Automation Engineer

Our Mission:

At Sunrise Robotics, we are dedicated to augmenting humanity through intelligent robotics. Our mission is to elevate the world of manufacturing by introducing intelligent, flexible robots that enhance human capabilities and existing machinery, ushering in the next era of production at higher quality, with less waste, and lower cost.

Our Vision:

We see a future where every element of manufacturing, from design to assembly, is optimised with intelligent automation. Our vision is to integrate flexible robotic solutions, based on generic hardware and advanced software/AI capabilities, into manufacturing, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises, to make automation economically viable and accessible, for all sizes of manufacturers. We are not just building robots; we are creating the strategically crucial components for autonomous, intelligent agents of the future.

The Role:

Sunrise Robotics is hiring an Automation Engineer to own the automation and electrical deliverables that take robotic cells from development into reliable, deployable systems. This role exists because the gap between a working prototype and a production-ready cell is largely won or lost at the controls and electrical layer - and we need someone who owns that layer end to end.

In the next 6 months, you'll establish clean, maintainable PLC code across our R&D cells, bring version control discipline to our automation workflows, and ensure electrical plans are complete and build-ready. By month 12, you'll be the person our delivery and deployment teams rely on when a cell needs to be commissioned, a customer issue needs diagnosing, or a Factory Acceptance Test needs to pass. You own the automation and electrical quality of what we ship.

This is a hands-on, cross-functional role based in Ljubljana, working across R&D and Delivery. You'll work directly with mechanical, safety, and software engineering teams - and travel to customer sites to support commissioning and deployment when it counts.

What You'll Do:

• Develop and maintain Siemens PLC software using TIA Portal, writing code that is structured, readable, and built to be handed over.

• Create and manage electrical schematics in EPLAN Electric P8, ensuring plans are complete, accurate, and aligned with what the build and deployment teams actually need.

• Own PLC version control workflows - establishing and maintaining the practices that keep automation software traceable and recoverable.

• Set up communication protocols including IO-Link, Profisafe, and Profinet, and interface with external controllers such as VFDs, remote I/O, and IO-Link devices.

• Support R&D on automation and hardware architecture decisions for robotic cells, contributing from the controls and electrical perspective early in the design process.

• Commission and troubleshoot cells during delivery and deployment, including on-site at customer facilities

• Lead or support Factory Acceptance Tests, ensuring cells meet specification before handoff.

• Diagnose and resolve customer hardware issues, working closely with Forward Deploy and Operational Support Engineers in the field.

What Makes You Stand Out:

• Siemens certifications in PLC programming or TIA Portal.

• Safety certifications or formal training in functional safety.

• Knowledge of functional safety standards beyond the minimum required by the role.

• Familiarity with robot controllers and how they interface with PLC-based control architectures.

Why Us:

We're building a new category of intelligent, flexible robotic automation with real deployments, real customers, and momentum across Europe.

• High exposure: Work across the full development-to-delivery lifecycle, collaborating directly with mechanical, safety, software, and product teams on systems that reach live production environments.

• Career acceleration: Build breadth across both R&D and deployment in a fast-moving robotics company - the kind of exposure that takes years to accumulate at a larger organisation.

• Real impact: The reliability of every cell we ship depends on the quality of the controls and electrical work underneath it. That's yours to own.