Controls Software Manager

Salary: £60,000 - 60,000 per year

Requirements:

• Strong experience developing industrial control software
• Extensive PLC programming experience, ideally with Mitsubishi, Siemens and/or Omron
• Experience working on bespoke machinery, automation systems or special purpose machines
• The ability to lead, mentor and develop a technical engineering team
• Strong project management and organisational skills
• A structured approach to software development, standards and documentation
• The ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• A genuine interest in remaining technically hands-on alongside management responsibilities

Responsibilities:

• Lead, manage and develop a team of industrial control software engineers
• Review workload, project progress and team performance, working with the wider management team to ensure resources are aligned with business requirements
• Allocate engineering resources across projects and support recruitment and team development
• Provide technical guidance and help engineers resolve complex software and controls challenges
• Develop and maintain software engineering standards, procedures and best practices
• Drive greater standardisation and consistency across software development, creating reusable approaches that improve portability, reduce development times and minimise reliance on individual engineers
• Ensure agreed software standards and methodologies are consistently adopted across the team
• Work closely with Sales, Operations and other engineering disciplines on technical policy, planning and project requirements
• Take responsibility for selected projects as Project Manager, from initial planning through to delivery
• Remain hands-on and actively program software for new automation projects alongside management responsibilities

Technologies:

• Delphi
• EtherCAT
• Support
• Java
• PLC
• Project Manager

More:

We are an established and growing industrial automation and special purpose machinery business strengthening our engineering leadership team with the appointment of a Software Engineering Manager. This is a key management position within our engineering function, reporting directly to the Managing Director. The successful candidate will lead a team of industrial control software engineers while remaining hands-on with software development and project delivery. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced PLC Software Engineer, Controls Engineer or Software Engineering Manager who enjoys combining technical leadership with hands-on engineering. Our control systems are predominantly PLC-based, with Mitsubishi as the preferred platform, and we also work with Siemens, Omron, industrial PC-based control systems, Beckhoff I/O and EtherCAT, Borland Delphi and Java. Experience across multiple PLC platforms would be advantageous, particularly within special purpose machinery, industrial automation or bespoke machine-building environments.

last updated 35 week of 2026