Job reference 327426 Subject Matter Expert £45,944 - £49,654 (dependent on experience), plus 10% annual bonus potenti al, 25 days a nnual leave plus bank holidays rising with service and a company pension scheme with highly competitive contribution rates Permanent, Full time Midlands Super Hub, Dirft Drive, Crick, NN6 7GZ About the role The Subject Matter Expert is a shift-based technical management role that combines technical leadership in automation and controls with engineering team development and operational delivery. This role ensures the safety, reliability, and performance of automated systems within Royal Mail’s processing environment by managing engineering responses, driving root cause investigations, coaching engineering staff, and maintaining compliance with engineering standards. The role acts as the primary technical escalation point while also supporting continuous improvement, performance reporting, and strategic knowledge retention from OEMs and internal stakeholders. Key Accountabilites Primary technical engineering support, managing escalations related to automation incidents, complex breakdowns, and IT-automation interfaces. Coach, develop, and assess shift engineering teams, delivering technical training, conducting performance reviews, and supporting skills development to maintain high standards Drive automation reliability through technical investigation, root cause analysis (RCA), and collaboration with OEMs (e.g., Beumer), regional engineering teams, and project stakeholders. Maintain control system integrity by ensuring timely implementation of approved software/hardware modifications and configuration tracking (Siemens, CODESYS), Facilitate technical knowledge transfer from suppliers and OEMs, ensuring self-sufficiency post-support contract through upskilling and documentation. About You Shift-based technical leader covering 24/7 operational needs. Direct technical leadership over engineering shift team. Key contributor to hub-level asset availability, incident response time, and automation KPIs. Minimum 5 years’ experience with PLC systems including Siemens S7, SIMATIC, SIMOVE, and CODESYS. Strong experience with Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) including integration, diagnostics, and performance optimisation. Understanding of Fleet Manager systems for AGV coordination, path control, and load management. Strong understanding of LV/small power systems design, commissioning, and fault resolution. HNC/HND (Level 4/5) required; Degree (Level 6) in Engineering preferred Professionally registered or working towards EngTech/IEng status. Certified or willing to gain PUWER Assessor and IOSH Managing Safety qualifications. Extra Benefits • Family friendly support - enhanced maternity pay, paternity leave, adoption leave and shared parental leave • Discounts and offers - there are more than 800 offers to help you save on things like groceries, days out, holidays and your household bills*. • Supportive and generous company sick pay • Your Wellbeing - you and your family have 24/7 access to services and tools to help you get the most out of life. From your physical and mental health to financial and social support and advice. It’s free, and it’s for everyone. *Available only to perm employees Next Steps Trust is the foundation of Royal Mail. We aim to be transparent about the qualities we seek and what a career with us entails, building trust from the start of your journey with us. Your interview is the first step, and we want you to shine. To help you prepare, we’ll provide your interview questions in advance, so you can have your best examples ready. At Royal Mail Group, we value trust and our people. Royal Mail Group is committed to inclusion and representing the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals. As a proud Gold signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, we especially encourage applications from the Armed Forces community, including cadet instructors and spouses/partners. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process. If you require any adjustments to support you during the hiring process, please discuss these with your recruiter when contacted. We are Forces family friendly and a Gold signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant. We welcome applications from ex-Armed Forces personnel, reservists, veterans, cadet instructors and military spouses/partners. For more information on Royal Mail Group and our values please click here: https://www.internationaldistributionsservices.com/en/about-us/ Please note, this advert may close early if the appropriate number of applications has been reached. LI-Onsite