What Kind of Jobs Can Automation and Control Engineers Get in the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Industry?

By: Donagh Fitzgerald B.Prod Eng and Gerry Creaner B.Chem Eng. Last Updated: October 2023

As an automation or control engineer coming from outside this sector, you are in an excellent position to apply for automation roles in this sector. The majority of roles are with:

  • pharmaceutical or medical device manufacturing sectors working full-time on in-house projects.
  • the numerous engineering consultancies that focus on these sectors.

There is a high demand for people with your skillset across multiple markets. You generally don’t need any additional training but you could certainly benefit from taking a course on GMPs if you have no experience working in a GMP manufacturing environment and also on computer system validation (CSV).

For a list of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers and engineering consultancies, click here if you are in Ireland and here if you are in the United Kingdom. Read this article to see the Top 10 Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Industry Hubs in the USA. For other locations, do a search for engineering consultancies for the pharma of med device sector.

Apart from the general “Automation Engineer”, “Senior Automation Engineer” or “Control Engineer” job tiles, here are some other titles we often see advertised.

  • Project Automation Engineer (OEM)
  • Senior Automation DeltaV Engineer
  • Lead Automation Engineer
  • Automation Foxboro Engineer
  • DeltaV Automation Engineer
  • Automation Engineer – MES Lead
  • OEM Automation Engineer
  • Intermediate Control Systems Engineer
  • Instrumentation & Controls Systems Engineer (Pharma)

You’d have the following 2 options to help bolster your qualifications.

Option 1

Bolster your qualifications by taking our 6-week GMPs Training Course for Beginners in the Pharmaceutical Industry to learn about Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and the risk management techniques used in the FDA-regulated manufacturing environment.

Option 2

Take our Computer System Validation Training Course and extend your role to CSV Projects. Round out your qualifications and give yourself a competitive edge in the marketplace.

About the Author

Our Team

Donagh Fitzgerald

Head of Marketing & Product Development
Mechanical/Production Engineer

Donagh looks after the marketing and product development including the training and pedagogical elements of our programs and makes sure that all GetReskilled’s users can have a great online learning experience. Donagh has lived and worked in many countries including Ireland, America, the UK, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. Donagh has also served as the Program Manager for the Farmleigh Fellowship based out of Singapore.

Donagh holds Degrees in Production Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from South East Technological University, Ireland.

Photo of GetReskilled President Gerry Creaner

Gerry Creaner

President
Senior Lecturer with GetReskilled

Gerry Creaner has over 30-years of experience in the Life Sciences Manufacturing industry across a range of technical, managerial and business roles. He established a very successful engineering consultancy prior to founding GetReskilled, an online education and learning business, with offices in Singapore, Ireland and Boston (USA), focussed on the manufacture of safe and effective medicines for the public.

He is also a founding Director of two Singapore based philanthropic organizations, the Farmleigh Fellowship and the Singapore-Ireland Fund, both of which deepen the well established and historical Singapore – Ireland relationship and deliver long-term benefits to both countries.

Gerry has an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering (UCD, 1980) and an MSc (Management) from Trinity College Dublin (2003) and is currently doing research for his Ph.D.