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Tesco • Shire Park, Kestral Way, Welwyn Garden City, UK

Automation Engineering Manager

Employment type:  Full time
8.2

/10

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Job Description

Tesco is on a journey to transform through innovative automation and intelligent design. We are looking for someone to be at the heart of our Automation Engineering Design team, taking responsibility for the end-to-end delivery of technical solutions across our network. Your role is to take a project from an initial idea or data set and turn it into a physical, safe, and operational reality. You'll need to balance technical engineering standards with the practical needs of our customer base, ensuring that every piece of kit we install makes the operation better, faster, or safer.

The Hiring Manager for this role is Nick Robson.

  • Work closely with teams across Operations, Finance, Fulfilment, Technology, Customer and Commercial to make sure our automation solutions actually solve real problems
  • Apply industrial engineering principles to design automation solutions based on throughput, flow, cycle times and real operational data.
  • Consider PUWER and safety requirements early in the design stage to make sure what we build is safe and compliant.
  • Take full ownership of automation engineering - from consulting on problem statements, gathering user requirements and researching the right technology, all the way through design, build, SAT, and handover into operation.
  • Keep everyone updated with clear reports on progress, risks and issues across the programme.
  • Build strong relationships with stakeholders at every level and know when and how to influence decisions.
  • Move fast when priorities shift - adjusting plans without losing sight of what matters.
  • Bring a growth mindset: always looking for smarter, safer, faster ways to work - and be brave enough to try new ideas.
  • Help make the team a great place to work by supporting team days, meetings and shared learning.
  • Set clear personal goals with your manager and take ownership of your own development.

#LI-AG2

  • Automation & AMR expertise at an operational management level, ideally within a fastpaced or hightech environment.
  • Strong senior leadership experience, confident working with senior stakeholders (DCMs, GMs, Directors).
  • Proven ability to lead large, multiskilled engineering teams, including automation specialists across complex areas like RSU and chilled chambers.
  • Excellent people leadership skills, able to inspire, coach and develop highperforming teams.
  • Exceptional stakeholder and relationship management, influencing effectively across the business.
  • Solid financial and commercial acumen, with experience managing multimillionpound budgets.
  • Engineering degree (or equivalent) with significant experience in highly automated distribution or operational environments.
  • Strategic mindset, contributing to longterm planning and working closely with senior engineering leaders.
  • Adaptive, dynamic working style, able to lead both onsite and remotely.
  • Strong understanding of safety, compliance and legal requirements within a distribution centre environment.

You might know us as a supermarket, technology company or even for our award-winning mobile network. Truth is, we�re all of those things, and much more. Our colleagues work with one goal in mind, helping to make every day a little better for our customers, colleagues and communities all over the world. No two customers are the same, neither are our colleagues.

At Tesco, we champion a balance that lets you thrive both in and out of work. Spend 60% of your week collaborating with colleagues at our office locations or local sites and the rest remotely. Whether you're just kicking off your career, juggling passions, or navigating big life events, we're here to support you. We always welcome a conversation about flexible working, so talk to us throughout your application about how we can support.

We're proud to be an accredited Disability Confident Leader, where everyone�s welcome. That�s why we commit to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you need support with your application, click here for more information. And if you're interested in joining our team but don't tick every box, don't let that hold you back from applying.

Company benefits

25 days annual leave + bank holidays
Additional voluntary pension contribution
Adoption leave – 26 weeks full pay (after 52 weeks service)
Annual bonus
Annual pay rises
Bike parking
Buy or sell annual leave
Car allowance
Charity donation scheme
Chill out zone
Cinema discounts
Coffee discounts
Collaboration spaces
Company car
Company freebies
Compassionate leave
Critical Illness Insurance
Cycle to work scheme
Death in service
Dental coverage
Discretionary sick pay
Electric Car Salary Sacrifice
Emergency leave
Employee assistance programme
Employee discounts – 10% off and 15% on pay day weekends
Employee phone programme
Enhanced maternity leave – 26 weeks full pay (after 52 weeks service)
Enhanced paternity leave – 6 weeks full pay (after 52 weeks service)
Enhanced pension match/contribution – up to 7.5% matching
Equity packages
Ergonomic workstations
Eye Care Support
Faith rooms
Family health insurance
Fertility treatment leave
Financial advice
Fully stocked snack cupboard
Gym membership
Health assessment
Health insurance
In house training
L&D budget
Learning platform
Legal consults
Life assurance – Five times your pay
Life insurance
LinkedIn learning license
Lunch and learns
Meditation space
Menopause support
Mental health first aiders
Mental health platform access
Mentoring
Modern office
On-site barista
On-site catering
On-site gym
On-site personal trainer
On-site shower
On-site wellness room
On-site wellness services
On-site workout classes
Open to job sharing
Open to part time work for some roles
Open to part-time employees
Optional unpaid leave
Paid fostering leave
Personal development budgets
Personal development days
Pregnancy loss leave
Private booths
Referral bonus
Religious celebration leave
Relocation packages
Restaurant discounts
Sabbaticals
Salary advance
Salary sacrifice
Secure on-site parking
Sensory-Friendly Setup
Share options
Skilled worker visas
Sports teams
Study support
Teambuilding days
Theme park discounts
Time off in-lieu
Tree planting
Volunteer days
Wellbeing incentive programme
Open to compressed hours

Working at Tesco

Company employees:

330,000+

Gender diversity (m:f):

49:51

Hiring in countries

Ireland

United Kingdom

Office Locations

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