WHAT DOES AN INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROLS ENGINEER DO?

Updated: Sep 19, 2025 - The Instrumentation and Controls Engineer develops equipment specifications, designs control, and protection systems, and prepares documentation for purchasing, testing, and validation activities. This role coordinates with mechanical engineering teams and customers to integrate instruments, define cable pathways, and support the installation and commissioning of hydroelectric equipment. The engineer also contributes technical expertise to sales proposals and participates in initiatives to reduce design costs and improve efficiency.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Instrumentation and Controls Engineer

1. Senior Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Duties

  • Design Review: Design and check all Instrument work on assigned projects
  • Work Execution: Execute assigned work in accordance with the applicable Project Procedures, DDI and Standards, including Project Procedures on Safety and Quality Control, within the man-hour and cost budgets and the project schedule targets
  • Data Sheets: Develop data sheets, instrument sizing, and prepare material requisitions for all instrument items including Control Valves, Relief Valves, Flow elements, Level instruments, Temperature instruments, Analyzers and DCS/ESD/Fire and Gas systems
  • Drawing Review: Review other discipline drawings such as the Equipment datasheet
  • Team Guidance: Guide the designers for the preparation of Instrumentation drawings and deliverables
  • Document Preparation: Prepare and check all Instrument drawings/documents and ensure that the quality of design and drawings produced for inquiry and fabrication purposes is of a satisfactory standard
  • Meeting Participation: Attend coordination meetings and engineering review meetings with the supplier
  • Procurement Support: Assist the Procurement Department with the expediting of supplier documents
  • Document Approval: Review and approve supplier documents for Instrumentation
  • Interdisciplinary Coordination: Ensure effective and efficient interdisciplinary coordination, including coordination with the client engineer
  • Supplier Drawings: Review the instrument aspects of the package unit supplier’s drawings

2. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Details

  • System Troubleshooting: Work with global instrumentation and cluster teams to troubleshoot and resolve any system-level issues at remote servers and cluster level including any system enhancements
  • Policy Adherence: Adherence to all quality, health and safety, and environmental policies within the Data Centre domain
  • Issue Resolution: Follow up and close out on all BMS issues raised by the CE Team through daily shift reports and CMMS open WOs
  • BMS Maintenance: Maintain all BMS controls and equipment at optimal operational level including calibration of all sensors
  • Asset Management: Develop and maintain a complete asset list of all the BAS and EPMS systems, including instruments, sensors, power meters, valves and actuators, etc.
  • Procedure Development: Develop and keep up to date all site mechanical and controls and BMS related procedures including EOPs, SOPs, MOPs, and APs
  • Training Supervision: Specification and recording of the Technician Training certification program and supervision of drill and scenario training aids
  • Report Generation: Generation of periodic technical reports detailing the activities and issues relevant to the Data Centre domain
  • Technical Training: Provide site-specific mechanical and controls training to the CE Team
  • Energy Efficiency: Drive site-wide energy efficiency and maintain the targeted site PUE
  • Team Development: Assist in the development and training of technicians and apprentices with BAS/EPMS-related issues

3. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Responsibilities

  • Signal Troubleshooting: Troubleshooting traditional analog and discrete signals as well as other communication types (HART, Fieldbus, Profibus, DeviceNet, AS-I, Ethernet I/P, Modbus)
  • Device Testing: Utilizing various handheld testing devices to support control loop testing and/or troubleshooting of wiring and connectivity issues
  • Task Management: Manage multiple tasks while maintaining project commitments
  • Priority Handling: Work in a fast-paced environment, with multiple and changing priorities, while maintaining strong attention to detail and a high level of accuracy
  • Drawing Interpretation: Interpret P&IDs, electrical schematics, loop drawings, and general equipment arrangement drawings
  • Equipment Specification: Support specification of instrumentation, control system equipment and miscellaneous materials based on defined customer needs for assigned projects and proposals
  • Vendor Management: Manage and provide direction to site vendors to maintain the project schedule
  • Submittal Review: Create and review OEM/vendor submittals for adherence to customer standards and defined controls guidelines
  • FAT Execution: Execute pre-FAT/FAT on OEM or customer-supplied equipment
  • Site Commissioning: Execute site startup activities (loop checks/commissioning)
  • Documentation Management: Generate and manage loop check/commissioning documentation
  • Punch List: Generate and manage project punch lists to completion
  • Software Utilization: Utilize DCS/PLC platform software to support troubleshooting (e.g., DeltaV Diagnostics, AMS Device Manager)
  • Engineering Studies: Support I&C engineering (FEED) studies based on customer requests
  • Proposal Support: Work with the sales team to lead proposal efforts by assisting with I&C estimates, site walkdowns, scope write-ups and preliminary BOM generation
  • Opportunity Feedback: Provide feedback to the organization on site opportunities
  • Quality Assurance: Responsible for providing uncompromising quality to all work processes in the designated area of responsibility

4. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Job Summary

  • Specification Review: Review project technical specification, identify relevant and applicable sections
  • Equipment Selection: Select and prepare equipment and component specifications for instrumentation
  • System Design: Control and protection system design and panel fabrication
  • Procurement Support: Prepare technical specifications and support the purchasing process by participating in the selection, negotiations and technical discussions with suppliers and subcontractors
  • Testing Procedures: Prepare and document test procedures and system validations and participate in factory and site acceptance tests
  • Document Approval: Review and apply his/her engineer's seal to technical documentation produced under his/her supervision
  • Team Coordination: Coordinate with the mechanical engineering teams for generator, turbine, piping, and water gate systems, and the customer for the integration of instruments with their applicable equipment
  • Cable Definition: Define cable pathways, including embedded conduits and blockouts in walls
  • Commissioning Support: Support the installation and commissioning of hydro-electric generators and related electrical equipment at the work site from the engineering office
  • Sales Support: Provide technical support to the sales team in preparing technical documentation and drawings for bids
  • Cost Efficiency: Participate in program initiatives aimed at reducing direct and indirect design costs and process streamlining to improve efficiency

5. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Accountabilities

  • ELV Design: Lead the Extra-Low Voltage systems design on assigned large-scale projects during the tender, design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and until the final client acceptance phase
  • Control Systems: Design of control systems, instrumentation, cabling and cable support systems for Process equipment, Industrial Facilities and Commercial Buildings, with the support of Lead Engineer
  • Safety Systems: Design of Life Safety System comprising of Public Address Systems, Access control, Closed Circuit, Gas Detection and Fire Alarm systems with the support of a Lead Engineer
  • IT Cabling: Design of an Information Technology cabling System with the support of a Lead Engineer
  • Diagram Development: Develop P&IDs, Instruments and IO list, Sequence of Operations, Logic Diagrams, and Cause and effect matrices with the support of Lead Engineer
  • Package Execution: Develop/Execute/Expedite ELV packages during the design, procurement, and construction phase of a project and take responsibility for the assigned packages
  • Activity Coordination: Co-ordination and scheduling activities for the ELV supervisors on a project to ensure timely delivery at project milestone dates
  • Trade Interface: Interfacing with other trades during the design phase and incorporating their requirements into the ELV systems design
  • Vendor Evaluation: Technical Evaluation of vendor submission, including approval of shop drawings
  • System Commissioning: Preparing the procedure for testing and commissioning of the individual system and managing subcontractors during commissioning of the Extra Low Voltage systems
  • Team Guidance: Guiding ELV engineers/designers/draftsmen for preparing cable routing plan, hookup drawings, wiring drawings, cable schedule, Junction Box schedule, Instrument Air manifold schedule, Block diagrams, P&IDs, Control System Schematic
  • Tender Preparation: Prepare Extra-Low Voltage system tender packages, including specifications and drawings
  • Code Compliance: Responsible for ensuring familiarity with the latest country codes, current practices and engineering trends within the industry
  • Tender Estimation: Tendering and estimating of the Extra-Low Voltage system works for projects before award
  • Bid Evaluation: Prepare Technical Bid evaluations and recommendations during project execution
  • Quality Adherence: Adherence to the Corporate and Project Quality Management System
  • Client Liaison: Liaise with Clients, Consultants, equipment vendors and suppliers to ensure compatibility of design interfaces during construction activity
  • Dossier Review: Compilation and Review of Operation and Maintenance Dossier for Projects

6. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Duties

  • Engineering Services: Be responsible for performing the engineering and consulting services for clients across the US.
  • Team Collaboration: Work with the team to create electrical, instrumentation and controls components of pipeline facility design deliverables.
  • Project Support: Support projects ranging in size and complexity from small utility regulator station upgrades to large metering and regulation or compressor station projects.
  • Task Responsibility: Perform full or partial responsibility for the following electrical tasks.
  • System Development: Develop AC and DC power systems, one-line schematic diagrams, electrical wiring diagrams, electrical area classification drawings, grounding drawings and lighting plans.
  • Basic Calculations: Perform basic calculations, including short circuit, cable sizing, voltage drop, conduit sizing and fill, and others.
  • Equipment Design: Design and specify electrical equipment, including 15kV gear, 5kV gear, medium voltage motor control centers, low voltage motor control centers, transformers, uninterrupted power supplies, power distribution centers and other typical electrical equipment.
  • Systems Analysis: Perform electrical systems analysis including load flow, short circuit, arc-flash and protective relaying calculations and settings.
  • Team Coordination: Coordinate with the team on the development of P&IDs, system control philosophies and alarm setpoints, as well as provide electrical, instrumentation and controls comments on equipment procurement specifications and packages.
  • Diagram Development: Develop network diagrams, instrument location plans, input and output lists, instrument index, control philosophy, control narrative, cause and effect and instrument datasheets.

7. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Details

  • Equipment Design: Design and specify programmable logic controllers, remote terminal units, supervisory control and data acquisition systems and others.
  • Assignment Responsibility: Perform full or partial responsibility for the following general assignments.
  • Proposal Preparation: Participate in the preparation of proposals and scope development.
  • Cost Estimation: Develop engineering and project cost estimates and schedules.
  • Site Visits: Perform initial site visits to gather all required electrical, instrumentation and controls information needed to perform established deliverables.
  • Conceptual Design: Develop conceptual designs and execution plans.
  • Client Collaboration: Work with clients and vendors to obtain information required to complete engineering design deliverables on schedule and build long-term working relationships.
  • Quality Assurance: Be responsible for quality assurance process adherence.
  • Process Improvement: Develop and improve processes, tools and standards.
  • Team Leadership: Provide leadership, training and mentoring to less experienced engineers and team members.
  • Field Support: Provide short-term field support during construction.
  • Business Development: Support business development and marketing initiatives.

8. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Job Summary

  • Technical Support: Provide technical support for the electrical and control department for projects and products.
  • Design Planning: Plan contract, electrical and control design activities to achieve project and department deadlines.
  • Component Selection: Specify, select and verify major components.
  • Design Control: Create and control hardware and software design for projects and products.
  • Instruction Development: Create and control instructions for manufacture, assembly and test.
  • System Testing: Perform factory and site testing and commissioning including demonstration of control systems to clients.
  • Issue Resolution: Review and advise corrective actions for manufacturing, assembly and test issues.
  • Continuous Improvement: Use continuous improvement methodologies to promote built-in engineering quality concepts into standard work.
  • Team Collaboration: Collaborate with operations, quality, commercial and procurement teams to drive improved manufacturing and supply chain performance and early defect detection.
  • Safety Compliance: Ensure adherence to company environmental, health and safety standards in compliance with company policies to ensure a safe working environment and the minimisation of environmental impact.

9. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Accountabilities

  • Program Implementation: Be responsible for implementing a comprehensive program, including both corrective and preventive activities, to meet all key performance indicators, with the application of a wide range of engineering principles and practices.
  • Innovative Solutions: Develop, validate and implement innovative solutions through the utilization of engineering principles.
  • SOP Development: Develop, evaluate and implement standard operating procedures and performance measures to ensure simplification and accuracy of work methods and reliability of systems.
  • Maintenance Framework: Develop a preventive maintenance improvement framework to minimize maintenance, repair and replacement costs and abate the risk of equipment breakdown or interruption.
  • Engineering Analysis: Conduct feasibility, cost, optimization, stress, fluids and thermal analyses.
  • Testing Administration: Plan, develop, conduct and administer testing and commissioning and other experimental simulations.
  • Client Interface: Interface directly with clients to identify and analyze critical needs, define problems and develop specifications to guide the solution process.
  • Reliability Projects: Plan and execute reliability improvement projects focused on new technology development, evaluation and application to both existing and emerging risks.
  • Emergency Repairs: Lead emergency unscheduled repairs or first-level troubleshooting of facility equipment, and closely monitor facility system performance, critical parameters and loading.
  • Result Communication: Communicate and transfer analytical results for practical use within the organization and clients.

10. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Job Description

  • Cost Strategies: Develop initiatives and strategies that lead to cost savings and service improvement.
  • Service Evaluation: Evaluate service response time and analyze clients’ service request trends and suggestions.
  • Client Feedback: Ensure feedback from clients is recorded and action is taken to the satisfaction of the end user.
  • Relationship Management: Proactively develop and manage client and business unit relationships, ensuring that the expected service levels are achieved.
  • Client Satisfaction: Lead by example in achieving the maximum client satisfaction level.
  • Report Development: Ensure delivery of meaningful inputs across the function in the development of monthly management reports.
  • Data Integrity: Ensure data integrity and accuracy of all information reported associated with the daily shift operations report, weekly MRM report, monthly report, risk assessment, BAR, Maximo PM closure and other imperative updates.
  • Learning Development: Work closely with the management team to devise new and innovative methods of learning built around skill development, leadership and succession planning.
  • Team Environment: Actively encourage an environment that supports teamwork, cooperation and performance excellence.
  • Team Coaching: Coach the team, ensuring high staff morale, trust and work ethics.
  • Performance Support: Support individual performance agreements for key performance measures.
  • KPI Achievement: Ensure the KPI targets for the account are met.

11. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Details and Accountabilities

  • Program Development: Devise, plan, schedule and direct preparation of automated distributed control programs which facilitate operations and solve ancillary problems.
  • System Consultation: Consult with systems analysts to clarify program intent and operational needs, identify problems, suggest changes and determine the extent of programming and coding required.
  • System Optimization: Analyze test runs and perform system optimization.
  • Documentation Control: Compile documentation of program development and subsequent revisions.
  • Construction Interface: Be responsible for direct interface with construction personnel, coordinating construction completion in areas and systems under assignment.
  • Commissioning Procedures: Develop, review, and approve control systems commissioning procedures.
  • Turnover Support: Provide input and assist in the development of system turnover packages.
  • Issue Tracking: Track and report all issues and promptly advise management.
  • As-Built Records: Record and maintain as-built documentation.
  • Parts Management: Ensure that spare parts and consumables necessary for the operation of the system are available.
  • Startup Planning: Ensure commissioning and startup activities that require craft support are planned, communicated and completed.
  • Operations Training: Provide direction and training to operations staff during the initial startup of plant control systems before turnover.

12. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Roles

  • Project Support: Provide support to the project team per the direction of the process and controls team leader, including creation and maintenance of drawings, bills of materials, schematics, documentation, design calculations and verification, and new component research based on the project specification and accepted design practices.
  • Specification Review: Review and interpret customer specifications and coordinate with the engineering team leader and project manager to define and clarify the detailed scope of supply.
  • System Design: Incorporate requirements into system design while following internal standards and industry best practices.
  • Standards Application: Understand and apply electrical industry standards such as NEC, IEC, ATEX, UL, and CSA to compressor instrumentation and control systems.
  • Component Selection: Select the appropriate electrical and control components based on the project specifications.
  • Technical Discussions: Lead technical discussions with customers and sub-vendors while providing accurate technical answers on engineering issues.
  • Issue Reporting: Inform the process and controls team leader of any discrepancies or deficiencies in the project.
  • Control Systems: Understand properties of fluid control systems and compressor control logic as they apply to the process, lube oil and seal gas systems.
  • Technical Support: Provide technical support within the engineering team and to manufacturing, application engineering and field service as projects require.
  • Design Concepts: Propose and contribute design concepts.
  • Meeting Participation: Attend project kick-off meetings, design reviews and regular team meetings.
  • Record Maintenance: Maintain accurate and well-organized design records, which conform to quality procedures.
  • Flexible Scheduling: Occasionally, the job will require time outside standard office hours including holidays and weekends.
  • Safety Compliance: Comply with safety rules, regulations and OSHA requirements.

13. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Essential Functions

  • System Design: Design, specify and recommend instrumentation and control systems for power plants and industrial facilities.
  • Client Interface: Interface with customer, suppliers and construction throughout design and construction phase.
  • System Architecture: Develop control system architecture, specification and I/O configuration.
  • Instrumentation Configuration: Perform process instrumentation configuration and specification.
  • Control Strategies: Develop control strategies and SAMA control logic.
  • Wiring Design: Design system wiring drawings and instrument installation details.
  • Construction Support: Provide construction support, including field engineering design and installation compliance.
  • Commissioning Support: Provide startup and commissioning support, including distributed control system software development and testing.

14. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Role Purpose

  • Software Maintenance: Lead and participate in the daily maintenance, management and modification of the software logics and modules, including network equipment for all related real-time operational computer systems, including PLCs, operator consoles, remote terminal units and associated interface equipment used to control and monitor the generation facilities as well as the facilities' security access control and monitoring systems.
  • Technical Support: Provide technical support for the daily maintenance and troubleshooting activities for the control systems to ensure plant equipment continues to operate.
  • System Troubleshooting: Understand system operating principles required to effectively troubleshoot, modify, monitor and maintain a safe and reliable automation, monitoring and data collection system.
  • System Development: Maintain existing operations computer systems, including hardware, software, network and security implementation and develop new systems to accommodate changes in methodologies, procedures and regulatory requirements.
  • System Improvement: Maintain and improve existing real-time operation systems and security access control and monitoring systems, databases at a level consistent with best practices and reliability standards.
  • Procedure Development: Maintain and develop procedures for effective operation, utilization and disaster recovery for SCADA, HMI, security access control and monitoring systems and network applications systems.
  • Problem Resolution: Analyze and resolve system hardware and software problems involving station instrumentation, input and output modules, power supply modules and network communications.
  • Data Security: Use appropriate techniques to maintain the integrity and security of collected data.
  • System Integration: Integrate, install and test controls and network systems according to current generation station standards in a production plant environment, observing all generation station safety and work control procedures.
  • Logic Revision: Revise existing ladder logics, systems configurations and procedures to correct deficiencies and conduct appropriate software and hardware tests after revisions to ensure the correct operation of revised systems.
  • System Planning: Assist with the development of short-term and long-term plans for real-time operating systems and security access control and monitoring system upgrades.
  • Cybersecurity Compliance: Maintain and review data and reports by policy and regulatory requirements for cybersecurity compliance-related matters.
  • Specification Preparation: Prepare and review technical specifications and initiate budgetary proposals for acquiring additional or replacement hardware and software for real-time systems, monitoring systems, personal computers and local area network equipment.

15. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer General Responsibilities

  • Capex Programs: Deliver control and instrumentation capital expenditure programs.
  • Project Monitoring: Monitor and inspect project activities to ensure delivery to programme, budget, scope and quality requirements.
  • Contractor Performance: Monitor contractor performance to ensure all construction activities are completed in line with health, safety and environmental requirements.
  • Project Feasibility: Examine the feasibility of projects in conjunction with asset management as part of the project appraisal procedure.
  • Design Review: Liaise with capital programmes at the pre-construction stage, provide input to the design review process and undertake constructability and gate budget reviews.
  • Tender Processes: Participate in the tendering processes and tender document preparation.
  • System Support: Contribute to the support and operation of the SCADA and DCS systems.
  • Third-Party Liaison: Liaise with consultants and third parties.

16. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Key Accountabilities

  • Site Leadership: Serve as technical instrumentation and controls site lead with ownership of customer site relationships, including satisfaction, on-time delivery, service and quality.
  • Equipment Specification: Support specification of instrumentation, control system equipment and miscellaneous materials based on defined customer needs for assigned projects and proposals.
  • Vendor Management: Manage and provide direction to site vendors to maintain the project schedule.
  • Submittal Review: Create and review OEM and vendor submittals for adherence to customer standards and defined controls guidelines.
  • Factory Testing: Execute pre-factory acceptance testing and factory acceptance testing on OEM or customer supplied equipment.
  • Startup Activities: Execute site startup activities, including loop checks and commissioning.
  • Documentation Management: Generate and manage loop check and commissioning documentation.
  • Punch List Management: Generate and manage project punch lists to completion.
  • System Troubleshooting: Utilize DCS and PLC platform software to support troubleshooting, such as DeltaV Diagnostics and AMS Device Manager.
  • Design Studies: Support instrumentation and controls engineering front-end engineering design studies based on customer requests.
  • Proposal Support: Work with the sales team to lead proposal efforts by assisting with instrumentation and controls estimates, site walkdowns, scope write-ups and preliminary bill of materials generation.
  • Opportunity Feedback: Provide feedback to the organization of site opportunities.
  • Quality Assurance: Be responsible for providing uncompromising quality to all work processes in the designated area of responsibility.

17. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Roles and Details

  • Troubleshooting Support: Safely work with engineers, users, mechanics, and I&C technicians to troubleshoot and support instrument-related equipment issues on the floor, including working at heights over 8 feet and in confined spaces.
  • Hardware Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot hardware issues on various automation control platforms, including DeltaV, RSLogix, and Siemens Insight Apogee, using numerous network protocols such as DeviceNet, Direct I/O, Ethernet, Foundation Fieldbus, etc.
  • Solution Development: Develop short and long-term cost-effective solutions to complex instrumentation issues and improvements.
  • Subject Expertise: Provide I&C subject matter expertise in root cause analysis and other business needs.
  • Program Improvement: Drive improvements in instrumentation and control maintenance programs, and develop supporting rationale.
  • Contractor Management: Manage contractor staff, track project deliverables, and provide status updates.
  • Configuration Management: Assist with advanced instrumentation configuration and firmware management.
  • Performance Analysis: Analyze performance history to identify trends and improvements with I&C system(s).
  • Project Management: Manage and deliver multiple simultaneous I&C projects and project support.
  • Consultative Support: Provide consultative support for automation engineering, including design, commissioning and validation teams.
  • Documentation Control: Generate and maintain maintenance and other life cycle I&C documentation.
  • Quality Records: Initiate, execute, and manage completion of quality system records, including change control, assessments, and discrepant events.
  • Audit Support: Directly support company and regulatory inspections and audits, including I&C subject matter expertise.

18. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Responsibilities and Key Tasks

  • Controls Engineering: Provide electrical process controls engineering and data integration services, including developing project scope, planning, procuring, and managing engineering projects.
  • Problem Assessment: Work with all levels of plant personnel to identify and assess equipment and process problems and define requirements to help address engineering problems and needs.
  • Project Management: Manage engineering projects from conception to completion.
  • Integration Services: Provide a wide variety of engineering and data integration services from project specification through design, implementation, training and support.
  • Control Knowledge: Possess knowledge of current control practices, procedures, standards, and equipment.
  • Documentation Management: Maintain proper controls documentation, including cause and effect diagrams, controls narratives, and network drawings.
  • Protocol Support: Support a wide range of communications protocols, networks, and radio telemetry, including Ethernet I/O, Device Level Rings, Ethernet Radios, Serial Radios, Modbus and OPC.
  • Best Practices: Assist with establishing key processing best practices to improve profitability, including operating conditions, hardware change recommendations, monitoring process conditions, and unit performance reporting and comparison (benchmarking).
  • Consultant Coordination: Direct and coordinate the work performed in the department by engineering consultants and contractors.
  • Employee Coordination: Direct and coordinate the work performed by operating employees for new equipment installations or testing to ensure conformity to engineering design and specifications.

19. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Duties and Roles

  • Troubleshooting Skills: Provide electrical (power distribution) and process control (instrumentation) engineering troubleshooting, optimization, and reliability skills to the plant site.
  • Hazard Analysis: Participate in process hazard analyses in the associated discipline to ensure the health, safety and environmental soundness of operations.
  • Manufacturing Support: Be responsible for manufacturing support including process troubleshooting, optimization and cost reduction based on a strong technical and economic understanding of the electrical, process control systems and chemical processes.
  • Operability Support: Be capable of sustaining electrical and instrumentation operability.
  • Specification Development: Develop electrical and control instrumentation specifications.
  • Project Execution: Plan and execute engineering and development projects (CARs and studies).
  • Project Support: Support other engineering projects using I/E expertise and experience.
  • Change Evaluation: Assist in the evaluation of process changes with respect to the management of change as well as maintenance and capital projects.
  • MI Program: Participate in the MI program, procedures, implementation and reviews.

20. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Roles and Responsibilities

  • Plant Operations: Develop an understanding and participation in all phases of plant operations including utilities, unit consumptions, budgeting, maintenance, outages, etc.
  • Cost Estimation: Prepare capital cost estimates and evaluate project economics.
  • Capital Requests: Prepare capital appropriations requests (CAR) for the approval process of capital investment.
  • Control Logic: Develop, design and implement control logic for DCSs, PLCs and other stand-alone controllers.
  • Interface Design: Develop, design and implement operator interface software for process controls.
  • Project Implementation: Implement multiple small-scale capital projects, including project schedule, budget, and cost control.
  • Project Support: Follow or assist project construction, operator training and project startups to ensure that design performance specifications are achieved.
  • Commissioning Packages: Perform electrical commissioning and construction packages for projects.
  • Safety Goal: Be responsible for supporting and attaining the site goal of the philosophy, “The Goal is Zero.”
  • Product Stewardship: Support the product stewardship initiative to ensure the health, safety and environmental performance of products throughout the product’s life cycle.

21. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Details

  • Client Collaboration: Work with the project manager and clients.
  • Scope Development: Develop scopes of work for I&C systems, networks and projects.
  • Team Leadership: Lead I&C design teams for medium and large projects.
  • Network Design: Design PLC SCADA networks for medium and large systems.
  • Specification Preparation: Prepare specifications for instruments, computers, networking equipment, PLCs and associated components.
  • Cost Estimation: Develop preliminary and final construction cost estimates for I&C.
  • Workshop Participation: Meet with clients for design-related workshops, including instrument preferences, HMI graphics design and standard development.
  • Telemetry Design: Design radio telemetry SCADA systems using microwave, spread spectrum, licensed MAS, cellular or other radio technologies.
  • Staff Mentorship: Mentor and train staff instrumentation engineers.
  • Report Preparation: Prepare technical memorandums and reports.
  • Project Management: Manage the instrumentation portion of medium to large-sized instrumentation and control projects for water and wastewater treatment facilities.
  • Quality Review: Conduct quality management reviews of instrumentation and control designs.
  • Specification Development: Participate in continuing editing and development of I&C master specifications.

22. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Accountabilities

  • Specification Development: Develop project-specific specifications for unusual or unique instrumentation applications.
  • Demand Prioritization: Prioritize and balance competing project demands and conflicting project requirements.
  • Team Management: Manage other instrumentation and control engineers and CADD technicians to effectively complete work with attention to detail.
  • Task Delegation: Delegate tasks to others and follow up on completion and quality of work.
  • Problem Solving: Identify and consult with others on solutions to unusual, difficult, or complex tasks.
  • Client Engagement: Effectively participate in client contacts and business development efforts.
  • Alternative Evaluation: Identify alternatives, evaluate each, and determine appropriate actions to move forward.
  • Decision Making: Make solid and implementable decisions in a timely manner.
  • Simplification Skills: Reduce complex aspects of instrumentation and control engineering to terms understandable to others.
  • Detail Review: Attend to details in preparation or review of calculations, drawings, and specifications.
  • Project Monitoring: Monitor scope, schedule, and budget and control the work according to the project plan.
  • Standards Compliance: Understand, implement, and enforce company and client technical standards on projects.

23. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Functions

  • Safety Support: Fully support plant safety, quality and environmental sustainability goals.
  • Process Improvement: Drive manufacturing and project teams to deliver capital projects, manufacturing process improvements and solve manufacturing challenges using world-class operations processes and continuous improvement principles.
  • Project Leadership: Lead the development, design, installation, commissioning and startup of site-based capital and manufacturing improvement projects.
  • Expert Participation: Participate on internal and external teams as an expert in the discipline and provide thorough and practical solutions to complex issues with minimal oversight.
  • Feasibility Analysis: Develop and evaluate the feasibility of manufacturing systems, utilities and infrastructure improvements and modifications and provide recommendations for future priorities and projects.
  • Technical Analysis: Provide technical analysis, project cost and schedule estimation, engineering effort forecasting, design recommendations, preparation of design and equipment specifications, design, review of design documents, development of construction subcontract documents, and lead construction, commissioning and startup activities.
  • Resource Management: Manage and direct the work of outside technical resources, suppliers and contractors during design and implementation of projects.
  • I&C Support: Support a variety of projects for I&C planning, design, construction and integration for industrial and municipal water and wastewater treatment and conveyance facilities.
  • Design Criteria: Assist in developing technical and design criteria, process and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), control system configuration diagrams, process control functional narratives, control schematics, panel layout and wiring diagrams, instrument selection and sizing, and interconnection diagrams.
  • Design Documentation: Produce instrumentation and controls design drawings, plans and specifications for use by construction contractors in the water and wastewater industry.
  • SCADA Programming: Perform SCADA programming.
  • Field Assessment: Conduct field assessments of existing I&C equipment and conduct witness testing and participate in start-up activities during construction.
  • Document Preparation: Produce effective and accurate written documents, reports and technical memorandums.

24. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer Tasks

  • PLC Delivery: Be responsible for the delivery of new and upgraded PLC projects throughout the facility.
  • Control System Design: Lead designer for the provision of new and upgraded PLC and human machine interface control systems across the accelerator, including the design of interlock, plant and motor control systems.
  • Testing Oversight: Produce test schedules and oversee the installation, testing and commissioning of control systems around the facility.
  • Operational Support: Be responsible for managing and providing effective operational support for PLC systems designed and supported by the group, including ensuring the availability of staff and training of personnel.
  • Drawing Preparation: Prepare and check engineering drawings and technical documentation, using AutoCAD, Meridian and other standard office software packages.
  • Risk Management: Be responsible for the effective management of risk and safety measures for the team, including providing high-quality health and safety documentation relevant to the section’s equipment and work commitments.
  • Contract Supervision: Manage and supervise the work of contract staff and subcontractors in the manufacture and installation of electrical control panels and peripheral equipment.
  • Team Collaboration: Collaborate with team members (especially mechanical and process) as part of an integrated multi-disciplinary project team, including execution, design and reporting.
  • Project Engagement: Engage through all project stages, from definition, through planning, design and construction, using demonstrated abilities to recognize opportunities, understand client needs and manage and deliver projects.
  • Contract Administration: Perform engineering and contract administration related to plant, environmental and municipal design and construction projects.
  • Client Liaison: Liaise with clients, engagement and leadership of business and client development activities.
  • Preventive Maintenance: Plan and execute the preventive maintenance plans to ensure safe, reliable and efficient operation of the facilities.
  • Maintenance Leadership: Work with the maintenance superintendent and lead the technicians to execute the maintenance activities for the instrumentation and control parts.
  • Improvement Planning: Develop and implement a plant improvement plan.
  • Spare Parts Assessment: Assess the need for instrumentation and control spare parts to avoid delays in the total preventive maintenance.

25. Instrumentation and Controls Engineer General Responsibilities

  • Procedure Development: Create maintenance and operations procedures for multi-point calibrations of pressure, temperature, level, flow and dew point sensors.
  • Operational Support: Provide day-to-day support of operational and maintenance issues on site.
  • Issue Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot to the root cause, highly complex issues that less experienced staff are unable to resolve.
  • Staff Mentorship: Mentor and train staff, including technicians and engineers.
  • Continuous Improvement: Drive continuous improvement activities.
  • Process Innovation: Identify new opportunities for process, equipment and analytical innovations that result in improved safety, efficiency, quality, cost and customer satisfaction.
  • Project Development: Develop projects based on operational needs and energy and cost conservation.
  • Cybersecurity Assessment: Perform industrial control system cybersecurity risk assessments, support cold eyes reviews and internal audits on the control system environment.
  • System Review: Conduct technical review and development of industrial control system architecture, requirements gathering, project design specifications and factory acceptance testing.
  • Documentation Development: Develop technical documentation, procedures and training modules.
  • Data Analytics: Perform large data analytics using Tableau and Power BI.
  • Global Collaboration: Collaborate virtually with Houston-based and global site personnel.