Senior Automation Engineer

GSK Barnard Castle is a key secondary manufacturing site and has invested heavily in industry 4.0 state of the art, bespoke equipment to support sustained new product introductions and volume increases, and as a key supplier of some of GSK’s blockbuster products, the site contributes revenues of ~$2Bn annually. The automation engineering team provide technical expertise to support the manufacturing automation and control systems for all production operations at across the manufacturing site.

This role would predominantly be site-based (although there are flexible working policies in place). We provide external training where required and support personal development and progression alongside opportunities for further education and professional registration.

As a Senior Automation Engineer you will provide technical expertise for all automation and control system activities on new and existing equipment and facilities across the site. This will include provide support to members of the team, and to making strategic decisions on situations within areas of expertise.

• Provide technical expertise on advanced automated manufacturing/packaging processes
• Lead cross-functional groups through complex technical challenges and improvement initiatives, ensuring alignment with engineering standards and guides
• Ensure compliance of owned areas with internal and external standards, including OT Security Standards, and build cybersecurity awareness within engineering/production teams
• Review and assess obsolescence risks for the allocated Production Business Unit, collaborating with the Capital Projects team to drive facility improvements
• Maintain and manage the site asset register for automation equipment within the allocated Production Business Unit
• Liaise with central teams to develop new automation technologies and standards, and review supplier performance on costs, compliance, and milestone delivery
• Provide technical leadership to automation engineers, including assisting with complex decisions, setting site automation strategies, and managing system deployments
• Act as the second point of contact for production automation support, focusing on equipment breakdowns, with flexibility in working hours as required
• Participate in Continuous Improvement activities, including DMAIC, RCA, and CAPA processes and input into deviations as automation SME.
• Deputising for the site automation lead as required

This role is suited to a motivated person with good influencing, communication, and team working skills. A successful candidate will have a passion for understanding and mastering a variety of complex automation systems and must have a keen interest in the development and deployment of emerging technologies into beneficial use.

• Recognised Apprenticeship in Electrical, Instrumentation/Controls Engineering or Computer Science discipline (or similar)
• Bachelor of Engineering (or working towards)
• Experience working in a Pharmaceutical or highly regulated industry including Manufacturing Environments
• Technical and operational knowledge of Automation systems (SCADA, PLC, HMI, Servo, Vision, Field Instrumentation) for off the shelf and bespoke process and production equipment

• Knowledge of change management in a regulated environment
• Registered with a professional body and recognised at Ieng or CEng (or working towards)
• Experience of Siemens equipment including S5, S7, PCS7, TIA portal and WinCC
• Appreciation of Operational Technology Cyber Security

• Competitive base Salary
• Annual bonus based on company performance
• Opportunities to attend and partake in industry conferences
• Support for professional development and chartership (GSK are accredited by IET, IMechE, IChemE and other professional bodies)
• Access to healthcare and wellbeing programs
• Employee recognition programs

• Asset Life Cycle Management
• Data Integrity
• Digital Fluency
• GxP Regulations
• Lean Management
• Manufacturing Technologies
• Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
• Problem Solving
• Risk Awareness
• Standards Compliance

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with…