Automation Eng Siemens Tia Portal

PLC / Automation Engineer – Siemens TIA Portal

Location: Italy
Contract Length: 3–6 months
Start: ASAP
Working Pattern: 3-shift rotation
Indicative Rate: Approx. 60-65/hour
Accommodation: Provided / paid for
Travel: Flights / travel costs covered

The Opportunity

We are looking for PLC / Automation Engineers for a hands-on industrial automation troubleshooting project in Italy.

The main technical requirement is strong experience with Siemens PLC systems and TIA Portal, with some additional exposure to Omron PLCs considered beneficial.

The assignment is focused on supporting a live production environment where there are ongoing automation and production issues. Engineers will be expected to investigate faults, analyse PLC logic, identify root causes and provide clear recommendations and corrective actions to improve equipment reliability and production performance.

This is not primarily a greenfield PLC programming role. The emphasis is on fault finding, diagnostics, troubleshooting, root-cause analysis and production support.

The initial assignment is expected to run for 3–6 months, with engineers working fully onsite as part of a rotating three-shift schedule.

Key Responsibilities

The successful engineers will be responsible for:

• Troubleshooting Siemens PLC-controlled production equipment
• Working extensively with Siemens TIA Portal
• Going online with PLCs to diagnose faults and production issues
• Analysing existing PLC logic, sequences and interlocks
• Investigating recurring production stoppages and equipment downtime
• Identifying whether faults originate from PLC software, electrical systems, sensors, drives, instrumentation, communications or mechanical equipment
• Supporting troubleshooting of automated machinery and production lines
• Identifying bottlenecks, intermittent faults and reliability issues
• Carrying out root-cause analysis
• Recommending corrective actions and technical improvements
• Producing clear action lists outlining issues, priorities and recommended solutions
• Supporting implementation and testing of corrective actions where required
• Working closely with production, maintenance and engineering personnel
• Documenting technical findings and any software modifications made

The key requirement is the ability to systematically diagnose why automated equipment is not performing correctly and determine the most effective solution.

Shift Pattern

The assignment will operate across a three-shift rotation:

• Morning: 06:00–15:00
• Afternoon: 14:00–22:00
• Night: 21:00–06:00

Candidates must be comfortable working across the rotating shift pattern for the duration of the assignment.

Technical Background

Strong hands-on experience with the following is highly desirable:

• Siemens TIA Portal
• Siemens S7 PLCs
• S7-1200 / S7-1500
• PLC diagnostics and online troubleshooting
• Ladder Logic, FBD and/or Structured Text / SCL
• Siemens HMI systems
• WinCC / HMI troubleshooting
• Industrial Ethernet / Profinet
• Drives and motor control
• Sensors, actuators and field devices
• Automated machinery and production lines
• Electrical fault finding
• Machine sequencing and interlocks
• Machine commissioning and start-up
• Production troubleshooting
• Root-cause analysis

Experience with Omron PLC systems, such as Sysmac Studio or CX-Programmer, would be useful but is not the primary requirement.

Experience with other platforms such as Rockwell / Allen-Bradley, Beckhoff or Mitsubishi may also be beneficial.

Candidate Profile

We are primarily interested in mid-level / medior Automation Engineers rather than senior-level consultants.

Ideally, you will have:

• 2+ years of hands-on PLC / automation experience
• Strong practical experience with Siemens TIA Portal
• Previous experience troubleshooting automated production equipment
• Ability to go online with Siemens PLCs and diagnose live production faults
• Ability to read and understand existing PLC code
• Strong fault-finding and root-cause analysis skills
• Understanding of electrical drawings and automation hardware
• Experience working within live manufacturing or production environments
• Ability to distinguish between software, electrical, instrumentation and mechanical faults
• Experience working directly with maintenance and production teams
• Ability to work independently and communicate findings clearly
• A practical, hands-on problem-solving approach
• Willingness to work a three-shift rotation
• Availability to work fully onsite in Italy for 3–6 months

This position would be particularly suitable for an engineer with a few years of strong Siemens automation experience who enjoys troubleshooting and resolving real production issues rather than focusing solely on software development.

Contract & Package

• 3–6 month contract
• Approx. €60-65/hour
• Accommodation paid for
• Flights / travel costs covered
• Full-time onsite assignment in Italy
• Three-shift rotation
• ASAP start

Application

When applying, please provide:

• Your earliest available start date
• Your required hourly rate
• Details of your Siemens TIA Portal experience
• Details of your experience troubleshooting live production / manufacturing equipment
• Any experience with Omron PLC systems
• Confirmation that you are comfortable working a three-shift rotation in Italy