The Trainee Support Engineer is responsible for supporting customers and assisting the Support Team in maintaining OAL systems and resolving technical issues.
This is a development role designed to provide structured training and practical experience across OAL's products, technologies and support processes. Working alongside experienced engineers, the Trainee Support Engineer will build the technical knowledge, troubleshooting skills and customer support experience required to progress into a Support Engineer position.
The role exists to develop future technical talent while providing high-quality first-line support to OAL customers.
"Learn how our systems work. Help customers keep them running."
Key Responsibilities
Customer support and issue resolution
- Provide first-line remote support for OAL systems and solutions.
- Respond to customer enquiries and support requests in a professional and timely manner.
- Assist with troubleshooting hardware, software and system-related issues.
- Escalate complex issues to second-line support when required.
- Ensure customers receive regular updates throughout the resolution process.
Incident management and administration
- Log, track and manage support tickets using the company ticketing system.
- Maintain accurate records of incidents, actions taken and resolutions.
- Ensure support requests are prioritised appropriately and progressed to completion.
- Assist with the development and maintenance of support documentation and standard operating procedures.
- Contribute to knowledge sharing and the continual improvement of support resources.
Technical support and collaboration
- Support Project Engineers with technical troubleshooting during site visits and commissioning activities.
- Assist with identifying root causes of recurring issues.
- Work closely with Software, Automation and Project teams to resolve customer issues.
- Contribute feedback from customer interactions to help improve products and services.
Spares and repairs coordination
- Support the management of Spares & Repairs activities from enquiry through to completion.
- Coordinate repairs, replacements and customer communications.
- Ensure customer expectations are managed throughout the process.
- Support the efficient delivery of aftermarket services.
Continuous improvement and development
- Identify opportunities to improve support processes, documentation and customer experience.
- Support the development of best practices across the Support function.
- Develop technical knowledge across OAL products, systems and technologies.
- Participate in training and development activities to build professional capability.
Key Skills and Experience
Essential
- Strong interest in technology, engineering or industrial automation.
- Basic understanding of IT systems, hardware and software.
- Familiarity with Microsoft Windows operating systems.
- Logical and analytical approach to problem solving.
- Strong communication skills
- Ability to document incidents, processes and resolutions clearly.
- Good organisational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Positive attitude and willingness to learn.
Desirable
- Qualification or studies in Information Technology, Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.
- Knowledge of networking fundamentals, including IP addressing, VPNs, firewalls and NAT.
- Ability to navigate and understand SQL databases.
- Exposure to industrial automation, manufacturing systems or engineering environments.
- Customer service or technical support experience.
- Happy to move onto the on-call rota once fully trained (on-call rates apply)
- Full UK driving licence.
Development Pathway
The Trainee Support Engineer will follow a structured development programme designed to build capability across:
- OAL products and systems.
- Technical troubleshooting and fault finding.
- Customer support processes and tools.
- PLC, software and automation technologies.
- Factory Systems and infrastructure.
- Spares & Repairs project management.
- Customer communication and service delivery.
Successful completion of the training programme will provide the opportunity to progress into a Support Engineer.
Salary and benefits
- Salary up to £28,000 dependant on experience
- Pension scheme
- 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
- Ongoing training and professional development
- Funded development opportunities relevant to the role
- Career progression opportunities within a growing business
About OAL
OAL helps food manufacturers automate. Based in Peterborough, we are an innovative family business providing automation and system integration services to the food & beverage industry. We are recognised as a market leader in digital transformation, label and date code verification, and robotic powder weighing solutions. As a growing SME, we offer genuine opportunities within a fast-paced and supportive environment. If you are organised, proactive, and motivated to build your career we would love to hear from you.
