Commissioning Engineer

OAL is looking for an experienced Commissioning Engineer to commission, deploy, and support advanced automation and robotics systems for food manufacturing customers across the UK.

Travel and overnight stays are a regular part of the role and flexibility is important, particularly during deployment and go‑live phases.

This is a hands‑on engineering role with responsibility for proving automation systems before they leave OAL's Peterborough facility, then installing, commissioning, and supporting them in live production environments.

You will work across machine vision, PLC controls, industrial robotics, SCADA systems, and industrial networking, ensuring every system performs reliably from factory acceptance testing through to customer handover.

If you enjoy solving technical problems, working with a wide range of automation technologies, and seeing systems you have commissioned running successfully in live factories, this role offers the opportunity to work across the complete commissioning lifecycle.

Commission, test, and validate automation systems at OAL's Peterborough facility before they are deployed to customer sites, identifying and resolving issues in a controlled environment.

Install, recommission, and optimise automation systems at customer sites across the UK, ensuring they operate safely and reliably within live production environments.

Test and prove machine vision systems, robotic cells, labelling equipment, packaging verification systems, PLC controls, and integrated automation solutions.

Diagnose and resolve electrical, controls, software, networking, and systems integration issues during both pre‑build testing and live commissioning.

Work closely with customer engineering and operations teams during installation, commissioning, and go‑live, providing system training and technical guidance.

Produce and maintain commissioning documentation, test records, and customer handover information to ensure systems are fully documented and supportable.

Work alongside project engineers, software engineers, controls engineers, and other technical specialists to ensure successful project delivery.

Provide feedback from commissioning activities to improve future system designs, commissioning processes, and product development.

• Hands‑on commissioning experience within automation, controls, robotics, or systems integration.
• Experience working with industrial automation technologies.
• Comfortable working with Windows‑based industrial systems, networking, and SQL databases.
• Strong fault‑finding and troubleshooting skills with the ability to work methodically under pressure.
• Able to work independently on customer sites while collaborating effectively with project teams.
• Degree or equivalent qualification in Engineering, IT, or a related discipline.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to work confidently with engineers, operators, and customer production teams.
• Full UK driving licence.
• Willingness to travel throughout the UK and stay away from home when projects require it.

Experience with in food manufacturing is not essential. If you have strong automation or commissioning experience from sectors such as manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, packaging, machine building, or industrial systems integration, we will help you apply your skills within the food industry.

This is a practical, hands‑on engineering role. Some weeks will be spent at OAL's Peterborough facility pre‑building, testing, and commissioning systems before deployment. Other weeks will involve travelling to customer sites to install, commission, troubleshoot, and support systems during go‑live.

Travel and overnight stays are a regular part of the role and flexibility is important, particularly during deployment and commissioning phases.

Go‑live periods can be demanding, requiring calm decision‑making and effective technical…