Automation Recruitment Agency
Last Updated at: 08/24/2026Alliance recruits industrial automation engineers for manufacturers, systems integrators, machine builders, and end users worldwide. PLC programmers, robotics engineers, controls engineers, and SCADA specialists are screened on verified platform experience before you see them. Shortlist within 5 working days.
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What Is An Automation Recruitment Agency?
An automation recruitment agency sources, screens, and places the engineers who design, program, commission, and maintain industrial automation systems: PLC programmers, robotics engineers, controls engineers, SCADA specialists, instrumentation engineers, and automation project managers.
This is one of the most difficult technical talent markets in manufacturing, for a reason that is specific and often underestimated by generalist recruiters. Automation experience does not transfer freely between platforms. An engineer who is an expert in Siemens TIA Portal is not automatically productive in Rockwell Studio 5000. A robotics engineer fluent in FANUC will need retraining on KUKA. A controls engineer from food and beverage will not walk into a pharmaceutical-validated environment without a significant adjustment period.
A recruiter who cannot distinguish between these things sends you candidates who look qualified on paper and fail at the technical interview. Alliance screens automation engineers on verified platform experience, sector environment, commissioning exposure, and safety competency before presenting anyone.
We recruit for manufacturers, systems integrators, machine builders, OEMs, and end users across food and beverage, pharmaceutical, automotive, packaging, water treatment, energy, and general manufacturing in 36+ countries.
For broader engineering recruitment across mechanical, electrical, and design disciplines, see our engineering recruitment agency Birmingham service covering the UK manufacturing heartland.
How quickly can you supply automation engineers? Automation engineering roles are shortlisted within 5 working days and typically filled within 4 to 8 weeks. Senior and specialist roles requiring rare platform combinations take 6 to 12 weeks because the qualified pool is genuinely small.
What does automation recruitment cost? Permanent placements are charged as a percentage of the candidate’s first-year salary, payable on the start date. Contact Alliance for a rate indication specific to your role and location.
Automation Roles We Recruit
| Role | What Alliance Screens For |
|---|---|
| PLC Programmer / PLC Engineer | Verified platform experience across Siemens, Rockwell/Allen-Bradley, Mitsubishi, Omron, Schneider or Beckhoff. Ladder, structured text and function block competency. Live commissioning exposure |
| Controls Engineer | Control panel design, electrical schematics, motor control, VFD configuration, instrumentation integration, control philosophy documentation |
| Robotics Engineer | Platform-specific programming across FANUC, KUKA, ABB, Yaskawa or Universal Robots. Path planning, end-effector integration, vision system experience, cell design |
| SCADA Engineer | WinCC, FactoryTalk, Ignition, Wonderware or Citect. HMI design, alarm management, historian configuration, data architecture |
| Automation Project Engineer | Project delivery from concept through FAT, SAT and handover. Budget accountability, contractor coordination, client-facing capability |
| Instrumentation Engineer | Sensor and transmitter selection, loop checking, calibration, hazardous area classification, P&ID interpretation |
| Process Automation Engineer | DCS platforms including DeltaV, Honeywell Experion or ABB 800xA. Batch control, S88 methodology, process optimisation |
| Automation Maintenance Engineer | Fault diagnosis under production pressure, preventive maintenance planning, spares management, downtime reduction |
| Systems Integration Engineer | Multi-vendor integration, industrial networking, OPC UA, MES and ERP interfacing |
| Machine Vision Engineer | Cognex, Keyence or Halcon. Inspection system design, lighting, optics selection, reject handling |
| Automation Design Engineer | Concept development, specification writing, layout design, feasibility studies, cost estimation |
| Head of Automation / Engineering Manager | Team leadership, capital project ownership, automation strategy and roadmap. See our executive recruiters service for director-level appointments |
Platforms We Screen Against
Platform experience is the single most important screening criterion in automation recruitment, and the one generalist recruiters most frequently get wrong. Tell us your stack and we screen specifically to it.
- PLC Platforms:
- Siemens: S7-300, S7-400, S7-1200, S7-1500, TIA Portal, Step 7
- Rockwell Automation / Allen-Bradley: ControlLogix, CompactLogix, Studio 5000, RSLogix
- Mitsubishi Electric: MELSEC, GX Works
- Omron: Sysmac, CX-Programmer
- Schneider Electric: Modicon, EcoStruxure, Unity Pro
- Beckhoff: TwinCAT 2 and 3
- B&R Automation: Automation Studio
- Robotics Platforms: FANUC, KUKA, ABB, Yaskawa Motoman, Universal Robots, Stäubli, Kawasaki and Epson.
- SCADA and HMI: Siemens WinCC, Rockwell FactoryTalk View, Ignition by Inductive Automation, AVEVA Wonderware, Citect and Zenon.
- DCS Platforms: Emerson DeltaV, Honeywell Experion, ABB 800xA, Yokogawa Centum and Siemens PCS 7.
- Industrial Networking: Profinet, Profibus, EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP, EtherCAT, DeviceNet, AS-i and OPC UA.
- Safety Systems: Safety PLC programming, functional safety to IEC 61508 and IEC 62061, machinery safety to ISO 13849, TÜV certification and risk assessment competency.
Where automation systems interface with enterprise IT — MES integration, data historians, cloud connectivity — see our IT manpower outsourcing services for the IT/OT boundary skill set.
Permanent Automation Recruitment
Alliance places automation engineers on a permanent basis, directly onto your payroll.
| Factor | Detail |
|---|---|
| Time to shortlist | 5 working days from signed brief |
| Time to fill | 4 to 8 weeks standard; 6 to 12 weeks for rare platform combinations |
| Employment relationship | Candidate joins your payroll directly |
| Charging model | Percentage of the candidate’s first-year salary |
| Payment trigger | Payable on start date, not on shortlist |
| Replacement guarantee | Standard rebate and replacement period on every placement |
| Typical notice periods | 1 to 3 months, longer for senior systems integrator roles |
| Screening depth | Platform experience verified, commissioning exposure confirmed, sector environment matched, safety competency checked |
Why do automation searches take longer than standard engineering searches: The qualified pool for any specific automation requirement is small. If you need a controls engineer with Rockwell experience, food-grade environment exposure and hygienic design knowledge, within commuting distance of your site, the genuine candidate pool in most regions is measured in dozens rather than hundreds.
This is why Alliance approaches automation searches through direct outreach rather than advertising. The engineers who match tight specifications are employed, know their scarcity value, and do not browse job boards.
What drives most automation recruitment mandates: Three situations dominate: a capital project requiring engineers you do not have in-house, an experienced engineer retiring and taking undocumented system knowledge with them, or a shift from reactive maintenance toward proactive automation capability that requires new skills entirely.
Each demands a different candidate profile. A capital project needs commissioning and project delivery experience. A retirement replacement needs someone who can reverse-engineer legacy systems with poor documentation. A capability shift needs someone who can build and mentor a team.
How We Screen Automation Engineers
Platform experience verified, not assumed: We ask which platforms, which versions, how recently, and what the engineer actually did with them. “Familiar with Siemens” is meaningless. “Programmed S7-1500 in TIA Portal V17, wrote the batch sequence, commissioned on site over six weeks” is verifiable. We check it with references.
Commissioning exposure confirmed: There is a substantial difference between an engineer who writes code at a desk and one who has stood on a production floor at 2am debugging a line that will not start. Commissioning experience is the clearest predictor of practical capability, and we establish it directly.
Sector environment matched: Food and beverage requires hygienic design awareness. Pharmaceutical requires GAMP 5 and validation understanding. Automotive requires cycle time discipline and high-volume reliability. Water treatment requires remote telemetry and regulatory compliance. We match candidates to your environment, not just your platform.
Safety competency checked: Where the role carries functional safety responsibility, we verify knowledge of IEC 61508, IEC 62061 and ISO 13849, along with practical experience of risk assessment and safety system validation. This is not a box-ticking exercise — it is a legal and physical risk if handled poorly.
Documentation and handover discipline: Automation systems outlive the engineers who build them. We assess whether candidates document properly because undocumented systems become expensive liabilities within a few years.
Sectors We Recruit Across
- Food and Beverage: Controls and automation engineers for processing, filling, packaging, and palletising lines. Screened for hygienic design awareness, washdown environment experience, allergen changeover control, and CIP system knowledge.
- Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences: Automation engineers for validated manufacturing environments. GAMP 5 methodology, 21 CFR Part 11 compliance, batch record integration, and validation documentation experience.
- Automotive and Tier 1 Supply: Robotics and controls engineers for body-in-white, assembly, paint, and powertrain. High-volume cycle time discipline, robot cell integration, and line balancing experience.
- Packaging and Material Handling: Engineers for end-of-line automation, conveyor systems, AS/RS, and warehouse automation. Motion control, servo systems and throughput optimisation.
- Water and Wastewater: SCADA and telemetry engineers for treatment works and distribution networks. Remote monitoring, regulatory reporting, and legacy system integration.
- Energy and Utilities: Automation and instrumentation engineers for power generation, renewables, and distribution. Hazardous area competency and grid interface knowledge.
- General Manufacturing and Systems Integration: Engineers for machine builders, systems integrators, and OEMs delivering automation projects to end clients. Client-facing capability and multi-project delivery.
For automation within agricultural machinery and processing, see our agricultural engineering recruitment service.
Our Recruitment Process
1. Technical Briefing (Day 1):
We capture the platform stack, sector environment, project scope, commissioning expectations, safety responsibility, site location, and salary band. A technically accurate brief is the difference between a usable shortlist and a wasted three weeks.
2. Market Search and Direct Approach (Days 1 to 3):
Alliance searches our engineering candidate network and conducts an active market search. For tight platform requirements, we approach engineers directly at competitors, systems integrators, and OEMs rather than waiting for applications.
3. Technical Screening (Days 2 to 4):
Every candidate is interviewed against the platform and sector requirements, with commissioning experience probed and references verified before presentation.
4. Shortlist Delivery (Day 5):
You receive assessed candidates with verified platform experience, commissioning history, sector background, safety competency, salary expectations and notice period. Where a candidate is strong but platform-adjacent rather than platform-exact, we say so explicitly.
5. Technical Interview Coordination (Days 5 to 20):
Alliance manages scheduling, supports technical interview structure, and handles candidate feedback. Most automation appointments include a technical assessment or site visit, which we coordinate.
6. Offer and Counter-Offer Management (Days 20 to 35):
We support offer structuring with accurate platform-specific benchmarking. Counter-offer risk is high in automation because these engineers are difficult and expensive for their current employer to replace. We manage it actively rather than hoping it does not happen.
7. Onboarding and Aftercare:
We remain in contact with both parties through the first 30 days, when platform and environment adjustment issues typically surface.
90-Day Replacement Guarantee: All permanent automation placements include a standard rebate and replacement period.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What does an automation recruitment agency do?
Answer: An automation recruitment agency sources, screens and places industrial automation engineers including PLC programmers, robotics engineers, controls engineers, SCADA specialists and instrumentation engineers. Candidates are screened on verified platform experience, commissioning exposure, sector environment and safety competency.
Q2. How quickly can you supply automation engineers?
Answer: Roles are shortlisted within 5 working days and typically filled within 4 to 8 weeks. Rare platform combinations take 6 to 12 weeks because the qualified candidate pool is genuinely small.
Q3. What does automation recruitment cost?
Answer: Permanent placements are charged as a percentage of the candidate’s first-year salary, payable on start date. Contact Alliance for a rate indication specific to your role, platform and location.
Q4. Which automation platforms do you recruit for?
Answer: Siemens, Rockwell Allen-Bradley, Mitsubishi, Omron, Schneider, Beckhoff and B&R for PLC. FANUC, KUKA, ABB, Yaskawa and Universal Robots for robotics. WinCC, FactoryTalk, Ignition, Wonderware and Citect for SCADA. DeltaV, Experion, 800xA and Centum for DCS.
Q5. Do you verify platform experience or accept it from a CV?
Answer: We verify it. Candidates are asked which platforms, which versions, how recently and what they actually did, then we confirm with references. Platform claims are the most commonly overstated element of an automation CV.
Q6. Why do automation searches take longer than other engineering roles?
Answer: The qualified pool for any specific platform and sector combination is small. Automation experience does not transfer freely between platforms, and the engineers who match tight specifications are employed, aware of their scarcity value and not browsing job boards.
Q7. Do you recruit for functional safety roles?
Answer: Yes. Where the role carries functional safety responsibility, we verify IEC 61508, IEC 62061, and ISO 13849, along with practical risk assessment and safety system validation experience.
Q8. Which sectors do you recruit automation engineers for?
Answer: Food and beverage, pharmaceutical and life sciences, automotive and tier 1 supply, packaging and material handling, water and wastewater, energy and utilities, and general manufacturing, including systems integrators and machine builders.
Q9. Do you offer a replacement guarantee?
Answer: Yes. All permanent automation placements include a standard rebate and replacement period.
Q10. How do I start an automation engineering search?
Answer: Contact Alliance with your platform stack, sector environment, project scope, site location, and timeline. We confirm the technical brief, provide salary benchmarking, and deliver a shortlist within 5 working days.
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