Senior Automation Engineer

Overview

Head of Talent at Haylo Ventures with deep tech expertise

Location: Based at our manufacturing facility in Plymouth, UK.

About us

Plessey has a long history of innovation. Founded in 1956, we have evolved from one of Europe’s earliest semiconductor pioneers into the world’s most advanced MicroLED specialist. This end to end capability, combined with our strong IP portfolio, uniquely positions us to lead the scaling of MicroLEDs from lab innovation to high-volume production. Our future is even brighter. We believe MicroLEDs will define the next era of technology—powering ultra-efficient AR/VR displays, driving optical processors that make AI faster and more sustainable, and enabling devices yet to be imagined. Plessey has recently been acquired by Haylo Labs, accelerating our growth and opening new opportunities.

Our Values

• Commitment
• Care

About the Role

Join a collaborative team driving automation at the heart of Industry 4.0. You’ll build systems that modernise fab operations, improving efficiency and decision-making for both machines and people. This is a rare chance to shape digital transformation from the ground up while growing in a culture of teamwork, innovation, and impact. As automation scales, the demand for data will increase continuously laying the foundations for agentic AI.

Key Responsibilities

• This is a unique opportunity to build automation solutions from the ground up, driving digital transformation and modernising factory operations
• Define and shape the automation roadmap laying the foundation for advanced automation in a facility that is actively transitioning from legacy/manual operations
• Design, develop, and maintain automation software solutions for semiconductor equipment with a focus on SECS/GEM protocols (SEMI E4/E5/E30/E37/E39/E87/E90/E94 standards)
• Architect and implement scalable, flexible automation systems to support a fab transitioning from minimal automation toward a highly integrated environment
• Integrate factory equipment with MES, and factory control systems including support of Fault Detection and Classification (FDC)
• Troubleshoot and resolve equipment communication and automation issues
• Analyse logs and system behaviours to identify and eliminate integration bottlenecks
• Enhance system performance, reliability, and usability for fab operations
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, specifications, and user training materials

Experience & Attributes

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Automation, or related discipline
• 5+ years of experience in semiconductor automation engineering, software development, or equipment integration
• Visionary mindset with the ability to design automation from the ground up
• Strong working knowledge of SECS/GEM standards
• Proficiency in programming languages such as C#
• Experience with databases (SQL/Oracle) and MES integration
• Strong problem-solving and debugging skills
• Excellent communication skills across cross-functional and multicultural teams

Advantage

• Hands-on experience designing automation systems in brownfield/legacy fabs
• Understanding of semiconductor manufacturing processes
• Experience of Critical Manufacturing MES, Promis, OpCenter or CAMSTAR
• Experience of SAP Enterprise and Resource Planning (ERP) and MES integration
• Experience in modern software practices (version control, DevOps, containerisation)
• Experience with Python programming

Seniority level

• Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Research, Engineering, and Manufacturing
• Industries: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Appliances, Electrical, and Electronics Manufacturing, and Manufacturing