Senior Controls Engineer (PLC/SCADA)

Location: Stafford, UK — hybrid, with 3 days in the office and 2 days working from home. Working hours are Monday–Thursday 8:00–16:30 and Friday 8:00–12:30. Candidates must be UK nationals with no dual passports and must have lived in the UK for the last 5 years.

Salary: up to £65,000 per year, depending on skills and experience.

Company

hirify.global provides control and functional safety system solutions for the nuclear and defence sectors across requirements capture, design, build, testing, installation, and commissioning, and is part of ITI Group.

What you will do

• Lead software engineering activities and take responsibility for software engineering delivery across specified projects.
• Oversee software and system design from contract award through handover, including technical and contract documentation, tenders, and client requirements.
• Provide technical support to business development, estimating, sales, and onsite engineering teams.
• Plan and manage software resources, budgets, priorities, and project delivery to meet quality, cost, and schedule targets.
• Coordinate with clients, engineers, contractors, and stakeholders on technical and commercial matters.
• Manage and mentor assigned engineers, promote best practice, and support continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Degree-level education in a relevant engineering discipline.
• Ability to architect, structure, and write complete PLC software programs from scratch, preferably using Siemens TIA Portal / STEP 7.
• Hands-on experience parameterising, commissioning, and integrating Variable Speed Drives; SCADA design and integration experience is highly desirable.
• Experience delivering control systems through the full lifecycle from Functional Design Specifications through FAT, SAT, and onsite commissioning.
• MOD Security clearance.
• At least 4 years of software development experience, including leading teams in a project environment and delivering successful systems.
• Experience working within ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 45001 environments.
• Expertise in systems integration and cybersecurity in the nuclear and defence industries, plus experience delivering customer satisfaction.
• Experience managing software projects, coordinating resources and competing priorities, and managing project budgets with strong commercial and financial awareness.
• Ability to resolve complex technical challenges and deliver engineering outcomes on time and within budget.
• Must pass DBS and BPSS checks, have no spent or current criminal convictions, and be prepared to work in the nuclear defence sector.

Nice to have

• Experience in a regulated industry.
• Ability to reduce costs, improve business performance, and add value.
• Leadership, people management, communication, influencing, analytical, organisational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to motivate, mentor, and develop engineers while driving continuous improvement and high team performance.
• Results-driven, flexible, accountable, and solutions-focused approach.

Culture & Benefits

• Hybrid working with a supportive environment focused on safety, security, technical mastery, continual learning, collaboration, and innovation.
• Training opportunities and career development support.
• Wellbeing support and private medical insurance after 6 months of service.
• Pension scheme.
• Work alongside specialists delivering systems for critical facilities and safer, more sustainable operations.

Hiring process

• First-round interviews use an AI note taker to create a transcript supporting the hiring process.
• Applicants must satisfy the stated DBS, BPSS, nationality, UK residence, criminal record, and nuclear defence eligibility requirements.