Senior Automation Engineer in Christchurch, Dorset

Senior Automation Engineer

Location: Dorset
Salary: £60,000-£65,000 + benefits
Job Type: Permanent
Sector: Medical Device Manufacturing

Are you an experienced Automation Engineer with a strong background in automated assembly and medical device manufacturing?

We are currently working exclusively with a leading organisation within the medical device and drug delivery sector, who are looking to appoint a Senior Automation Engineer to provide technical leadership across their automation and assembly projects.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced automation professional to become the site subject matter expert for automated assembly equipment and play a key role in the development and implementation of advanced manufacturing technology.

The Role

As Senior Automation Engineer, you will lead automation projects from concept and specification through to commissioning, validation and full production implementation.

You will work closely with Operations, Quality, R&D, Validation and external equipment suppliers, with a particular focus on:

• Automated assembly systems
• Robotics and robotic handling
• Machine vision and inspection
• Product traceability and serialization
• Laser marking
• Leak and functional testing
• Automated packaging
• Validated manufacturing processes

You will also provide technical leadership during NPI and product industrialisation, while supporting DFM, DFA and FMEA activities.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the specification, procurement, commissioning and validation of automated assembly equipment
• Develop URS, FDS, DQ, IQ, OQ and PQ documentation
• Manage automation projects from concept through to production release
• Lead supplier selection, technical evaluations and design reviews
• Manage FAT and SAT activities
• Act as the technical interface between the business, machine builders and automation suppliers
• Drive continuous improvement across productivity, quality and OEE
• Lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions
• Support Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma initiatives
• Ensure automation projects comply with relevant quality, regulatory and safety requirements
• Mentor junior engineers and manufacturing teams

About You

We are looking for someone with:

• A degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Automation Engineering or a related discipline
• 8+ years' experience in industrial automation engineering
• Significant experience delivering automated assembly equipment within a regulated medical device manufacturing environment
• Experience with drug delivery devices, combination products or complex medical devices
• Strong experience with custom automation and special-purpose machinery
• Experience managing machine builders and automation suppliers
• Strong knowledge of robotics, servo motion control, machine vision and precision assembly
• Experience with PLC-based automation systems such as Siemens, Rockwell or Beckhoff
• Experience leading FAT, SAT and equipment validation
• Strong understanding of machine safety and risk assessment

Desirable Experience

Experience with any of the following would be highly advantageous:

• Mikron, Harro, Hahn or Hekuma automated assembly platforms
• Autoinjectors, injection pens, inhalers or wearable drug delivery systems
• Fanuc, Yushin, KUKA, Campetella or KM robotics
• Cognex or Keyence vision systems
• MES, traceability and serialization
• Minitab, DOE and process capability analysis

Why Apply?

This is a fantastic opportunity to join an organisation operating at the forefront of medical device manufacturing and automation, where you will have significant technical influence over complex automation projects.

You will be given the opportunity to work with advanced robotics, vision, automated assembly and validation technologies while becoming a key technical specialist within the business.