation Manager
Location: Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
Permanent | On-site manufacturing environment
We are currently recruiting for an Automation Leader to lead the automation function at a major, highly automated medical device manufacturing site in Dublin.
This is a senior engineering leadership position, responsible for setting the site's automation strategy while remaining closely connected to day-to-day manufacturing operations. You will lead an experienced team of Automation Engineers and Technicians, oversee plant-wide automation projects and act as the senior escalation point for complex automation and equipment issues.
The Opportunity
The site is a large-scale, high-volume manufacturing operation employing approximately 450 people and operating 24/7, 365 days a year. Automation and equipment reliability are fundamental to maintaining production performance, making this a genuinely operational leadership role rather than a traditional office-based engineering position.
You will lead a team of 8 automation professionals, comprising Automation Engineers and Automation Technicians, with responsibility for developing the team and ensuring the right balance between immediate production support and longer-term automation projects.
Key Responsibilities
* Develop and execute the site's long-term automation strategy
* Lead, mentor and develop a team of Automation Engineers and Technicians
* Oversee plant-wide automation projects from design through equipment acceptance
* Manage automation vendors and external technology partners
* Drive equipment reliability, continuous improvement and operational excellence
* Allocate engineering resources across 24/7 production support and project delivery
* Act as the senior escalation point for complex automation and equipment failures
* Lead root-cause investigations alongside Engineering, Operations, Quality and Validation
* Own and support automation change control and software revision control
* Support equipment upgrades, validation and NPI activities
* Drive machine safety and risk reduction initiatives
* Contribute to engineering budgets and wider site improvement programmes
The role combines people leadership, strategic automation ownership and hands-on technical problem solving.
Technical Environment
The site has a broad industrial automation environment including:
* Allen-Bradley / Rockwell PLCs and programming
* Cognex high-speed vision systems
* ControlNet, DeviceNet and Ethernet industrial communications
* VFD and servo motion systems
* SCADA / HMI systems
* EtherNet/IP, Profinet, Modbus and OPC UA
* SQL Server / database technologies
Strong Rockwell / Allen-Bradley experience and hands-on PLC programming capability are particularly important for the position.
What We're Looking For
* Degree in Electrical, Software, Manufacturing Engineering or a related discipline
* 8+ years' experience within automation, equipment software or a related engineering environment
* Strong Rockwell / Allen-Bradley expertise with hands-on PLC programming experience
* Previous experience leading and developing engineering/automation teams
* Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis capability
* Experience delivering automation projects within a fast-paced manufacturing environment
* Strong continuous improvement mindset
* Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
* Ability to translate complex automation issues into clear operational and commercial outcomes
* A calm, ownership-driven approach when dealing with high-priority production issues
