Description
Research, design, program, test, and commission industrial control systems and automation solutions, including PLCs, DCS, HMIs/SCADA, drives, and instrumentation, for manufacturing, process, or building applications, ensuring safe, reliable, and standards-compliant operation.
- • Collaborate with process, mechanical, electrical, and IT teams and clients to define control system requirements and acceptance criteria.
- • Design, implement, and improve PLC/DCS/HMI/SCADA architectures, control panels, and instrumentation for industrial automation.
- • Use CAD and engineering tools (e.g., AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, MATLAB/Simulink) to design and validate control solutions.
- • Direct and coordinate panel fabrication, system integration, installation, commissioning, and testing to meet specs and codes.
- • Perform control calculations and selections, including I/O allocation, loop sizing, power loads, and network capacity.
- • Develop control strategies, sequencing, interlocks, and PID tuning methods to meet process and safety objectives.
- • Prepare specifications, BOMs, and procurement packages for control hardware, instrumentation, and software licenses.
- • Mentor and train technicians and junior engineers in PLC programming, panel wiring, and commissioning practices.
- • Evaluate and test vendor PLCs, drives, sensors, and software; benchmark alternatives for performance and cost.
- • Plan and manage automation project schedules, budgets, and resources to deliver on time and within cost.
- • Produce control panel layouts, wiring diagrams, I/O lists, loop diagrams, P&IDs, and functional design specifications.
- • Support development of capital projects for automation upgrades, migrations, and new production lines or processes.
- • Compile data and write control design documents, test plans, FAT/SAT reports, and as-built documentation.
- • Collect and analyze process and equipment data to assess control performance, throughput, quality, and energy use.
- • Conduct site surveys, loop checks, and network diagnostics to identify and resolve control and instrumentation issues.
- • Design control sequences that optimize energy use, cycle time, and equipment utilization while maintaining quality.
- • Develop and integrate controls for renewable energy, microgrids, or energy storage when part of project scope.
- • Integrate control systems with MES/ERP, historians, and building or power systems using industrial networks and OPC UA.
- • Develop, test, and document PLC/DCS/RTU logic, HMI/SCADA graphics, and drive/motion configurations.
- • Estimate labor, materials, panel build, and software costs for proposals and budgets.
- • Investigate alarms, downtime events, and customer issues; perform root-cause analysis and corrective actions.
- • Inspect completed installations and witness operations to verify compliance with design, safety (e.g., NFPA 79, IEC 61511), and quality standards.
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Advanced Manufacturing
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O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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Last reviewed: Jan 2026
