Controls and Automation Engineer (EN-CV-CL-2026-230-GRAE)

Job Description

The Cooling & Ventilation (CV) Group is responsible for the design, installation, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of the cooling systems, pumping stations, air conditioning plants, and fluid distribution networks serving CERN's accelerator complex, experimental areas, selected LHC detector cooling systems, and strategic technical infrastructures such as the Computer Centre.

This project aims to identify, evaluate, and implement solutions to improve the energy efficiency and performance of existing and future CV plants. The Project Engineer will analyse plant operation, develop physical models of HVAC and hydraulic systems using simulation tools, and assess alternative control strategies. Based on these studies, the engineer will design and validate process and control improvements, and manage their deployment, testing, and commissioning on operational plants to ensure the expected performance and energy savings are achieved.

Your responsibilities

• Develop and validate dynamic simulation models of HVAC, cooling, ventilation, and hydraulic systems to assess plant performance and evaluate energy optimisation opportunities.
• Design, test, and implement control system improvements, including advanced control strategies, to enhance energy efficiency, reliability, and operational stability.
• Apply data analytics, Machine Learning, and neural network techniques to support performance monitoring, fault detection, predictive analysis, and process optimisation.
• Manage the deployment, testing, commissioning, and performance verification of selected process, control, and AI-based solutions on operational production plants.
• Produce technical studies, engineering recommendations, and performance assessments, and collaborate with operations and maintenance teams to ensure successful implementation of improvements.

More information here.

Your profile

• Experience in modelling and simulation of physical systems (HVAC, hydraulic, thermal, or industrial processes) using tools such as EcosimPro, Matlab/Simulink, or similar platforms.
• Experience in the design, implementation, testing, and commissioning of industrial control systems, with knowledge of advanced control techniques considered an asset.
• Experience in data analysis and software development using Python; familiarity with data analytics, machine learning, or artificial intelligence libraries is an advantage.

Skills

• System Modelling & Simulation: HVAC, hydraulic, and industrial process modelling using EcosimPro, Matlab/Simulink, or equivalent tools.
• PLC Programming & Automation: Siemens Step7, TIA Portal, and/or Schneider EcoStruxure Control Expert.
• Python programming, data analysis, Machine Learning, and AI techniques for process optimisation and performance monitoring.
• 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 and Controls (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: 18.10.2026 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: Fully Onsite

Target start date: 01-February-2027

This position involves:

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

Job reference: EN-CV-CL-2026-230-GRAE

Field of work: Electrical 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.

Overview of CERN - Discover a world where the impossible is made possible!

At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, we are pushing the frontiers of science and technology. Our groundbreaking work brings together not only physicists but also a diverse range of professionals from engineering, technical, scientific, and administrative fields. Together, we foster an environment where innovation and collaboration thrive.

Every day, we face exciting new challenges and opportunities to contribute to cutting-edge research that shapes our understanding of the universe. We meet these challenges through the diverse perspectives within our teams, ensuring every contribution is valued and driving our shared sense of inclusion and purpose. Diversity is a core value of CERN since its foundation, and it remains central to our mission and continued success.

If you are ready to be part of a dynamic, inclusive community pushing the boundaries of knowledge, CERN is the place where your curiosity and skills can thrive. Be part of our mission to uncover what lies at the heart of the universe! TAKE PART!

More information about us, here: careers.cern