Junior Automation & Controls Engineer

Join the Automatic Control & Safety (ACS) section of the CERN Industrial Controls group (BE-ICS) and contribute to the control systems for the Primary Gas Systems (PGS) that supply detectors and installations across CERN’s Experimental Areas. A central activity is the migration of the LHC Primary Gas Systems to a dedicated Experimental Areas infrastructure, regrouping their development, maintenance and first-line support.

You will work across the full control stack – from PLC logic and field instrumentation to WinCC OA supervision – using CERN’s model-driven Gas Control System (GCS) and UNICOS-CPC frameworks.

• Contribute to the migration of the LHC Primary Gas Systems, covering PLC and SCADA (WinCC OA) development and commissioning.
• Develop and configure gas-system control applications on Schneider M580 and Siemens S7-1500 PLCs.
• Contribute to the specification, I/O definition and instrumentation of primary and detector gas systems and to HMI, touch-panel and notification (email/SMS) development.
• Support factory and site acceptance testing (FAT/SAT), installation and commissioning in the experimental areas, together with documentation and first-line operational support.

• Interest in industrial control systems and hands-on work with hardware, instrumentation and field installations.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work within a multidisciplinary team.
• Good communication skills in English, with the ability to document and present technical work clearly.
• Your studies focused on Automation, Control Engineering.
• Some knowledge of PLC programming (IEC 61131-3) on Schneider and/or Siemens platforms, or willingness to learn.
• Familiarity with SCADA systems (WinCC OA an asset) and industrial communication protocols such as PROFIBUS, PROFINET, Modbus or Flowbus.
• Proficiency in a scripting or programming language such as Python.
• Interest in field instrumentation and gas/fluid systems.

• Work in Radiation Areas.
• Interventions in underground installations.
• A valid driving licence.

A monthly net stipend of either 5266 or 5793 Swiss Francs per month depending on your degree.

30 days of paid leave per year plus 2 weeks annual closure.

Coverage by CERN’s comprehensive health insurance scheme (for yourself, your spouse and children), and membership of the CERN Pension Fund.

Family, child and infant monthly allowances depending on your individual circumstances.

A relocation package (installation grant and travel expenses) depending on your individual circumstances.

Possibility to extend your contract up to 36 months.

On-the-job and formal training including language classes.

• You are a national of a CERN Member State or Associate Member State . Currently, we cannot consider applications from Pakistani, Lithuanian, Latvian, Cypriot and Croatian nationals, as the ceiling defined under Article II.5 of the Associate Membership Agreement has been reached.
• By the Final date to receive applications, you have a maximum of 2 years of professional experience since graduation in the respective field and your highest educational qualification is either a bachelor’s or master’s degree. You must have a university degree and can’t hold a PhD.
• You have never had a CERN fellow or graduate contract before.
• Please pay attention to the additional criteria and requirements for this specific position and mentioned above.

• Your CV (English or French)
• A copy of your most relevant diploma or a certificate of achievement from your school (if you don't yet have your paper diploma)
• Any document you consider…