Automation Manager

Job Description Summary:

The Automation Manager position is responsible for ensuring effective Operation support, rapid breakdown response, structured troubleshooting, and the coordination of root cause analysis for automation, control system, electrical, and data-related issues impacting manufacturing operations. The Automation Manager will provide leadership to the Operation Support Help Desk team, ensuring issues are prioritized, escalated, investigated, and resolved in a controlled and timely manner.

What You’ll Do for Us 

• Manage day-to-day automation support team performance, ensuring timely response, escalation, and resolution of shopfloor issues. 
• Align daily workload with support staff, prioritizing breakdowns, repeat issues, corrective actions, and planned support activities. 
• Attend operation meetings, root cause reviews, and breakdown reviews to ensure automation issues are understood, assigned, and tracked. 
• Lead troubleshooting and root cause analysis for automation, control system, electrical, and data-related production issues. 
• Manage automation equipment availability, supporting rapid recovery from breakdowns and reducing repeat interventions. 
• Support HITT activities through technical input, investigation support, data analysis, and ownership of agreed actions. 
• Deliver local automation improvement projects focused on OEE, system reliability, equipment availability, and process improvement. 
• Ensure support activities are completed in line with safety, quality, GMP, cyber security, and change control requirements.

Qualification & Requirements 

• Degree qualified in Electrical Engineering, Automation Engineering, Control Systems, or a related technical discipline required.
• Strong experience leading automation, electrical, controls, or production support teams in a high-volume manufacturing environment. 
• Proven ability to manage day-to-day Operations support, including workload prioritization, breakdown response, escalation, and follow-up. 
• Significant hands-on experience with PLC systems, batch process control, HMI, SCADA, industrial networks, and manufacturing data systems. 
• Experience with Ignition, FactoryTalk Batch, Rockwell PLCs, SAP, WMS, OEE, or similar production and warehouse system integrations is desirable. 
• Strong root cause analysis and troubleshooting capability across automation, electrical, control system, equipment, and data-related issues. 
• Ability to lead local improvement projects focused on OEE, equipment availability, system reliability, standardization, and repeat issue reduction. 
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively with operations, maintenance, engineering, quality, warehouse, IT, and senior management. 
• Commercially and operationally aware, with the ability to balance operation priorities, compliance requirements, technical risk, and resource constraints. 
• Strong analytical capability, including the development and use of metrics, reports, trends, and data insights to support decision making. 
• Self-driven, adaptable, proactive, and capable of working in a fast-paced production support environment. 
• Experience managing change in a team-based manufacturing environment, including change control, testing, communication, and controlled implementation.

What We Can Do For You 

• Purpose Driven: Purpose driven approach that empowers our people to protect the environment and communities we serve while delivering safe & quality products.

• Global Connections: Allows you to develop, enhance and maintain global connections that allow us to move faster and learn from others.

• Community of Belonging: We’re an organization that believes our ability to continually grow and build the right atmosphere where people feel safe and empowered, lets you bring your best self to work.

 

Skills:

Change Management, Continual Improvement Process, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), ISO 14001, Lean Manufacturing, Microsoft Office, Production Management, Production Processes, Quality Control (QC), Six Sigma, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), Waterfall Model

Location(s):

Ireland

City/Cities:

Ballina

Travel Required:

00% - 25%

Relocation Provided:

No

Job Posting End Date:

June 30, 2026

Our Purpose and Growth Culture:

We are taking deliberate action to nurture an inclusive culture that is grounded in our company purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference. We act with a growth mindset, take an expansive approach to what’s possible and believe in continuous learning to improve our business and ourselves. We focus on four key behaviors – curious, empowered, inclusive and agile – and value how we work as much as what we achieve. We believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive after 130+ years. Visit Our Purpose and Vision to learn more about these behaviors and how you can bring them to life in your next role at Coca-Cola.