METYCLE is seeking an experienced Automation Engineer - PLC / Plant Control (m/f/d) for a senior-level engineering role based in Cologne (GER). In this position, you will join our international team to build and own the plant control systems for our innovative Smart Sorting Facility, helping drive the global circular flow of secondary metals and green energy solutions.
Your Mission and Responsibilities
- PLC & Plant Control: Design, write, and own PLC programs using Siemens TIA Portal / S7-1200 & S7-1500, covering control logic, sequencing, fault handling, and HMI.
- Commissioning & Production: Guide the plant from initial design through commissioning, FAT/SAT, and hands-on optimization to achieve a stable, reliable running line.
- Plant Availability: Design interlock and stop behaviors to minimize unnecessary downtime and keep safe, unaffected plant areas operational.
- Machine Safety: Implement the fail-safe F-CPU and F-I/O machine-safety control concept, including e-stop loops, guard interlocks, and zone isolation.
- Safety & Compliance: Serve as our in-house technical counterpart for EN ISO 13849 performance-level determinations and the CE file alongside external assessors.
- Machine Integration & Suppliers: Combine multi-supplier control systems into a cohesive line and hold machine and panel builders to strict specification standards.
- OT / IT & Industrial IoT: Stream plant data via OPC UA, MQTT, and Modbus TCP to our internal systems in collaboration with the Industrial IoT team.
Requirements
- Bachelors degree required.
- 5+ years of hands-on experience in programming and commissioning industrial control systems, successfully bringing complete production lines into stable operation.
- Deep, demonstrable expertise in Siemens TIA Portal, S7-1200, and S7-1500, alongside strong skills in SCL, LAD/FBD, HMI/SCADA, and industrial networking.