- Company: Drax
- Location: Downsville, Union Parish
- Full Time
- Downsville, Union Parish
- Apply on company site
Drax at a glance
draxgroup.plc.uk- Founded 2005
SEC filings mentioning "Drax": 323 — search EDGAR
Federal funding recipient: largest known award $5.7M from the Department of Defense (started Nov 12, 2020) — via USAspending.gov
Lac qui parle dam rehab project
20 employees covered under a retirement plan (2025 filing) — via DOL Form 5500 / EFAST2
OSHA safety record: 1 confirmed violation across 1 inspection — via OSHA Establishment Search
Drax Group plc (LSE: DRX) is a renewable-energy, biomass pellet, and carbon-dioxide removal company. Core assets include the biomass-fuelled Drax Power Station near Selby (North Yorkshire), Cruachan Power Station near Oban (Scotland), and pellet plants in North America. Listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the FTSE 250; facts list founding as 2005. More: Wikipedia, draxgroup.plc.uk.
1,504 Wikipedia views in June 2026 — a rough gauge of public visibility.
Drax is seeking an experienced Director of Automation & Controls to lead strategic automation initiatives at our Downsville, Union Parish facility. In this full-time leadership role, you will oversee the design, implementation, and optimization of automation systems that drive operational excellence and safety across our industrial operations.
About the Role
As Director of Automation & Controls, you will establish and execute the vision for industrial automation at our facility. This position requires 50% travel and involves hands-on leadership of multi-disciplinary engineering teams to deliver innovative control solutions that enhance both safety and operational efficiency.
What You'll Do
- Lead the design and implementation of advanced automation and control systems for industrial operations
- Oversee engineering teams across multiple disciplines to develop robust, scalable solutions
- Ensure all automation systems meet rigorous safety and regulatory compliance standards
- Direct capital projects related to automation infrastructure and system upgrades
- Manage continuous improvement initiatives to enhance operational reliability and performance
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate new technologies and industry best practices
- Travel approximately 50% of the time to oversee projects, conduct site assessments, and support field operations
What We're Looking For
- Extensive experience in automation and controls engineering, preferably in industrial or manufacturing environments
- Proven leadership track record managing technical teams and directing engineering projects
- Strong expertise in PLC programming, SCADA systems, and industrial control networks
- Deep understanding of industrial safety standards and regulatory compliance requirements
- Demonstrated ability to design secure, scalable systems in complex operational settings
- Excellent problem-solving, communication, and project management skills
- Willingness to travel 50% as required by this position
About Drax
Drax is a leading force in sustainable energy. We're committed to operational excellence and innovation, and our skilled team works together to drive efficiency and safety across all our facilities.
How to Apply
To apply, complete your application directly on this page, or you'll be redirected to the employer's application platform to finish submitting there.
Apply now
Takes about a minute — like Indeed Apply. The employer sees you in their Candidates list.
To apply for this job please visit www.adzuna.com.
Explore Drax online
What people say about Drax
- "Open Source is awful in many ways, and people should be aware of this"
- Keynote by John Carmack at Oculus Connect 2014
- U.K. National Grid status
Recent news
- UK’s largest emitter Drax reports record emissions in 2025 - ember-energy.org
- Drax power station is still by far our biggest polluter - Energy Live News
- Pet of the Week | Dillard & Drax - OurQuadCities
- Drax cleared after investigation into sourcing of wood pellets - The Guardian
- Ember Analysis Finds Drax Recorded UK's Highest Power Sector Emissions in 2025 Despite Biomass Subsidies - SolarQuarter
Aggregated from public discussions and news; opinions are the authors’ own.
Working in Downsville, Union Parish
🇺🇸 Relocation safety for US: Exercise Normal Caution — via Warnely, CC BY 4.0
National unemployment rate in US: 4.2% — via World Bank
Private-sector wage growth (year over year): 3.3% — via FRED
National quits rate: 1.9% — via FRED (BLS JOLTS)
Weekly initial unemployment claims: 215,000 — via FRED
GDP per capita in US: $90,027 — via World Bank
Consumer price inflation in US: 2.9% (annual) — via World Bank
Real GDP growth in US: 2.2% (annual) — via World Bank
Average hours worked per year in US: 1,800 — via OECD
Build the skills for this role
No cert family or priced resources were provided in DATA/CERTS. For this title, depth typically sits in industrial automation (PLC/DCS), process safety, OT networking, and leading multi-discipline controls programs—build those from employer standards and site systems rather than inventing credentials or costs.
Expect scenario questions on control-system reliability, management of change, and leading automation programs in energy/industrial settings. Be ready to discuss how you balance uptime, safety, and modernization without inventing employer-specific metrics.
- Prepare one example of a major controls upgrade or incident response you led.
- Ask how Downsville’s systems, outage model, and OT security expectations are structured.
Strong fit if you have senior automation/controls leadership in industrial or energy environments and want to apply that at a large renewable/biomass operator (Drax). Location is on-site in Downsville, Union Parish (remote: no).
Job details above are provided by the employer/source. The sections on this page are compiled from public data sources with AI assistance.
Accommodations: if you need a workplace accommodation to apply for or perform this job, see ADA.gov or EEOC.gov for guidance on your rights and how to request one.
Listing facts
- Role Director of Automation & Controls
- Employer Drax
- Location Downsville, Union Parish
- Type Full Time
- Posted June 27, 2026
- Apply by 2026-08-01
- Country context US
- Overview Full original description on this page (310 words; rewritten for clarity, not a teaser paste)
Facts above come from this job record on Get A Job.AI — not copied from third-party review sites.
Public discussions & open sources
Attributed public threads and profiles — not employee reviews or star ratings.
- Hacker News — "Open Source is awful in many ways, and people should be aware of this"
- Hacker News — Keynote by John Carmack at Oculus Connect 2014
- Hacker News — U.K. National Grid status
- Hacker News — U.K. National Grid status
Cached public sources (Hacker News, Dev.to, GitHub, etc.).
Employer website
Explore related openings
3 other opening(s) at Drax on Get A Job.AI
Research this employer
Pull public facts we already cached for this company (Wikipedia, news, discussions). We never invent Glassdoor-style ratings.
Open interview kit (print-friendly)
Get email alerts for similar jobs
Keep exploring on Get A Job.ai
Not quite the right fit? Your next opportunity is a click away.
- Browse all jobs
- More jobs by category
- Remote jobs you can do from anywhere
- Research typical pay for this role
- Set a job alert so new matches reach you first
- Upload your resume to apply faster
- Register now to access our free AI resume builder
Hiring instead? Post a job and reach candidates searching right now.