Automation Engineer in Berlin
in minutes from over 15,000 CVs with the power of AIScale industrial controls, CI/CD pipelines, and test automation frameworks with vetted, available freelancers. Our AI matching connects your team with qualified specialists right when you need them.
Meet FRATCH Automation Engineers in Berlin
William N.
Last position:
Power BI Solutions Architect/Engineer & AI Consultant at AVERDUNG GmbH
- Redesign of the company's BI infrastructure: replacement of a fragmented landscape of manually maintained Excel solutions and CSV imports with a centralized Power BI environment featuring a unified data model as the company-wide single source of truth
- Consolidation of previously isolated reporting logic into a central semantic model – eliminating redundant files, manual data transfers, and inconsistent metrics between departments
- Forecasting & planning: Design and implementation of company-wide liquidity planning in Power BI – from business logic to a fully automated, data-source-driven planning model replacing the previous manual Excel process; enables rolling forecasts and continuously up-to-date cash flow transparency for management
- Optimization of existing Power BI dashboards in terms of performance, structure, and analytical value using an AI-native approach
- Analysis and improvement of the data model, including data quality analyses, data cleansing, and consistent modeling using star schema, DAX, and Power Query
- Incident & anomaly analysis: Identification, investigation, and explanation of data anomalies, including root-cause analysis and concrete recommendations for action
- AI solution architecture: Connecting Business Central and Power BI to LangDock via MCP (Model Context Protocol) for AI-supported data usage
- Creation of a historical data layer as a basis for trend and time-series analyses
- AI-supported automation: Design and development of AI skills, agents, loops, and processes for the automated analysis and interpretation of reports
- Automated reporting workflow: Setup of scheduled, automated email distribution of AI-generated analyses and recommendations to stakeholders
- Gathering and documentation of business requirements and coordination with business departments and IT as part of requirements engineering / product owner activities
- Breaking down overall requirements into clearly defined work packages and tasks
- Definition, prioritization, and management of milestones throughout the entire project lifecycle
Tools: POWER BI, M365, Copilot Studio, MIRO, Microsoft Business Central, Microsoft Fabric, Claude AI, ChatGPT, LangDock, MS VS Code
Tommy S.
Last position:
Process Manager · Order-to-Cash & Automation at EWE Tel GmbH
- Root cause analysis of complex business, technical, and data-related errors in PowerCloud across process, booking, and system boundaries.
- Data-driven management of payments and receivables; contributed to reducing historical receivables from over 100 Mio. EUR to under 25 Mio. EUR.
- Identification of automation and straight-through processing potential at the interface between business departments, IT, and external service providers.
Eduard H.
Last position:
Founder & Technical Lead | Enterprise Data Quality API at ADDRESSA
Built and scaled a high-performance enterprise API for real-time address validation and data quality with sub-second latency and 99.9 % availability.
Designed and integrated the solution into e-commerce, checkout, and logistics processes of leading European companies. Reduced delivery errors and shipping costs through automated data correction and precise data validation.
End-to-end responsibility for product strategy, technical architecture, software development, enterprise customers, operations, and GDPR-compliant data processing. Combined AI-native engineering workflows, Python, SQL, API integration, data quality, and workflow automation.
Victor O.
Last position:
AI Training Engineer at Confidential AI Research Client
- Codebase Evaluation & Problem Design: Designed and stress-tested complex software engineering problems against large open-source Python codebases (including pandas), requiring deep context acquisition and architectural understanding to produce well-scoped, realistic problem statements aligned to strict correctness guidelines.
- Agent Failure Analysis: Assessed LLM coding agent solutions for correctness and completeness, identifying meaningful failures across edge case handling, dtype behaviour, and multi-column NaN propagation logic; documented findings with precision for downstream evaluation use.
- Programmatic Test Suite Development: Authored comprehensive pytest suites to programmatically verify agent-generated solutions against defined requirements, with deliberate coverage of boundary conditions and failure modes not caught by naive implementations.
- Containerised Environment Engineering: Built and debugged Docker environments for reproducible agent execution, including git-based repository provisioning, dependency pinning with npm ci, and multi-stage Dockerfile authoring across Linux-based containers.
Basel J.
Last position:
Senior Application Engineer / Product Manager at Altran Magnetics LLC
- Oversee development and optimization of key products, including DP contactors, EMI filters, and circuit breakers.
- Lead certification processes ensuring compliance with UL, TÜV, and VDE standards.
- Act as technical liaison between customers, sales teams, and manufacturing to deliver customized solutions.
Janina P.
Last position:
AI and Automation at A-Leecon GmbH
- Introduction to AI and Automation
- The Automation Project
- Make.com Foundations
- Automation Basics: Data Management
- Document Workflows, Troubleshoot, and Automate Reports
- Digression: Data as the Foundation of AI Systems
- Implementing AI Solutions in Practice
- Digression: Large Language Models (LLMs)
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Automation Engineers statistics
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
13 years
Position duration
3.3 years
Positions per freelancer
7
Top business areas
Information Technology, Quality Assurance, Operations
Top industries
Information Technology, Energy, Manufacturing
Certification focus areas
Information Technology, Business Intelligence, Project Management
Bachelor's degree or higher
83%
Master's degree or higher
50%
Certifications per freelancer
3
Most common languages
German, English, French
Speak two or more languages
100%
Based on our profile pool as of 6 Oct 2026.
Daily rate distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of experts in this role in Berlin are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows the share of experts charging within that range.
Discover detailed Automation Engineers rate benchmarks:
Explore rate insightsAverage rates for Automation Engineers in Berlin
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 6 Oct 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Automation Engineers experts industry focus
See which industries our matched freelancers work in most often — every figure is calculated live from the freelancers on FRATCH.
- Information Technology (83%)
- Energy (50%)
- Manufacturing (50%)
- Professional Services (50%)
- Retail (50%)
- Utilities (50%)
- Education (33%)
- Food and Beverage (33%)
Please note that freelancers can work across multiple industries, so percentages overlap.
About the role
Engineering Autonomous Systems and Workflows
Automation specialists design, build, and deploy systems that eliminate manual overhead across industrial hardware and modern software architectures. In manufacturing and hardware contexts, an industrial automation specialist programs programmable logic controllers, configures human-machine interfaces, and integrates robotic units on assembly lines. In tech and cloud environments, a test automation engineer or workflow engineer focuses on automated testing suites, infrastructure provisioning, and continuous deployment pipelines.
Core Technical Deliverables
- Functional PLC code and SCADA interfaces for industrial shop floors
- Automated end-to-end and regression testing suites using Selenium, Cypress, or Playwright
- Robust continuous integration and deployment pipelines built in GitLab CI or Jenkins
- Robotic process automation scripts handling high-volume operational workflows
- Real-time monitoring configurations and automated incident alert systems
Essential Toolchains and Platforms
Hardware and manufacturing projects demand deep knowledge of Siemens TIA Portal, Rockwell Studio 5000, Beckhoff TwinCAT, and industrial fieldbus protocols such as Modbus and PROFINET. On the software and systems side, specialists rely on Python, Bash, Docker, Terraform, Ansible, and Kubernetes to script workflows and automate infrastructure. Enterprise-level business automation typically involves tools such as UiPath or Power Automate.
Dynamic Project Demands in Berlin
Berlin hosts a hybrid ecosystem where deep tech startups, scaling e-commerce platforms, and traditional industrial manufacturers intersect. Freelance controls engineers and systems automation developers are frequently contracted to modernize production facilities in Adlershof or establish resilient deployment automation for venture-backed platforms in central hubs. English is the standard working language in local tech sectors, while industrial facilities and legacy operations often prefer professionals comfortable communicating in German.
Value of Freelance Automation Specialists
Bringing in freelance expertise provides immediate technical capability during critical commissioning phases, cloud migrations, or major software releases. External specialists diagnose bottlenecks quickly without the onboarding lag of permanent hires. They step in for finite initiatives such as plant retooling, legacy framework modernization, or pre-audit testing revamps, ensuring systems run reliably before transitioning ownership back to in-house teams.
Indicators of Senior Expertise
Distinguished specialists emphasize fault tolerance, modular architecture, and thorough documentation over quick scripts. They account for edge cases, failover states, and safety standards like ISO 13849 in industrial plants, or strict reliability targets in production clouds. A competent expert delivers systems that internal operators can easily monitor, troubleshoot, and maintain long after project completion.
Frequently asked questions
Need clarity? These are the questions we hear most often about Automation Engineers.
An Automation Engineer combines systems thinking with hands-on scripting and debugging skills. Depending on whether they work in hardware or software, they master technologies like PLC programming and SCADA systems or test frameworks like Cypress and CI/CD pipelines. Strong practitioners understand safety regulations, network protocols, and architectural design patterns.
An industrial automation engineer focuses on physical machinery, robotics, sensors, and hardware controllers using standards such as IEC 61131-3. In contrast, a software-focused QA automation developer writes scripts to validate application code, APIs, and user interfaces across digital environments. While both roles eliminate manual processes, their operating environments and tech stacks diverge significantly.
Hiring a freelance controls engineer or automation consultant is ideal for defined projects such as factory line retrofits, testing suite overhauls, or cloud migrations. Freelancers bring specialized knowledge from various environments, solving niche challenges rapidly without adding permanent overhead. Once the automated system is stable and operational, internal staff can handle routine upkeep.
Software, cloud, and test automation tasks are frequently handled entirely remotely. However, an automation specialist working on industrial machinery, assembly lines, or physical robotics usually requires dedicated on-site presence during hardware installation, sensor calibration, and commissioning phases.
Berlin features high demand for the role across software scale-ups, mobility startups, green-tech ventures, and medical technology firms. A freelance test automation developer often serves modern software companies, while hardware manufacturing hubs around the outskirts contract control systems professionals for plant digitalization and Industry 4.0 initiatives.
A proficient automation programmer provides complete source code with inline comments, wiring diagrams or architectural schematics, deployment playbooks, and standardized test reports. They also conduct handoff workshops so resident engineering teams can diagnose errors, update configurations, and maintain operational stability independently.
Most venture-backed technology companies and digital agencies in Berlin operate entirely in English, making an international test automation engineer immediately viable. Conversely, manufacturing sites, energy providers, and public infrastructure facilities generally require conversational or business-level German to coordinate effectively with shop-floor technicians and review regulatory documentation.
Evaluate a prospective automation developer through code samples, past commissioning case studies, and their approach to error handling and safety protocols. Outstanding candidates demonstrate clear architectural thinking, prioritize system maintainability, and demonstrate a track record of reducing downtime or test execution times in previous assignments.
The average hourly rate for Automation Engineers in Berlin is 89 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 709 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers working as Automation Engineers in Berlin, 83% hold at least a Bachelor's degree and 50% hold at least a Master's degree.
On average, freelancers working as Automation Engineers in Berlin have 13 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 3.3 years.
The most common languages among freelancers working as Automation Engineers in Berlin are German (100%), English (100%), and French (33%).
The most common industries among freelancers working as Automation Engineers in Berlin are Information Technology (83%), Energy (50%), and Manufacturing (50%).
The most common business areas among freelancers working as Automation Engineers in Berlin are Information Technology (100%), Quality Assurance (83%), and Operations (67%).
FRATCH Automation Engineers main locations
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home across the DACH region — available on-site in the major business hubs or fully remote. Choose a location to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Countries:
Berlin 
Hamburg Munich Cologne Frankfurt Stuttgart Dusseldorf Leipzig Dortmund Essen Bremen Dresden Hanover Nuremberg Request a free demo
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Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
