PLC / Automation Engineer – Siemens TIA Portal

Location: Italy

Contract Length: 3–6 months

Start: ASAP

Working Pattern: 3-shift rotation

Indicative Rate: Approx. 60/hour

Accommodation: Provided / paid for

Travel: Flights / travel costs covered The Opportunity

We are looking for PLC / Automation Engineers for a hands-on industrial automation troubleshooting project in Italy .

The main technical requirement is strong experience with Siemens PLC systems and TIA Portal , with some additional exposure to Omron PLCs considered beneficial.

The assignment is focused on supporting a live production environment where there are ongoing automation and production issues. Engineers will be expected to investigate faults, analyse PLC logic, identify root causes and provide clear recommendations and corrective actions to improve equipment reliability and production performance.

This is not primarily a greenfield PLC programming role. The emphasis is on fault finding, diagnostics, troubleshooting, root-cause analysis and production support .

The initial assignment is expected to run for 3–6 months , with engineers working fully onsite as part of a rotating three-shift schedule.

Key Responsibilities The successful engineers will be responsible for:

Troubleshooting Siemens PLC-controlled production equipment

Working extensively with Siemens TIA Portal

Going online with PLCs to diagnose faults and production issues

Analysing existing PLC logic, sequences and interlocks

Investigating recurring production stoppages and equipment downtime

Identifying whether faults originate from PLC software, electrical systems, sensors, drives, instrumentation, communications or mechanical equipment

Supporting troubleshooting of automated machinery and production lines

Identifying bottlenecks, intermittent faults and reliability issues

Carrying out root-cause analysis





Recommending corrective actions and technical improvements

Producing clear action lists outlining issues, priorities and recommended solutions

Supporting implementation and testing of corrective actions where required

Working closely with production, maintenance and engineering personnel

Documenting technical findings and any software modifications made The key requirement is the ability to systematically diagnose why automated equipment is not performing correctly and determine the most effective solution .

Shift Pattern The assignment will operate across a three-shift rotation :

Morning: 06:00–15:00

Afternoon: 14:00–22:00

Night: 21:00–06:00

Candidates must be comfortable working across the rotating shift pattern for the duration of the assignment.

Technical Background

Strong hands-on experience with the following is highly desirable:

Siemens TIA Portal

Siemens S7 PLCs

S7-1200 / S7-1500

PLC diagnostics and online troubleshooting

Ladder Logic, FBD and/or Structured Text / SCL

Siemens HMI systems

WinCC / HMI troubleshooting

Industrial Ethernet / Profinet

Drives and motor control

Sensors, actuators and field devices

Automated machinery and production lines

Electrical fault finding

Machine sequencing and interlocks

Machine commissioning and start-up

Production troubleshooting

Root-cause analysis

Experience with Omron PLC systems , such as Sysmac Studio or CX-Programmer , would be useful but is not the primary requirement .

Experience with other platforms such as Rockwell / Allen-Bradley,



Beckhoff or Mitsubishi may also be beneficial.

Candidate Profile

We are primarily interested in mid-level / medior Automation Engineers rather than senior-level consultants.

Ideally, you will have:

2+ years of hands-on PLC / automation experience

Strong practical experience with Siemens TIA Portal

Previous experience troubleshooting automated production equipment

Ability to go online with Siemens PLCs and diagnose live production faults

Ability to read and understand existing PLC code

Strong fault-finding and root-cause analysis skills

Understanding of electrical drawings and automation hardware

Experience working within live manufacturing or production environments

Ability to distinguish between software, electrical, instrumentation and mechanical faults

Experience working directly with maintenance and production teams

Ability to work independently and communicate findings clearly A practical, hands-on problem-solving approach

Willingness to work a three-shift rotation

Availability to work fully onsite in Italy for 3–6 months

This position would be particularly suitable for an engineer with a few years of strong Siemens automation experience who enjoys troubleshooting and resolving real production issues rather than focusing solely on software development.

Contract & Package

3–6 month contract

Approx. €60-65/hour

Accommodation paid for

Flights / travel costs covered

Full-time onsite assignment in Italy

Three-shift rotation

ASAP start

Application

When applying, please provide:

Your earliest available start date

Your required hourly rate

Details of your Siemens TIA Portal experience

Details of your experience troubleshooting live production / manufacturing equipment

Any experience with Omron PLC systems

Confirmation that you are comfortable working a three-shift rotation in Italy

📌 PLC / Automation Engineer - Siemens TIA Portal (Bologna)
🏢 European Tech Recruit
📍 Bologna