AtEakin Healthcare, we put patients at the heart of everything we do. We are a family-owned global medical device company with a proud heritage of innovation and care. We deliver innovative solutions across Ostomy, Respiratory, and Surgical therapies, along with our Respond home delivery service. Founded over 50 years ago, we now have a team of over 700 dedicated people across three UK manufacturing sites, 12 international sales and distribution centres and export to over 60 countries. Weve been recognised as a Great Place to Work! And were proud to be named among theBest Workplaces in HealthcareandBest Workplaces for Women. At Eakin Healthcare, were united by one mission:working together to improve lives- just like weve been doing for over five decades. WHY JOIN US? Were good at what we do come and join us and you can benefit from: Bonus 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (rising to 28) Option to buy holiday days Wellbeing Programme Health Cash Plan Pension Life Assurance Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Cycle to Work Scheme Referral Scheme Long Service Awards Free Parking ABOUT THE ROLE This is a new investment role within the Engineering team to enable delivery against Eakins strategic ambitions. The role of Automation Engineer is responsible for the design, development, implementation, and support of automated manufacturing systems within a regulated medical device manufacturing environment. The role supports production, new equipment introduction and continuous improvement initiatives, ensuring compliance with quality, regulatory, and safety standards while improving efficiency, reliability and product quality. The role requires a hands-on approach and will suit an individual who can quickly build professional working relationships. The post holder will operate well both within a team and with a high degree of autonomy. The Automation Engineer will report directly to the Engineering Manager and will work in close partnership with both internal and external stakeholders. There may be the need for occasional travel to suppliers, integrators, or other company sites as required. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Design, program, commission, and support automated manufacturing equipment and control systems. Develop and maintain PLC, HMI, and associated automation software in line with site standards. Support automation projects through all lifecycle stages including URS, FDS, FAT, SAT, IQ, OQ, and PQ. Provide technical troubleshooting and root cause analysis for automation and controls-related issues impacting production. Collaborate with Manufacturing, Quality and Maintenance teams to deliver robust and compliant automation solutions. Lead continuous improvement initiatives to improve safety, yield, throughput, and equipment reliability. Conceptualise automated solutions to manufacturing challenges to increase throughput and reduce cost. As part of a team take these concepts to deliver a solution. Manage and support external automation vendors, OEMs, and system integrators. Develop and maintain technical documentation including software backups, control specifications, risk assessments, and change records. Ensure automation systems comply with ISO 13485, FDA QSR, and internal quality management system requirements. Support equipment upgrades, obsolescence management, and lifecycle planning of automation assets. Working with SCADA systems and industrial communications, including OPC UA, for monitoring, control, and data acquisition in a manufacturing environment. Actively adopts Industry 4.0 concepts, including digitalisation, connectivity, and data-driven manufacturing, and maintains up-to-date knowledge of emerging automation, controls, and manufacturing technologies. Other To adhere to the companys Equal Opportunities policy and Dignity at Work policy in all activities and to actively promote equality of opportunity wherever possible. To be responsible for your own health and safety and that of your colleagues, in accordance with the companys Health and Safety policy. To adhere to the companys Quality policy and Environmental policy. To undertake other duties as may be reasonably required. WHAT WERE LOOKING FOR Essential HND in Engineering; Automation, Electrical, Electronic, or another comparable equivalent. Proficient in the use of 2D and 3D CAD systems. Significant experience in an automation or controls role within a manufacturing environment. Hands-on experience programming PLCs (e.g. Siemens, Allen-Bradley, Omron, Mitsubishi and B&R). Capable of panel design, assembly and testing of control panels. Significant experience with HMIs, industrial networks, and automation hardware. Strong working knowledge with robotics, vision systems, motion control, or servo drives. Strong working knowledge of machinery safety standards. Excellent troubleshooting skills in a production environment. Experience working within a regulated or quality-driven environment. Skilful communication to bring about solid relationships and successful collaboration. Desirable Bachelors degree (or equivalent) in Automation, Electrical, Electronic or other relevant degree. Experience within medical device or pharmaceutical manufacturing. Knowledge of ISO 13485, FDA QSR, and validation methodologies (IQ/OQ/PQ). Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing or continuous improvement tools. Experience configuring OPC UA servers/clients and integrating SCADA systems with PLCs and higher-level systems (e.g. historians or MES). Exposure to capital project delivery and supplier management. KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS Internal Engineering Collaborate with engineering colleagues on automation projects, equipment upgrades, troubleshooting, standards development, and continuous improvement initiatives. Manufacturing / Operations Work closely with production teams to support day-to-day manufacturing operations, improve equipment performance, reduce downtime, and implement automation solutions that meet operational requirements. Maintenance Provide technical support and guidance to maintenance teams, support fault finding, and ensure effective handover of automated equipment, documentation, and software backups. Quality Partner with Quality to ensure automation systems comply with regulatory and quality requirements. Health & Safety Ensure all automation activities and systems comply with health and safety standards, supporting risk assessments, machine safety requirements, and safe systems of work. IT Collaborate with IT on industrial networking, data integration, and technologies such as SCADA, OPC UA, and Industry 4.0 initiatives. External Automation and equipment suppliers OEMs and system integrators Contractors and service providers ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Total 38.5 hour a week. Monday to Friday, earlier finish on a Friday Objective based bonus. Occasional travel to other sites, tradeshows and equipment suppliers may be required COMPETENCIES Manages Complexity Making sense of complex, high quality and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Cultivates Innovation Creating new and better ways for the organisation to be successful Drives Results Delivers robust automation solutions that improve performance and reliability. Action Oriented Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy and enthusiasm. Plans and Aligns Planning and prioritising work to meet commitments aligned with organisational goals. Optimises Work Processes Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done. With a focus on continuous improvement. Collaborates Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives. Nimble Learning Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures a learning fodder. Skills: Automation CAD Engineering PLC Robotics