Automation Engineer

About the role

Novartis is hiring an Automation Engineer in Puurs, Belgium, on a hybrid basis. The role contributes to delivering investment projects on time and within budget while ensuring reliable production of its products. It also maintains existing automation systems, from daily troubleshooting to planned hardware and software upgrades, as part of computer system lifecycle management.

Key responsibilities

• Execute and follow up on automation projects across the whole production site
• Manage automation systems (production, buildings and utilities) and contribute to automation planning
• Develop projects: prepare technical specifications, create detailed plans, perform risk analyses, coordinate and supervise installation and software development, and hand over completed projects to production and maintenance
• Work closely with production, engineering and IT stakeholders
• Deliver projects for operational validation with complete documentation, manage project documentation and software backups, and support validation activities
• Troubleshoot automation system issues during and outside office hours
• Organize internal training and support onboarding of new automation colleagues
• Maintain up-to-date automation procedures and recommend improvements and upgrades to existing equipment

Required profile

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in a technical field (e.g. Industrial Engineering, IT, Electromechanics)
• 6+ years of experience in automation within an industrial environment
• Excellent spoken and written Dutch and English
• Analytical, detail-oriented, team-oriented and eager to learn new technologies
• On-call support on a rotational basis

Required skills

• PLC development (Schneider, Siemens), HMI and SCADA systems (iFix) and databases
• Desirable: project management skills and experience in the pharmaceutical industry