Automation Engineer – Paper Mill

About the role

An experienced Automation Engineer is sought for a leading paper manufacturing company in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The role covers programming, maintaining and optimising automation and control systems that support efficient mill operations, process improvements and production reliability. The salary is SAR 10,000 - 12,000.

Key responsibilities

• Program, configure and modify PLC, DCS and HMI/SCADA systems, and troubleshoot PID tuning on tissue machine parameters such as basis weight, moisture, headbox pressure and Yankee dryer steam.
• Manage, back up and secure automation software, logic files and network configurations, and analyse process data to improve cycle times and reduce waste.
• Support calibration, maintenance and troubleshooting of smart field instruments, control valves, actuators and sensors, and maintain VFDs and multi-drive systems for web tension control.
• Lead or support automation work on new equipment, upgrades and legacy migrations, and design, review and update loop drawings, P&IDs and technical documentation.
• Carry out system checks, logic updates and loop testing during planned shutdowns.
• Ensure compliance with safety protocols and standards, and protect safety-instrumented systems (SIS) and emergency shutdown (ESD) logic.

Required profile

• Bachelor's or graduate degree in Automation, Instrumentation & Control or Electrical Engineering.
• At least 5 years of automation and control systems engineering in continuous process manufacturing, ideally tissue paper or advanced paper mills.
• Proven experience programming and troubleshooting major industrial systems, and clear, direct communication under pressure.

Required skills

• PLC, DCS and HMI/SCADA programming and troubleshooting.
• Siemens (Step 7, TIA Portal), ABB, Valmet DCS or Rockwell Automation.
• Industrial protocols: Profibus, Profinet, Modbus, Ethernet/IP.
• Familiarity with paper machine systems such as QCS is highly advantageous.