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Automation & Robotics Recruitment

Automation & robotics recruitment — across Canada and the USA.

PHM recruits the automation and robotics talent building and running the systems modernizing plants, warehouses, and mission-critical facilities — controls, robotics, PLC/HMI, mechatronics, and systems integration. Specialist, sector-fluent search for manufacturers, integrators, and technology-forward operators, on an exclusive, fee-on-hire basis.

Why this hire is hard

The robot safety standard turned over after twelve years.

Canada replaced its robot safety standard in April 2026, the first new edition since 2014, and it is restructured around the application and the cell rather than the robot on its own. Almost every Canadian robot safety competency in the market was built on the old text. In Ontario there is a second gate: a licensed engineer has to sign a pre-start review before certain machinery can run at all, which makes a P.Eng. a legal precondition rather than a preference — and that requirement does not exist in the same form in Alberta, BC or Quebec.

What it costs while the seat is open

An automation project without the right controls lead does not fail — it stalls at commissioning, which is the most expensive place on the schedule to stall.

How we run it instead

Our automation and robotics recruiters ask which edition someone has actually worked to and whether they can sign, then reach controls engineers through the integrator and end-user networks where they really move.

What we recruit for

From controls engineers to automation leaders.

Genuine depth across the automation and robotics disciplines — we understand the systems, not just the titles. A sample of the work and the projects we recruit for:

Skills we recruit
CommissioningControls engineeringFunctional safetyInstrumentation & controlsMachine visionMechatronicsMotion controlPLC / HMI programmingProcess control systemsRobotics engineeringSCADASystems integration
Project types
Automated cells & work cellsEnd-of-line & packagingGreenfield plant automationMaterial handling & AGVRetrofit & line upgradeVision & inspection

Recruiting to run the plant rather than build the cell? Plant and production leadership sits with our advanced manufacturing team.

Levels from automation and controls engineers through robotics and integration leads, to directors of automation and VPs of engineering.

How we engage

Exclusive contingency.

Retained-level rigour, on an exclusive basis, for a fee paid on the hire — no upfront retainer and the delivery risk on us. We also work standard contingency where a role suits it. How we engage →

Because we don’t run volume, an exclusive automation mandate gets our full bandwidth — and we’re driven to deliver in less time than industry norms.

Where automation teams work

Manufacturing, robotics, and mission-critical facilities.

Manufacturing & plant automation

Controls, PLC/HMI, and robotics for manufacturers modernizing how plants run.

Robotics & systems integration

Robotics engineers and integrators who design and deploy automated systems end to end.

Mission-critical & data centre automation

The automation and controls talent behind the AI-driven data centre and infrastructure build-out.

Common questions

Automation & Robotics recruitment, answered.

What automation and robotics roles do you recruit for?

The specialties and levels are listed above. We recruit them for consultancies, owners, contractors and industrial employers across Canada and the USA.

Do you recruit robotics engineers specifically?

Yes. Robotics engineering, robotics software, and systems integration are core to how we cover this discipline — the talent designing and deploying the automated systems modernizing plants, warehouses, and mission-critical facilities.

Do you work on a retained or contingency basis?

We work exclusive contingency. Retained-level research and assessment, no money before a hire, and we carry the cost if the search does not produce one.

Can you advise on automation and robotics salaries and compensation?

Yes. We provide real-time compensation insight for the specific role, region, and seniority you’re hiring for — so an offer is competitive without overpaying.

Where do you recruit automation and robotics talent?

Across Canada and the United States. We’re headquartered in London, Ontario, Canada and work on-site where it counts and remote-fluent by design.

Are the best automation and robotics roles even advertised?

Often not. Many of the strongest automation and robotics roles are filled discreetly, through direct search — the roles no job board carries, because they are gone before one would.

Related disciplines

Explore where else our expertise runs deep.

Get in touch

Hiring an automation or robotics professional? Tell us the role.

An advisory conversation about the automation hire ahead of you — and where the right person is likely to come from. Not a commitment.