At a Glance
- Tasks: Own and improve PLC software for hydrogen refuelling stations, ensuring real-time control and reliability.
- Company: Join a pioneering clean-energy company focused on innovative hydrogen solutions.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days holiday, health care, pension, and the chance to work in a growing sector.
- Other info: Hybrid work model with opportunities for career growth in a dynamic environment.
- Why this job: Make a tangible impact in the clean energy revolution while developing your skills.
- Qualifications: 5+ years of PLC development experience and a hands-on troubleshooting mindset.
The predicted salary is between 45000 - 55000 £ per year.
Location: Hungerford, Berkshire, UK - hybrid, 3 days per week in the office. Competitive salary depending on experience. Full time, permanent.
About the role
We design, build, and commission hydrogen refuelling stations. As our PLC Software Engineer, you'll take ownership of the control software at the heart of our stations — an established, deployed codebase that keeps real hardware fuelling real vehicles every day. This is not a greenfield role. You'll inherit a working product: control software running across a fleet of deployed stations, written over several years by several hands. Your first job is to understand it, maintain it, and keep it running well. From there, you'll evolve it — implementing new features, improving the product, and contributing to our next‑generation hybrid control architecture, where real‑time PLC control integrates with higher‑level supervisory software.
We're looking for someone who has done this before: kept a product line running, supported remote installations in the field, and knows the difference between code that works on the bench and code that survives years of unattended operation.
What you'll do
- Take ownership of our existing PLC codebase (Structured Text, IEC 61131‑3): understand it, maintain it, and improve it across the deployed fleet.
- Develop, test, and release new control software features as our product evolves.
- Implement the control logic behind the station P&ID: sequences, interlocks, alarms, and safety functions.
- Contribute to our new hybrid control architecture, defining the interfaces between PLC‑level real‑time control and higher‑level software.
- Commission stations at our facility: I/O checkout, loop testing, and sequence validation.
- Debug and troubleshoot control system issues, including remote diagnosis and support of deployed stations.
- Refactor and modernise legacy code safely, without breaking live product.
- Collaborate with process, electrical, and software teams on interfaces and architecture.
- Contribute to documentation: functional design specs, cause‑and‑effect matrices, test procedures.
What we're looking for
- Professional PLC development experience in Structured Text (IEC 61131‑3) — ideally 5+ years.
- A track record of keeping deployed systems running: supporting a product line in the field, or maintaining remote installations such as water treatment, pumping stations, or similar unattended sites.
- Experience inheriting and working within an existing codebase written by others — not just projects you started yourself.
- Ability to read and interpret P&ID and electrical schematics.
- Hands‑on troubleshooting mindset — comfortable working on live systems during commissioning and diagnosing faults remotely.
- Right to work in the UK (we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role).
Strongly preferred
- Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 experience (this is our platform).
- Fieldbus and industrial comms experience: EtherCAT, Modbus, CAN, ADS.
- Experience with remote telemetry, SCADA, or fleet monitoring of distributed assets.
Nice to have
- CODESYS experience.
- General programming skills (C++, Python, or similar).
- Functional safety exposure: safety PLCs (e.g. TwinSAFE), SIL‑rated systems, IEC 61508/61511.
- ATEX/DSEAR or hazardous‑area awareness.
- Version control (Git) for PLC projects.
- Familiarity with hydrogen fuelling standards (SAE J2601).
What we offer
- 25 days holiday plus bank holidays, increasing with service.
- Company pension, health care plan.
- The chance to work on real hardware in a growing clean‑energy sector — your code fuels vehicles.
How to apply
Apply via LinkedIn or send your CV to. We review applications on a rolling basis.
PLC Software Engineer — Hydrogen Refuelling Systems in Hungerford employer: Fuel Cell Systems Ltd.
As a PLC Software Engineer at our Hungerford location, you'll be part of a dynamic team dedicated to advancing hydrogen refuelling technology. We offer a competitive salary, generous holiday allowance, and a supportive work culture that prioritises employee growth and development in the clean-energy sector. Join us to make a tangible impact while enjoying the benefits of a hybrid work model and the opportunity to work on innovative projects that fuel real vehicles.
