Expert Automation Engineer

About the role

Novartis is building a state‑of‑the‑art clinical manufacturing facility at BioCampus Mengeš. The company seeks an experienced Automation Engineer (Expert) to lead automation initiatives in a highly automated, GMP‑regulated environment.

Key responsibilities

• Design, implement and maintain automation solutions (PLC, SCADA, DCS, Historian, Process Information System) in a GMP clinical production setting.
• Act as the technical owner of automation systems throughout their lifecycle.
• Participate in investment projects and upgrades, handling URS, FS/DS, FAT/SAT, IQ/OQ and system hand‑over.
• Ensure compliance with GMP, GxP, data integrity principles and internal Novartis standards.
• Manage changes to automation systems through formal Change Control procedures.
• Support production by troubleshooting complex automation issues and optimizing system performance.
• Collaborate with IT/OT teams and suppliers to guarantee system availability, cybersecurity and long‑term maintainability.
• Assist with internal and external audits and inspections, and mentor junior engineers.

Required profile

• University degree in automation, electrical engineering, mechatronics, computer engineering or a related field.
• Proven experience in automation engineering within a GMP‑regulated manufacturing environment.
• Ability to work independently, take ownership and interact with cross‑functional teams.

Required skills

• Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC)
• Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
• Distributed Control Systems (DCS)
• Historian and Process Information Systems (PIS)
• Change Control procedures
• Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) and Site Acceptance Test (SAT)
• Installation Qualification (IQ) and Operational Qualification (OQ)
• GMP and GxP compliance
• Cybersecurity awareness for industrial systems
• Troubleshooting and performance optimisation of automation equipment