Principal Control & Instrument Engineer

First Recruitment Group; Stockport; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

First Recruitment Group is seeking a Lead C&I Engineer in Manchester to drive instrumentation and control systems across major capital projects. You will lead UK and global teams, manage budgets and schedules, and own key deliverables from concept through detailed design for Oil & Gas, Petrochemical, Chemical, and Energy sectors.

You will act as the focal point for interfaces with clients and multidisciplinary teams while ensuring compliance with relevant UK standards and regulatory

Qualifications

• Extensive C&I design experience on major capital projects from concept to start-up.
• Experience delivering across Oil & Gas, Petrochemical, Chemical or Refinery sectors.
• Proven leadership of engineering teams, budgets, schedules and resources.

Responsibilities

• Lead UK and global C&I engineering and design teams across project phases.
• Manage project budgets, schedules and resources for delivery.
• Support both execution and proposal development activities.
• Deliver Concept, FEED and Detailed Design for Oil & Gas, Chemical and Energy projects.
• Produce and review Instrument Engineering deliverables.

Skills

C&I design experience

Engineering team leadership

Oil & Gas / Petrochemical

P&ID development

Tools

DCS platforms

PLC systems

SIS software

Job description

Job Title

Principal C&I Engineer

Location

Manchester

Contract

12 Months PAYE Inside IR35

Overview

Our client is currently recruiting a Lead C&I Principal Engineer to support a long-term MSA within the downstream Oil & Gas sector. The role combines technical leadership with responsibility for project budgets, schedules, resource planning, and team management.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead UK and global C&I engineering and design teams across all project phases.
• Manage project budgets, schedules, and resources to ensure successful delivery.
• Support both project execution and proposal development activities.
• Deliver Concept, FEED, and Detailed Design work across Oil & Gas, Chemical, Petrochemical, Power, and Energy Transition projects.
• Produce and review Instrument Engineering deliverables.
• Act as the focal point for client and multidisciplinary engineering interfaces.

Key Requirements

• Extensive C&I design experience on major capital projects from concept to start-up.
• Strong background in Oil & Gas, Petrochemical, Chemical, or Refinery environments.
• Experience working to UK standards and regulations.
• Proven leadership of engineering teams, project budgets, schedules, and resources.
• Strong knowledge of DCS, PLC, SIS, ATEX, field instrumentation, and control systems.
• Competent in P&ID development, instrument specification, technical bid evaluation, and design safety.
• Excellent communication skills and experience working with global delivery teams.

Company information

At First Recruitment Group we understand just how important it is to secure the right people. That is why our Recruitment Consultants always take the time to understand requirements in detail and offer sound advice to both clients and candidates. We actively recruit at all levels and this is a superb opportunity for a Lead C&I Engineer looking for new employment.

As part of putting people first, we strive to be an equal opportunities employer and we are always looking to increase the diversity of our workforce, working closely with our clients to ensure everyone is included