Junior Automation & Controls Engineer (BE-ICS-ACS-2026-206-GRAE)

Job Description

Join the Automatic Control & Safety (ACS) section of the CERN Industrial Controls group (BE-ICS) and contribute to the control systems for the Primary Gas Systems (PGS) that supply detectors and installations across CERN's Experimental Areas. A central activity is the migration of the LHC Primary Gas Systems to a dedicated Experimental Areas infrastructure, regrouping their development, maintenance and first-line support.

You will work across the full control stack - from PLC logic and field instrumentation to WinCC OA supervision - using CERN's model-driven Gas Control System (GCS) and UNICOS-CPC frameworks.

Your responsibilities

• Contribute to the migration of the LHC Primary Gas Systems, covering PLC and SCADA (WinCC OA) development and commissioning.
• Develop and configure gas-system control applications on Schneider M580 and Siemens S7-1500 PLCs.
• Contribute to the specification, I/O definition and instrumentation of primary and detector gas systems and to HMI, touch-panel and notification (email/SMS) development.
• Support factory and site acceptance testing (FAT/SAT), installation and commissioning in the experimental areas, together with documentation and first-line operational support.

Your profile

• Interest in industrial control systems and hands-on work with hardware, instrumentation and field installations.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work within a multidisciplinary team.
• Good communication skills in English, with the ability to document and present technical work clearly.

Skills

• Some knowledge of PLC programming (IEC 61131-3) on Schneider and/or Siemens platforms, or willingness to learn.
• Familiarity with SCADA systems (WinCC OA an asset) and industrial communication protocols such as PROFIBUS, PROFINET, Modbus or Flowbus.
• Proficiency in a scripting or programming language such as Python.
• Interest in field instrumentation and gas/fluid systems.
• Knowledge of continuous integration (GitLab CI) or model-driven code generation an asset.
• Spoken and written English, with a commitment to learn French.

Eligibility criteria:

• You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State.
• By the application deadline, you have a maximum of two years of professional experience since graduation in Automation, Control Engineering (or a related field) and your highest educational qualification is either a Bachelor's or Master's degree.
• You have never had a CERN fellow or graduate contract before.
• Applicants without University degree are not eligible.
• Applicants with a PhD are not eligible.

Additional Information

Job closing date: 09.09.2026 at 23:59 CEST.

Contract duration: 24 months, with a possible extension up to 36 months maximum.

Working hours: 40 hours per week

Job flexibility: Hybrid

Target start date: 01-November-2026

This position involves:

• Work in Radiation Areas.
• Interventions in underground installations.
• A valid driving licence.

Job reference: BE-ICS-ACS-2026-206-GRAE

Field of work: Electronics Engineering

Benchmark job: 200020 - Computing Engineer

Global Benefits

• A monthly net stipend of either 5266 or 5793 Swiss Francs per month depending on your degree.
• 30 days of paid leave per year plus 2 weeks annual closure.
• Coverage by CERN’s comprehensive health insurance scheme (for yourself, your spouse and children), and membership of the CERN Pension Fund.
• Family, child and infant monthly allowances depending on your individual circumstances.
• A relocation package (installation grant and travel expenses) depending on your individual circumstances.
• Possibility to extend your contract up to 36 months.
• On-the-job and formal training including language classes.

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