38 open PLC / Automation roles
in Bodensee
See which of these PLC / Automation roles in Bodensee are English-speaking and visa-eligible (EU Blue Card) — and how your CV fits — before you apply.
Live market telemetry updated daily from the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Germany's Federal Employment Agency). Sourced directly — no recruiter spam, no agency duplicates.
Last computed: 22 Jul 2026
Avg Salary
€60k
€55k–€69k range
English OK
66%
25 roles
Blue Card
32
meet salary bar
New This Week
3
added in the last 7 days
Open PLC / Automation Roles in Bodensee
See all 38 →Intern in Payload Data Processing for space-borne Instruments (d/f/m)
Airbus Defence and Space GmbH · Immenstaad am Bodensee
Softwareentwickler (m/w/d) Embedded Systems
FERCHAU GmbH Niederlassung Friedrichshafen · Friedrichshafen
Test Ingenieur Marine/Hybrid Automation Systems (m/w/d)
Akkodis Germany Tech Experts GmbH · Friedrichshafen
Ingenieur (m/w/d) Automation und Steuerungstechnik
Schmieder GmbH Unternehmensberatung · Ravensburg, Württemberg
Test Ingenieur Marine/Hybrid Automation Systems (m/w/d)
Akkodis Germany Tech Experts GmbH · Friedrichshafen
Lead Engineer für den Flight Control und Actuation Produkte (m/w/d)
Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH · Lindenberg im Allgäu
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About the Bodensee Deep-Tech Region
The Bodensee — Lake Constance — sits where Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Switzerland and Austria meet, and its German shore is one of the country's most concentrated corners of precision engineering. This isn't a startup scene like Berlin; it's a deep-tech industrial heartland built on sensors and optics, aerospace and defence, large engines, and the embedded firmware that runs all of it. Friedrichshafen alone is home to two giants — ZF (driveline and chassis systems) and Rolls-Royce Power Systems with its mtu engine brand — and the wider lakeside is dense with specialist Mittelstand (mid-sized firms) and global primes.
Sensor and optical work is a signature of the region: ifm electronic develops and builds industrial sensors at Tettnang, and Konstanz hosts machine-vision specialists such as Chromasens. Aerospace and defence run deep too — Airbus Defence and Space builds civil and military satellites at Immenstaad, Diehl designs guided missiles and aerospace components in Überlingen, and Liebherr-Aerospace makes flight-control and landing-gear systems near Lindau. Across all of them, demand is strongest for embedded and firmware engineers, electronics and electrical specialists, and aerospace and functional-safety expertise.
For an engineer moving from abroad, the trade-offs are real. The work is genuinely advanced and the setting hard to beat — lake, Alps and the Swiss and Austrian borders within reach — but the labour market is smaller and more specialised than a big city's, and most employers operate primarily in German. It rewards depth in a domain over breadth, so candidates who can show concrete sensor, optics, embedded or aerospace experience tend to stand out fastest.
English & Language
The Bodensee is a German-engineering heartland, and you should expect working German (typically B2 or better) to be the norm for most roles — especially across the region's deep Mittelstand (mid-sized firms) of sensor, optics and precision-engineering companies, where day-to-day work, documentation and meetings are usually in German. The picture is more open at the large international primes and groups — Airbus Defence and Space, Rolls-Royce Power Systems, Liebherr-Aerospace — and in some specialist R&D, software and embedded teams, where English is more commonly used and strong-but-imperfect German can be enough. It varies a lot by employer and team, so read each listing's stated language expectation rather than assuming. kandidate.ai's role here is to surface the subset of English-OK and English-friendly listings so you can focus on the ones realistically open to you — while being honest that, region-wide, German remains a real advantage for both the job and daily life.
Relocation & Visa
If you're relocating from outside the EU, the EU Blue Card (§ 18g AufenthG — Germany's residence permit for qualified professionals) is the most common route into a Bodensee engineering role. For 2026 the estimated salary thresholds are €50,700 gross per year (standard) and a reduced €45,934.20 for shortage occupations — which include many engineering and IT roles — and for recent graduates. There's also a route for experienced IT specialists without a university degree (broadly, several years of relevant professional experience). The Blue Card is also Germany's fastest path to permanent residence — estimated at around 21 months with B1-level German, or about 27 months with basic German. Soon after you arrive you'll register your address (Anmeldung) at the local Bürgeramt (citizens' office), usually within 14 days of moving in. All of this is estimated, general information — not legal advice; confirm your own case with the Ausländerbehörde (immigration office) or BAMF (Federal Office for Migration and Refugees).
Notable Employers
One of the world's largest automotive suppliers and the region's biggest employer, headquartered in Friedrichshafen; note it is in the middle of a major multi-year restructuring with significant job cuts announced across its German sites.
Headquartered in Friedrichshafen (formerly Tognum / MTU Friedrichshafen); builds large engines and power systems under the mtu brand for ships, rail, defence, data centres and energy.
Develops and builds civil and military satellites at its site in Immenstaad am Bodensee, a major European hub for Earth-observation and science missions.
Headquartered in Überlingen am Bodensee, where Diehl Defence makes guided missiles and Diehl Aerospace supplies avionics and components to customers including Airbus and Boeing; expanding with a new development centre.
Based in Lindenberg in the Lindau (Bodensee) district; designs and manufactures flight-control, landing-gear and air-management systems for civil and military aircraft.
Runs a major development and production site at Tettnang on Lake Constance (corporate HQ is in Essen), making position, process and safety sensors for industrial automation.
Konstanz-based specialist in high-performance line-scan cameras and custom machine-vision and imaging systems, part of the TKH Vision group.
Tips for Applicants
- Brush up your German. Around Lake Constance, working German (often B2 or better) is expected for most roles, and a German tabular CV (Lebenslauf) plus a short cover letter (Anschreiben) is the norm — even teams that work in English tend to expect it for the application and for daily life.
- Lead with your domain depth. The region's employers are deep-tech specialists, so concrete experience with embedded firmware and RTOS, sensor and optical systems, or aerospace and functional-safety standards (think DO-178C, ISO 26262) tends to count for far more than a generalist profile.
- If you're relocating, say so up front: state your visa or EU Blue Card situation, and prioritise listings that mention visa sponsorship or relocation support. The large primes (Airbus Defence and Space, Rolls-Royce Power Systems, Liebherr-Aerospace) and many growing Mittelstand firms are the likeliest to sponsor for shortage engineering roles.
- Compare offers on net pay, not gross. German salaries are quoted gross, and tax plus social contributions take a sizeable bite — run any number through a take-home (netto) calculator, and weigh it against a cost of living that's generally gentler than Munich or Stuttgart (Konstanz aside).
- Check for clearance or nationality constraints on defence-linked roles. Some positions at defence and dual-use employers (for example Diehl Defence, and parts of Airbus Defence and Space) can carry security-clearance, nationality, or export-control requirements — the listing will usually say so. Civil and commercial divisions, suppliers and sensor/optics firms typically don't.
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually yes, at least to a working level. Across the Bodensee's Mittelstand of sensor, optics and precision-engineering firms, German (often B2 or better) is typically expected for day-to-day work and documentation. The exceptions are the large international primes — Airbus Defence and Space, Rolls-Royce Power Systems, Liebherr-Aerospace — and some specialist R&D, software and embedded teams, where English is more common and strong-but-imperfect German can be enough. Always check the listing's stated language expectation, and treat German as a real advantage either way.