Industrial Automation Manager

Industrial Automation Manager - (Zoetermeer – fulltime)

This role is part of our Specialized Nutrition factory located in Zoetermeer and reports to the Digital & Systems Manager. In this factory (with over 500 Danoners) we produce specialized liquid medical nutrition contributing to the well-being of vulnerable target groups (infants, elderly and sick) in over 55 countries.

About the Job
In our factory, the highest standards on quality, uptime, and traceability apply. The Automation team plays a key role in contributing to these KPI’s. As Industrial Automation Manager, you will be responsible for managing a group of skilled engineers who manage the systems of the different factory departments, such as weighing, liquid processing, and filling. Next to that, you provide input to supporting departments such as Engineering, Quality, and Design, Qualification and Validation.  This concerns both hands-on troubleshooting and long-term projects for innovations, and for upgrading and continuously improving the systems in our plant.
Your main responsibilities:
• Ensuring uptime and maintenance of our MES and DCS / factory control system;
• Ensuring uptime and maintenance of servers used in our OT-environment;
• Ensuring that Danone global standards and industry best practices for automation systems are applied within collaborative projects with Engineering, Quality, and Digital Manufacturing;
• Ensuring the cybersecurity of our OT systems by applying existing regulations and methods, and implementing new ones;
• Processing system changes based on input from a variety of stakeholders, while adhering to the compliance standards that apply within the department, the plant and / or Danone global standards;
• Compiling roadmaps and year plans for maintenance, upgrading, and innovation activities;
• Propagate systematic change management approaches to change requests, by means of tools such as URS, TDS, Project Plannings;
• Ensuring a balanced project portfolio, aligning with the short- and long-term strategy and needs of both the plant and the company;
• Aligning with stakeholders from different departments (Engineering; Digital Manufacturing; Maintenance; Design, Quality & Validation), who need the skills of the Automation team to be successful with their projects and activities.

About You
You are a real people manager with an engineering heart. You ensure that amidst the day-to-day hecticness of a large factory, your team has the time, space, hardware, and skills to do their job in a meaningful way. You enable your team to prioritize and excel while keeping the needs of a wide variety of stakeholders in mind. You effortlessly change gears between daily, hands-on activities and long-term projects, both inside and outside the Industrial Automation department.
• A Master or Bachelor degree in operational technology, automation, or a similar field;
• Extensive hands-on experience in a factory/production environment in FMCG, food, or medical industry;
• Extensive experience with DCS (Siemens, ABB), MES, SCADA, PLCs, and HMI;
• A thorough understanding of industrial networks, servers, and other ancillary devices;
• Familiarity with liquid processing and packing machinery;
• A broad network of suppliers and peers in the field;

• Proven leadership skills to guide a team of 9 permanent and 4 temporary engineers;

• A growth mindset that enables the team and the plant to continue its transformation journey into digitalization, continuous improvement, and sustainability;
• Excellent communication skills, which help you communicate technical topics to non-technical colleagues;

• Problem solving skills, which help you spot issues and bottlenecks before they occur in practice, and see how a topic fits in the bigger picture;

• Fluent in both Dutch and English is a must.

About us

Working here in Danone you’ll need to enjoy a fast-pace, complexity and it can get a little challenging. But it’s packed with opportunities. You’ll work with some of the best-known brands in the world, such as Alpro, Evian, Nutricia, Activia and Nutrilon and we absolutely guarantee that you can just be yourself. Be innovative and entrepreneurial and the impact you could make might just amaze you. Join our movement for a healthier world. One Planet One Health BY YOU.
We are proud to be an equal employer. We are convinced our differences make the difference and that an inclusive working environment will drive our growth as a business, as teams and as individuals. We will therefore consider all applicants for employment* fostering an inclusive working culture that is accessible for all.
Did you know that as a B-Corp certified company, Danone Benelux meets the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability?

* all applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status

We Offer

At Danone, we offer a complete package of benefits, with a competitive salary and yearly bonus, but also benefits like a premium free pension, 30 days annual leave and several discounts on a collective health insurance and even on some of our products. It’s an exciting time to join Danone as a PCM Technologist. You’ll build meaningful relationships and networks working with large, dynamic brands.

What’s next?

Are you the Industrial Automation Manager we are looking for? Hit the “apply now” button. After the application deadline first feedback will follow within 2 weeks. To comply with GDPR regulations, we cannot process your personal data without given consent. Therefore, we strongly recommend applying directly via our career’s website. Good luck! We can’t wait to meet you.

Need more information? Please contact me: Sigrid van der Poel-Kreike, Talent Manager on sigrid.kreike@danone.com

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