What does a KNAPP commissioning engineer do?

Those who travel have stories to tell, as they say… This is also true for our colleagues in Commissioning. They work at customer installations sites around the world and put our innovative technologies into operation. No two days are the same. They get to know different countries and cultures and are constantly on the move. This is what makes the job so diverse and interesting.

We asked our colleague Norbert Liebhart, Head of Commissioning at KNAPP in Hart bei Graz, what makes working as a commissioning engineer such an exciting travel adventure and what opportunities it offers for development in the company.

What are the perspectives for commissioning engineers in our company, not only with regard to career opportunities but also in terms of work-life balance?

As a commissioning engineer, you travel to our installation sites across the globe, become acquainted with other cultures and countries, and get to know our various technologies. Our commissioning engineers work in customer projects around the world: from Europe to South America and the US, from South Africa to Australia.

Despite all the traveling, we try to adapt the work-life balance to the individual job and employee. For example, the job often includes work at the customer’s site for several weeks in a row. However, these periods alternate with periods during which the employee spends several weeks in Austria. In fact, this is what makes the job so appealing. You also have many career prospects in all areas of the company. We offer different types of specialist careers in technical areas, but it’s also possible to gain a foothold in management, of course. In my case, for instance, I started my career at KNAPP as a commissioning engineer myself.

Why does the job as a commissioning engineer have good prospects?

Since our order books are full for the next years, we’re looking for around 200 new colleagues who will put our installations into operation at our customers’ sites. This large number speaks for itself. As a secure employer, KNAPP offers jobs with a future and many opportunities for development. What’s important, however, is that if you enjoy your job, you will perform well too. This automatically opens up opportunities for advancement within the company. Working as a commissioning engineer at KNAPP has another advantage. Since you get to know the entire product range and all processes, you have a complete overview of what’s going on, which will be of great help for furthering your career in the company.

Is the job also appealing to women?

Of course! At KNAPP, we have many excellent female engineers working in Development, Production, Software Engineering and also in Commissioning. I personally would love to see many more women in technical jobs and in Commissioning. What I have experienced is that many things automatically improve when the number of women in the departments and divisions increases. Amongst us commissioning engineers, for example, communication with each other has improved a lot since women joined our team.

And what about the salary? Is the remuneration the only thing that makes this job attractive or do we offer more than that?

Appropriate compensation is of course provided because people who do good work should receive fair pay according to industry standards. However, nowadays, there’s a lot more that matters than the money transferred to people’s bank accounts at the end of the month. Today, employees are also very interested in what else the company has to offer that is not directly connected to their salary. A good work-life balance, short commutes to work, a pleasant working environment, friendly colleagues and exciting tasks are just as important, if not more important. The company takes this very seriously and places great value on a positive corporate culture and offers many benefits for our employees. We offer a wide range of additional services, such as a kindergarten, our KNAPPvital health and wellness program, which includes yoga classes, massages, workout sessions and health check-ups as well as activities you can do together with other colleagues such as soccer, tennis, skiing, board games, table tennis and more. Last but not least, our Christmas and summer parties have become legendary employee events.

What criteria do you have to meet to become a commissioning engineer at KNAPP?

At KNAPP, commissioning engineers work in the areas of automation technology, control systems and software development. If you have received training in these areas, you have the ideal prerequisites for applying for a job as a commissioning engineer at KNAPP. However, anyone is welcome to apply who is enthusiastic about technology and shares our passion for innovation. Many of our colleagues in Commissioning used to follow a different career path or have returned to the job after a career break. Of course, you need specific previous experience such as programming skills and an affinity for technology, but with our extensive training and continuing education program, there are plenty of opportunities for career changers or career break returners.

Watch the video to get an idea of what our commissioning engineers do. Follow our colleague Patrick to a customer installation site in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and learn how their career as a commissioning engineer at KNAPP began and what they like most about their job.

For more information visit knapp.com/gointernational.