We are looking for a PLC AI & Engineering Automation Consultant to support HMH Digital Engineering team. Join HMH in their quest to solve tomorrow’s challenges and innovate our future!

HMH is exploring how AI-assisted and automation-driven engineering methods can improve PLC development, testing, documentation, migration, and engineering quality. We are seeking a hands-on contractor to help evaluate, prototype, and test practical AI-enabled engineering workflows in collaboration with HMH engineers.

This is a contractor assignment for a technical individual contributor who will support HMH's learning and adoption of AI-assisted engineering practices and does not replace qualified engineering review, approval, or accountability.

What will you be doing in this role?
As PLC AI & Engineering Automation Consultant, you will work with HMH engineers to evaluate where AI and automation can create measurable engineering value, and where traditional engineering automation or manual expert review remain the preferred approach.
Your responsibilities will include:

• Prototype AI-assisted workflows for PLC engineering tasks such as code explanation and review, refactoring support, documentation, test-case generation, and engineering knowledge retrieval.
• Work primarily with Siemens PLC engineering environments such as TIA Portal and STEP 7.
• Support structured evaluation of AI/copilot/agentic engineering tools against HMH engineering needs, standards, and verification expectations.
• Develop supporting scripts, integrations, or automation utilities using suitable languages and APIs.
• Help generate and review test specifications, expected results, and validation evidence for PLC logic and engineering artefacts.
• Support simulation or test-harness activities where applicable, including checks around sequences, alarms, interlocks, state handling, timing, degraded modes, fault handling, and recovery.
• Document lessons learned, recommended guardrails, reusable examples, and practical playbooks for HMH engineers.
• Collaborate with PLC, test, commissioning, cybersecurity, and quality stakeholders to ensure AI-generated outputs and engineering prototypes are appropriately reviewed, tested, and approved by qualified HMH personnel before operational use.

Who are we looking for?
You combine strong PLC engineering judgement with curiosity and practical ability in automation and AI-assisted engineering. You are aware that AI-generated engineering output must always be verified.
You work independently on defined technical assignments, communicate clearly with engineers and stakeholders, and produce work that others can review, reproduce, and build on.

Required qualifications

• Practical experience developing, reviewing, testing, or troubleshooting industrial PLC software using Siemens TIA Portal and/or STEP 7.
• Strong understanding of PLC behaviour in industrial equipment, including sequences, alarms, interlocks, timing, fault handling, and recovery.
• Ability to develop scripts, integrations, or automation utilities using C#, Python, or similar languages.
• Experience documenting technical findings and producing reusable engineering documentation.
• Previous experience with AI-assisted engineering tools, copilots, agentic workflows, or retrieval-based knowledge assistants.
• Professional working proficiency in English.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with PLC simulation and automated testing (PLCSIM, SIL, HIL) is an advantage.
• Familiarity with Azure DevOps, Git, code review, CI/CD, or configuration-management practices.
• Experience with TIA Portal Openness, APIs, structured engineering data, or engineering-tool integration.
• Previous exposure to industrial cybersecurity, OT environments, functional-safety considerations, or safety-conscious engineering workflows.
• Experience from relevant industrial sectors such as offshore, marine, energy, or heavy machinery.

Department: Digital Engineering
Workplace Location: Kristiansand
Contract duration: 6 months with option for extension

For more information about the position, please contact:
Maria Beatrice Benvenuti, Senior Recruiter- NES Advantage, [email protected]

If you find this opportunity appealing, please submit your application via our website as we will not process applications received via email. Applications will be evaluated on an ongoing basis. 
NES Advantage Solutions is HMH’s global recruitment services provider responsible for permanent and temporary staffing services.
 

With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.