Automation Service Support Engineer

at  GEA Group

AUTOMATION SERVICE SUPPORT ENGINEER

GEA is one of the largest suppliers for the food and beverage processing industry and a wide range of other process industries. Approximately 18,000 employees in more than 60 countries contribute significantly to GEA’s success – come and join them! We offer interesting and challenging tasks, a positive working environment in international teams and opportunities for personal development and growth in a global company.
Why join GEA

SITE

School Lane, Eastleigh Hampshire SO53 4DG
For over 50 years, GEA Pharma Systems has been a leading provider of processing equipment for blending, granulating, drying, pelletizing, and coating within the pharmaceutical industry. Our solutions range from small-scale R&D systems to large industrial plants designed for batch production under cGMP conditions. Using proven standard components, GEA delivers both simplicity and flexibility in plant design. Our customizable process options, cleaning equipment, control systems, and PAT technologies ensure an exact fit for our customers’ process requirements while minimizing qualification and validation efforts.
Your responsibilities and tasks:
We are seeking an Automation Service Support Engineer to provide expert technical support to our global customers for legacy GEA equipment. You will play a key role in ensuring our customers’ equipment is quickly restored to full functionality by providing remote troubleshooting and technical advice from our Eastleigh office.
This role demands a high level of fault-finding expertise across Electrical, Controls & Instrumentation (EC&I) and software systems, along with strong attention to detail. You will also assist Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and Customer Service Managers by providing upgrade recommendations and technical quotations for legacy equipment. Strong customer-facing skills are essential for technical interactions with clients.

You will work within a small design and commissioning team at our Eastleigh office, delivering control systems and customer support to our global client base. The role operates in an ISO 9001 quality environment, ensuring compliance with industry documentation and quality standards.

• Provide technical support to Customer Service Managers for legacy equipment.
• Offer remote support for emergency and non-emergency technical issues.
• Guide customers in troubleshooting electrical, pneumatic, controls, and instrumentation faults remotely.
• Diagnose and resolve automation software issues related to PLC, HMI, SCADA, and PC systems.
• Advise customers on equipment upgrades and prepare technical quotations for upgrade solutions.
• Work proactively to enhance the overall customer experience with GEA

Your profile and qualifications:

The ideal candidate will have a proven background in EC&I and software design for process or equipment control within the Life Sciences industry or a similar process-driven sector.

• Holds a relevant HNC/D qualification.
• Minimum of five years’ experience in EC&I, PLC, and SCADA systems.
• Highly motivated, with strong communication and organizational skills.
• Creative problem-solver, capable of working effectively under pressure.
• Demonstrated fault-finding skills on industrial equipment

Essential experience:

• Electrical switchgear / motor control design to EN60204.
• Process Instrumentation expertise.
• Siemens TIA Portal PLC programming (LAD/STL).
• Siemens Step 7 PLC programming (LAD/STL).
• Siemens TIA HMI configuration.
• Siemens WinCC Flexible HMI configuration.
• Allen-Bradley ControlLogix PLCs.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.

Desirable experience includes:

• iFIX SCADA.

• Provide technical support to Customer Service Managers for legacy equipment.
• Offer remote support for emergency and non-emergency technical issues.
• Guide customers in troubleshooting electrical, pneumatic, controls, and instrumentation faults remotely.
• Diagnose and resolve automation software issues related to PLC, HMI, SCADA, and PC systems.
• Advise customers on equipment upgrades and prepare technical quotations for upgrade solutions.
• Work proactively to enhance the overall customer experience with GE