Control Systems Engineer

Controls Systems Engineer

Quidel Ortho unites the strengths of Quidel Corporation and Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, creating a world-leading in vitro diagnostics company with award‑winning expertise in immunoassay and molecular testing, clinical chemistry and transfusion medicine. We are more than 6,000 strong and do business in over 130 countries, providing answers with fast, accurate and consistent testing where and when they are needed most – home to hospital, lab to clinic.

Quidel Ortho has been manufacturing products in South Wales for over 40 years. Our state‑of‑the‑art manufacturing facility, based in Pencoed, employs over 600 people who are involved in the manufacture and supply of clinical laboratory and immunohematology products to sites across the globe. Our Pencoed team manufacture a large menu of immunohematology products used in transfusion medicine; in addition to a large menu of immunoassay products encompassing a range of disease categories.

On site we have a range of functions operating globally & locally. All our employees are working towards one common goal, to help save and improve lives through diagnostics.

As a Controls Systems Engineer, you will join the MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) team and report into the Lead Controls Systems Engineer. You’ll be responsible for supporting and maintaining the control systems across multiple automated manufacturing lines. This role involves ensuring system reliability, managing obsolescence, driving continuous improvement initiatives, validating new equipment, and providing support for associated apps, databases and network infrastructure supporting Quidel Ortho UK Operations.

This role offers a fantastic opportunity to work with a cross‑functional team from systems analysts to quality engineers, process engineers, and maintenance technicians on site.

• Provide technical leadership, ownership and hands‑on proficiency in the resolution of software and controls systems issues.
• Support the specification and design of a new automation control systems.
• Identify and document system test and systems go‑live strategies.
• Define, drive & maintain process equipment systems and programming best practice across the site, through the generation & cascade of applicable policies, procedures and standards within existing and future onsite applications.
• Provide support and mentoring to the maintenance team regarding control systems fault finding.
• Support capital improvement programs through technical leadership and hands‑on proficiency in the industrial software application modules.
• Ability and knowledge to accurately identify root cause of system faults and be able to confidently lead and deliver a robust & timely resolution to faults found.
• Development of routine maintenance procedures and service contract activities for software and control systems onsite.
• Review, evaluate, leverage and adapt new technologies for the benefit of the business.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives, benchmarks and leveraging opportunities.
• Provide reasonable overtime support to effectively resolve both operational and non‑operational equipment issues.
• Generation of documentation to maintain the validated state (Training, SOP’s).
• Ensure compliance of all designs and systems to GxP standards.
• Provide out of hours support as part of a paid "on‑call rota" (approx. 1 week in 15).

• HNC (minimum)/Degree(preferred) in Electronics or Control Engineering.
• Previous experience gained from within a manufacturing environment.
• Rockwell systems PLC/HMI programming (Required)
• Siemens systems PLC/HMI programming (Required)
• Vision inspection systems knowledge (Required)
• Experience with installation of Windows based applications and PC configuration (Required)
• Familiarity with MS SQL data querying (Preferred)
• Software Validation expertise (Preferred)
• Staubli Robot Programming Experience (Preferred)
• Schneider PLC programming (Preferred)
• B&R PLC programming (Preferred)
• Wonderware SCADA (Preferred)
• Ability to function across engineering discipline boundaries to lead problem resolution and continuous improvement…