Control Room Operator - Hydrocarbon Processing

ADNOC Abu Dhabi UAE; Al Ruways Industrial City; On-site; AED 156,000 - 246,000; Full time

Job summary

ADNOC Group in Abu Dhabi Emirate seeks an experienced Control Room Operator for hydrocarbon processing. You will supervise and monitor complex units from the central control room, coordinating with field operators and maintenance teams to ensure safe startup, shutdown, and continuous process control.

The role requires 7+ years in plant operations, with at least 4 years in control room panel operations in Oil & Gas, and strong knowledge of DCS/ICS systems, SOPs, and HSE practices.

Qualifications

• Requires a Technical Diploma in Chemical Engineering or equivalent.
• Minimum 7 years in Plant Operations, including at least 4 years in Control Room Panel operations within Oil & Gas.

Responsibilities

• Supervise monitoring and recording of process parameters across hydrocarbon processing units and utility systems.
• Identify operating deviations from the control panel and initiate corrective action.
• Escalate significant process abnormalities to Operations Management.
• Maintain continuous communication with plant areas for awareness of facility conditions.
• Monitor plant performance through DCS and ICS terminals.
• Respond to control system alarms, warnings, and abnormal operating indications.
• Coordinate with field operators for process adjustments per parameters.
• Maintain process conditions within established envelopes.
• Coordinate safe preparation of equipment before maintenance.
• Support reinstatement and normalization after maintenance.
• Review Permit to Work and logs before interventions.
• Ensure alignment with SOPs and process parameters.
• Ensure safe handover between Operations and Maintenance.
• Coordinate with Shift Supervisors and maintenance during abnormal situations.
• Oversee safe shutdowns per SOPs and controlled startups.
• Lead troubleshooting from control room during disturbances.
• Execute planned shutdown requirements when needed.
• Support emergency shutdown execution when required.
• Take prompt action after alarms and trips.
• Record critical operating parameters and adjustments.
• Adjust flow, temperature, pressure, and chemistry via control systems.
• Monitor interactions to prevent disturbances to adjacent units.
• Maintain awareness of operational constraints and mitigation.
• Coordinate responses during equipment trips and interruptions.
• Support restart and recovery after disturbances.
• Maintain shift logs of events, alarms, and conditions.
• Communicate outstanding issues during handovers.
• Ensure incoming operators receive status and permits information.
• Follow SOPs and technical standards.
• Provide on-the-job training for UAE Nationalization programs.
• Coach operators in control panel practices and emergency response.
• Contribute to improving procedures and control room processes.
• Participate in continuous improvement for safety and reliability.
• Comply with HSE, ADNOC Code of Practices.

Skills

Control room operations

Hydrocarbon processing

DCS/ICS

Process monitoring

Safety awareness

Education

Technical Diploma in Chemical Engineering

Tools

DCS

ICS

Industrial Control Systems

Process parameters recording

Job description

Control Room Operator - Hydrocarbon Processing Job Snapshot Role: Control Room Operator - Hydrocarbon Processing Location: Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates Industry: Oil and Energy Function: Operations-Plant Management Experience: Minimum 7 years in Plant operations, including at least 4 years in Control Room Panel operations within the Oil and Gas industry Job Type: Full-time

Control Room Operator - Hydrocarbon Processing in Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates is an Oil and Energy opportunity for an experienced plant operations professional responsible for supervising and controlling multiple hydrocarbon processing units and associated utilities through Industrial Control Systems and Distributed Control Systems. ADNOC Group is hiring a Control Room Operator to monitor process parameters, coordinate field adjustments, manage startups and shutdowns, respond to alarms and trips, and maintain safe operation within approved performance limits.

Job Details

Country: United Arab Emirates

City: Abu Dhabi Emirate

Industry: Oil and Energy

Function: Operations-Plant Management

Salary: 14000-22000 Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer.

Gender: Any

Candidate Nationality: Any

Job Type: Full-time

Role Context

The Control Room Operator will supervise and monitor complex hydrocarbon processing facilities from the central control environment while maintaining continuous coordination with field operators, shift supervision, maintenance teams, and permit personnel. The role requires constant awareness of process flow, temperature, pressure, chemistry, equipment status, utilities, alarms, trips, and operating constraints. Accurate and timely control actions are critical to maintaining plant integrity, product quality, production continuity, and personnel safety. The position also has an important role during equipment isolation, maintenance handover, process normalization, emergency response, startup, shutdown, and troubleshooting activities.

Key Responsibilities

• Supervise monitoring and recording of process parameters across assigned hydrocarbon processing units and utility systems.
• Identify operating deviations from the control panel and initiate appropriate corrective action.
• Escalate significant process abnormalities to Operations Management when required.
• Maintain continuous communication with plant areas to ensure operating teams understand overall facility conditions.
• Monitor plant performance through DCS and Industrial Control System terminals.
• Respond to control system alarms, warnings, and abnormal operating indications.
• Coordinate with field operators to ensure process adjustments are completed according to approved operating parameters.
• Maintain process conditions within established operating envelopes.
• Control changes to operating conditions and product flows required for equipment isolation.
• Coordinate safe preparation of process equipment before preventive or corrective maintenance.
• Support reinstatement and normalization of process conditions after maintenance completion.
• Review Permit to Work records and control room logs before supporting plant interventions.
• Verify that control room activities remain aligned with operating procedures and approved process parameters.
• Ensure safe handover and takeover of equipment between Operations and Maintenance teams.
• Coordinate with Shift Supervisors, Superintendents, field operators, and maintenance personnel during abnormal or emergency situations.
• Oversee safe shutdown of hydrocarbon process facilities according to approved Standard Operating Procedures.
• Supervise controlled startup and stabilization of process units and associated utilities.
• Lead operational troubleshooting from the control room during plant disturbances.
• Execute planned shutdown requirements when operating conditions or maintenance activities require unit isolation.
• Support emergency shutdown execution when necessary to protect personnel and process facility integrity.
• Take prompt action following process alarms, utility failures, trips, or equipment abnormalities.
• Monitor and record critical operating parameters for process plants and utility systems.
• Adjust flow, temperature, pressure, chemistry, and related variables through available control systems.
• Monitor interactions between process units to prevent disturbances from affecting adjacent facilities.
• Maintain awareness of operational technical constraints and ensure required mitigation measures are applied.
• Coordinate process responses during equipment trips and production interruptions.
• Support safe restart and recovery following process disturbances.
• Maintain clear shift logs recording significant operating events, adjustments, alarms, and abnormal conditions.
• Communicate outstanding operational issues during shift handovers.
• Ensure incoming operators receive accurate information regarding equipment status, permits, isolations, process limitations, and ongoing work.
• Follow approved operational policies, processes, procedures, systems, and technical standards.
• Provide on-the-job training to support Competency Based Training and UAE Nationalization programs.
• Coach developing operators in control panel practices, process monitoring, and emergency response requirements.
• Contribute suggestions for improving operating procedures and control room processes.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives affecting plant safety, reliability, and operating efficiency.
• Comply with applicable HSE requirements, legislation, sustainability guidelines, and ADNOC Code of Practices.
• Participate in emergency response duties as an assigned team member.
• Maintain control room and associated work areas in clean and orderly condition.
• Provide operational information for progress reports prepared for management.
• Prepare and maintain KPI checklists and relevant operating performance records.
• Coordinate regularly with Operations, Maintenance, PTW teams, and shift supervision.
• Liaise with other ADNOC Group Companies where operational coordination is required.
• Interface with vendors, contractors, service providers, and product-related stakeholders when assigned.

Ideal Profile

The position requires a Technical Diploma in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, or an equivalent professional qualification. Candidates should have at least 7 years of Plant Operations experience, including a minimum of 4 years working in Control Room Panel operations within the Oil and Gas industry. Strong practical knowledge of hydrocarbon processing units and associated utility systems is required. The successful candidate should demonstrate technical competence in Distributed Control Systems and the ability to monitor and control multiple process units simultaneously. Candidates must understand plant operating procedures, startup and shutdown sequences, equipment isolation, process alarms, trips, emergency response, and safe equipment handover. Strong knowledge of plant HSE systems, Permit to Work requirements, and operating controls is essential. The role requires good scheduling, coordination, checking, examining, recording, and technical communication skills. Candidates should be capable of remaining composed during process upsets and making timely operating decisions based on alarms, trends, procedures, and field feedback.

Skills Set

• Control room operations
• Hydrocarbon processing
• Plant operations
• Distributed Control Systems
• DCS
• Industrial Control Systems
• ICS
• Process monitoring
• Process control
• Control panel operation
• Hydrocarbon process units
• Utility systems
• Flow control
• Temperature control
• Pressure monitoring
• Process chemistry
• Operating envelopes
• Process alarms
• Plant trips
• Emergency shutdown
• Planned shutdown
• Plant startup
• Process startup
• Process troubleshooting
• Operations coordination
• Field operator coordination
• Shift operations
• Equipment isolation
• Equipment handover
• Process normalization
• Preventive maintenance coordination
• Corrective maintenance coordination
• Permit to Work
• PTW
• Shift logs
• Process parameter recording
• Operational constraints
• Risk mitigation
• Standard Operating Procedures
• SOPs
• Emergency response
• HSE systems
• ADNOC Code of Practices
• KPI reporting
• Operations reporting
• Competency Based Training
• UAE Nationalization support
• Continuous improvement
• Process safety
• Plant reliability
• Production continuity
• Technical communication
• Shift handover

Why Join Us

This role provides direct responsibility for controlling critical hydrocarbon processing operations within the Oil and Energy sector in Abu Dhabi Emirate. The position offers exposure to complex DCS-controlled facilities, process troubleshooting, unit startups and shutdowns, emergency response, maintenance coordination, and real-time operational decision-making. For an experienced control room professional, the opportunity provides a strong platform to advance toward senior operations, shift supervision, production, and plant leadership positions while deepening expertise in hydrocarbon processing, control systems, process safety, and operational reliability.

About the Company

ADNOC Group is a diversified energy organization headquartered in Abu Dhabi with operations spanning exploration, production, gas processing, refining, logistics, and the wider energy value chain. Its plant operations rely on experienced control room teams, disciplined process management, reliable control systems, and strong HSE practices to maintain safe and efficient production.