{"id":3376513,"url":"https://alion.io/job/sonoco-automation-engineer","title":"Automation Engineer","company":{"id":1821341,"name":"Sonoco","domain":"sonoco.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/sonoco-com","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":77,"open_postings":66,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.909,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":30,"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"junior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Chesterfield, United Kingdom"],"countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":37000,"max_usd":59000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":119},"experience_years_min":2,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"AutoCAD","optional":false},{"name":"Microsoft Excel","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-27T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-27","last_verified_at":"2026-10-31T02:35:53Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":4,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":4},"description":"What we do :\nAt Sonoco Chesterfield we manufacture composite cans used as packaging mainly for food and powdered beverages.\nYou have probably seen some of our products on the shelves in the supermarket: Pringles, the nation’s favourite Bisto, Nestlé Coffee Mate, SlimFast powdered beverages, Heinz Baby Food, etc…\nWe are aiming to be one of the first fully paperboard cylindrical packing supplier, where our packaging is durable and 100% recyclable\nPurpose of Job:\nWithin the operations department and reporting directly to the Engineering Manager, your role is to improve the efficiency and reliability of our plant manufacturing processes by application automation.\nYour day to day job will consist in:\nSupporting the production and engineering team through line breakdowns, supporting fault finding of the root cause and designing the issue out in the shortest period possible.\nYou’ll be supported by the shift engineer team; the process improvement engineers as well as our operators.\nRunning Automation projects to plan for continued upgrade of equipment and control systems, ensuring none of our equipment becomes obsolete and out of date.\nYou will also be involved in projects and day to day activities in our sister site at Bradford.\nAdditional support required for: 5S, SMED, Centre lining, Process Control Automation, product defect identification systems, component lifespan identification.\nMachines installation & qualifications on site: Factory Acceptance Test, Commissioning, Team Training.\nNew products introduction : trials of new materials and new products launch support at manufacturing level.\nRole within the company and stakeholder interactions:\nThe candidate will report to the site Engineering Manager.\nThe candidate will have to interact with multiple stakeholders on a day-to-day basis: Manufacturing, Engineering, Warehouse, Supply Chain…, sister plants (based in Europe), Suppliers\nThe Automation Systems Engineer will be expected to be a subject matter expert and be able to guide/mentor engineers within the business.\nKey Activities\nprovide technical support to all areas daily across electrical, mechanical and automation disciplines.\nConfiguration and programming of controllers and visualizations systems using Siemens (Simatic Manager and TIA Portal and WinCC flexible software).\nProject planning and programming of drive technology and servo drives - with emphasis on SEW Drive as well as Allen Bradley systems.\nDevelopment, conception, design and creation of hardware / circuit diagrams.\nAutomation troubleshooting following a recognisable troubleshooting process.\nExperience with bus systems and bus technology such as “Profinet” and “Profibus” with knowledge of systems such as ASI bus and CAN bus.\nProject Management and Project Coordination of site automation projects.\nUtilise AutoCad/Cad systems to maintain documentation updates, producing 2D CAD drawings of control panels, P&IDs and electrical wiring diagrams.\nProvide onsite services to assist in start-up or troubleshooting.\nSupport and lead automation activities at both the Chesterfield and Bradford Production Sites.\nDevelop HMI’s for operator use.\nCoordinating with cross-functional team(s) to resolve automation issues.\nWrite programs for new designed automatic and semi-automatic machines and conveyor systems for Siemens and Allen Bradley hardware.\nDebug and test new or modified PLC and robotic programs on the production floor.\nConduct comprehensive machine and system testing.\nEnsure the department operates with due regard to current legislation, company and statutory requirements\nEnsure the safe and efficient operation of equipment throughout the site\nInstallation of production and plant equipment, commissioning, breakdown analysis and repair\nIdentify areas in which engineering improvements can be made to increase safety, quality, efficiency, or reduce waste\nAssist with the training of company apprentices and shift Engineers\nAssist with developing operational manuals for newly designed machines and conveyor systems.\nAssist in risk assessment of newly designed machines with emphasis on machine safety.\nHelp refine and develop programming standards and methods.\nCoordinate with other engineers and programmers on large systems and machines.\nMaintain and enhance the software and robotics solutions for the two sites.\nMaintain and document the appropriate software changes and updates to support equipment modifications and continuing operation.\nWork with Manufacturing/Operations to identify and troubleshoot machine control failures.\nSpecify instrumentation and control hardware for equipment upgrades and future equipment lines.\nWill keep in line with new technology and advise the site accordingly\nRunning testing and diagnostics on IT systems to identify potential problem.\nIdentifying and resolving malfunctions within the system.\nDeveloping and installing new hardware or software to update and improve the functionality of systems\nLiaising with outside suppliers or developers to source the most effective hardware or software for the company’s needs\nCreating schematics plans of the system\nBuilding robust backups that can be accessed in the event of system failure.\nTraining shift Engineers and Process Improvement Engineers to work within the systems and to resolve issues on their own.\nLiaising with operational staff to ensure that systems can Complete designed tasks to\nLead improvement activities/projects across site, covering all equipment and facilities.\nKey Measurables:\n% Unplanned Downtime on focus machinery\n% Implementation of project work\n% People trained to correct operating level on focus machinery\n% People trained on problem solving\n$ saved by continuous improvement projects implemented\nCANDIDATE’S EXPERIENCE\nQualifications and Experience\nRequired:\nHNC/Degree qualified Electrical Engineering\nProven Knowledge and experience in Siemens S5, S7, Allen Bradley. (this includes all aspects of drives, inverters and programming)\nProven capability in Problem Solving (8D, Green Belt Lean 6 Sigma, UPS, A3, …)\nExperience in a FMCG environment\nDesirable:\nGraduate Masters / Bachelor in a Technical / Manufacturing / Sciences subject\n2 year or more of experience in a process control / engineering role\nElectrically Biased multiskilled Engineering background\nLean Six Sigma Green Belt qualified or equivalent\nSkills and Knowledges\nAbility to analyse complex sets of data quickly.\nPriorities activities based on daily workload and medium projects.\nAbility to train and coach people.\nExcellent communication: written, spoken, visual.\nExcellent computer skills: mainly Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and email\nPersonal Attributes\nMust be curious.\nMust be willing to learn and develop personal knowledge.\nBias for action / Enthusiastic with drive for continuous improvement\nMust be an excellent team player with good interpersonal skills able to communicate at all levels.\nLogical with a key eye for details\nExcellent customer focus required.\nMust be willing to travel, both UK and Europe\nWorking Environment\nThe position is based in Chesterfield plant but can require visits to our manufacturing plants in UK & Europe as well as visits to our Suppliers or Customers in the UK.\n#LI-AO1\nWe are an equal opportunity employer, and we strictly prohibit and do not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants or any other covered persons because of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any legally protected 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