Manufacturing Automation Engineer

Manufacturing Automation Engineer

Help grow a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day.

The Manufacturing Automation Engineer will report to the Chief Architect and work within the Digital Solutions team to support the delivery of Halma's Digital Growth Enabler. The role supports Halma's operating companies in identifying, designing, and piloting manufacturing automation and Industry 4.0 solutions that drive operational excellence, productivity, and sustainable growth.

The Digital Solutions team at Halma drives digital and AI innovation across the group's operating companies. We partner with business units to deliver technology projects that span product consulting, AI, IoT, data analytics, UX/UI redesigns, cloud development, and operational efficiency. Our team supports the full lifecycle of digital initiatives—from ideation and prototyping to implementation and upskilling—enabling measurable business value and transformation. We operate in a collaborative, agile environment, engaging with global stakeholders and leveraging emerging technologies to solve real-world challenges.

This is a hands-on, consulting-oriented role focused on working alongside OpCo teams to assess manufacturing innovation opportunities, develop pilots, and establish repeatable patterns across areas such as MES, SCADA, IIoT, edge/AI, robotics, and data-driven manufacturing.

The Manufacturing Automation Engineer leads small-to-medium engagements, demonstrates value through tangible pilots, and enables OpCo teams to take ownership and scale solutions within their own environments.

Example projects include:

• Manufacturing cell or line automation pilots
• MES / SCADA assessments and roadmap creation
• IIoT data capture and visualisation pilots
• OEE, SPC, or quality automation dashboards
• AI-assisted visual inspection or process monitoring
• Robotics or cobotics feasibility studies

Role Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Senior Solutions Architect and the wider Digital Solutions team to ensure solutions are based on modern technologies that are scalable, secure, and offer benefits to the business and therefore encourage adoption by the individual companies.
• Lead small consulting engagements at cell, line, or departmental level, working with OpCo teams to frame problems, define scope, and deliver tangible automation outcomes.
• Run site diagnostics and opportunity assessments to identify manufacturing automation, data, and Industry 4.0 opportunities, translating findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Design and deliver lightweight pilots and proofs of concept to validate technology choices, demonstrate value, and de-risk future scaling by OpCo teams.
• Define reference architectures and reusable patterns across MES, SCADA, IIoT, edge/AI, and related manufacturing technologies, promoting repeatable and scalable approaches.
• Produce clear handover artefacts including architecture views, documentation, and recommendations to enable OpCo ownership and onward delivery.
• Work with partners and integrators as an informed client, retaining ownership of problem definition, solution design, and technical decision-making.
• Mentor junior Manufacturing / Process Analysts, supporting their development through coaching, review of outputs, and shared on-site engagement.
• Ensure solutions align with OT/IT, cyber, and safety standards, working with relevant stakeholders to embed appropriate controls and best practices.
• Contribute to group standards, playbooks, and pattern libraries, sharing lessons learned and helping build reusable assets across Halma.

Role Prerequisites

Required

• 3–6 years relevant experience (manufacturing, automation, or Industry 4.0)
• Exposure to MES, SCADA, PLCs, IIoT, or industrial data systems
• Experience working in factory / operations environments
• Ability to translate operational problems into technical solutions
• Comfort working across multiple sites and stakeholders
• Willingness to travel to OpCos as needed
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage technical teams and senior decision-makers effectively.

Desirable

• Experience in the application of AI and Robotics within the manufacturing operations environment

Professional Attributes

• Passion for learning and leveraging new technologies with a focus on applying these technologies to solve real-world problems.
• Coaching and mentoring mindset
• Entrepreneurial, "can do approach" – Will be determined, creative and resilient, with a ferocious work ethic. Will be highly resourceful and pragmatic and find a way to get to the right answer.
• Strong interpersonal and consulting skills, with the ability to support technology-driven change across teams, facilitating communication, encouraging adoption of modern practices, and contributing to a culture of innovation within group companies.
• Strong communicator with non-technical stakeholders
• Ability to navigate complex organisations and effectively socialise new ideas, fostering adoption and knowledge sharing across Halma's companies.
• Well-versed in rapidly evolving technology landscapes, with the ability to identify relevant trends and translate them into practical, forward-thinking solutions that support business and operational goals.

Location

This role is based in London, with additional project-dependent travel requirements to our operating companies in the UK and abroad.