Company Overview

Carbery Group is dedicated to enriching lives. How do we do this? Owned by the farmers of West Cork, we are a global business with deep local roots. Our mission is to deliver lasting value to our farmer shareholders while making positive impact on our customers, employees, suppliers, partners, and the communities we serve. We are committed to doing this by creating healthier, tastier, and more sustainable food and ingredient solutions.

With customers in over 50 countries, we pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation, our open mindset and ability to be a good partner. We prioritise our customers' needs, while also valuing our planet and fostering a thriving, people-first environment.

Your Role in Carbery's Success

Responsible for all electrical onsite.

How You Will Contribute

Position Overview:
The Electrical and Automation Lead is responsible for overseeing and improving all electrical and automation systems within the manufacturing facility. This role requires a high level of technical expertise and leadership to ensure optimal operation and reliability of our production processes across diverse unit operations.

Key Responsibilities:

Automation Strategy & Leadership:

Develop and own the site Automation & Control Systems Roadmap, aligned with plant operational and digital transformation goals.
Provide technical leadership and coaching to engineers, technicians, and cross-functional teams.
Lead the standardization of control philosophies, programming practices, and documentation across the site.

Electrical & Automation Operations:

Maintain, support, and continuously improve all electrical and automation systems related to:
- Low, medium, and high-voltage systems.
- Production automation for dairy processing.
- Utilities and infrastructure electrical assets.
Debug, program, troubleshoot, and conduct root cause analysis on electrical and control systems and associated equipment, including:
- PLCs, VSDs, HMIs, SCADA systems, instrumentation, MCCs, switchgear, transformers, generators, UPS systems, and high-voltage distribution equipment.

System Ownership & Reliability:

Act as the system owner for all automation platforms, including PLC/SCADA/DCS systems, robotics, vision systems, HMIs, historians, MES, and networked OT infrastructure.
Ensure high availability and resilience of automation systems through robust lifecycle and change management processes.

Support of Manufacturing Operations:

Provide advanced troubleshooting and root-cause analysis for automated equipment across all production areas, including:
- Raw milk reception, separation & pasteurization.
- Cheddar and mozzarella cheese-making processes.
- Thermoforming, case packing & robotic palletizing.
- Ultrafiltration/nanofiltration systems.
- Spray drying and powder handling.
- Alcohol fermentation and distillation processes.
- Utilities: boilers, CHP, refrigeration, power distribution, compressed air, water & wastewater.
Optimize automation control loops, process trending, alarms, and recipes for improved performance and consistency.

Project Delivery & Continuous Improvement:

Lead automation scopes for capital projects, including design, specification, vendor management, FAT/SAT, and commissioning.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance safety, quality, yield, throughput, and energy efficiency.
Ensure all automation changes comply with site Management of Change (MOC) procedures and maintain up-to-date documentation (P&IDs, I&C drawings, functional design specs).

Compliance & Quality:

Ensure automation systems comply with food safety, regulatory, and industry standards, including:
- Pasteurization monitoring & control.
- Traceability and batch reporting.
- Validation of critical control points.
Support Quality and Operations during audits (internal, customer, regulatory).

Vendor & Stakeholder Management:

Manage relationships with automation partners, system integrators, and equipment OEMs.
Work with engineering store to ensure all spares are available to run an 24/7 operation with as little downtime as possible.
Coordinate cross-functional alignment between Operations, Maintenance, IT, Quality, and Projects.

Qualifications:

Qualified Instrumentation/Electrical Technician (Trade Certificate).
Minimum of 10 years’ experience in electrical and automation engineering within a manufacturing environment, preferably in the dairy or food & beverage industry.
Bachelor’s degree in Automation Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Control Systems, or equivalent experience.
Proven experience with industrial automation systems and high-voltage electrical systems.
Strong expertise in PLC, SCADA, DCS, and HMI platforms (Siemens, Allen-Bradley, Schneider or similar).

Technical knowledge in robotics (ABB, Fanuc, KUKA) and automated packaging systems.
Familiarity with electrical safety standards, statutory compliance, and best engineering practices.
Experience with continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma) is preferred.

Our Commitment to our People

We are a diverse and growing workforce of over 1,000 people across eight countries globally. As we continue to grow, we want to ensure that Carbery Group continues to be a place where people are supported to develop and feel that they can do their best work. We are committed to driving growth, developing future capability and delivering results through our dedicated teams.

We offer competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and an inclusive workplace where your skills, perspectives, and experience help shape the future of our industry. Join us and be part of a team that values collaboration and makes a meaningful impact - from local communities to global markets.

Carbery Group is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to fostering a supportive work environment.

Electrical & Automation Lead

Benefits

Job Description