Senior or Lead Automation Engineer -Energy Chennai

Ramboll; Chennai; On-site; INR 2,800,000 - 4,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Ramboll in India is seeking a Senior Automation Engineer to lead SCADA/DCS/PLC solutions for energy and process projects. You will drive architectural decisions, define control philosophies, ensure safety and cybersecurity compliance, and coordinate with international teams in Denmark and Chennai.

This role offers exposure to world‑class automation platforms and multi‑discipline integration. The successful candidate will oversee vendor interactions, perform bid evaluations, and guide the project

Qualifications

• Senior engineer with experience in automation across SCADA/DCS/PLC environments.
• Experience in OT/IT integration and cybersecurity controls for industrial plants.
• Familiarity with AVEVA Engineering and vendor-agnostic trade-off analyses.

Responsibilities

• Lead automation strategy and design across project phases (concept to FAT/SAT).
• Develop and review URS, BOD, control and alarm philosophies.
• Oversee panel/hardware design, PLC I/O, and safety-related interfaces.
• Coordinate with vendors for RFQs and technical evaluations.

Skills

SCADA

DCS

PLC

OT networking

Cybersecurity

AVEVA Engineering

Vendor evaluation

Tools

AVEVA Engineering

Siemens

ABB

Emerson DeltaV

Yokogawa

Job description

Ramboll in India With over

Inviting bright minds Do you want to push the boundaries of your profession and develop your excellence in an open, collaborative and empowering culture? We work to create a sustainable future and our inspiring projects and innovative solutions aim to set the standard among our peers. You will join a global company that has been growing successfully since its founding in 1945. Together, we lead and leave a positive impact on societies, companies and people around the world.

Company Description

Ramboll in India With over 1,000 experts across five offices in India, Ramboll delivers innovative solutions across diverse markets including Buildings, Transport, Planning & Urban Design, Water, Environment & Health, and Energy. Founded in Denmark, Ramboll is a people-first organization committed to creating sustainable impact through collaboration and innovation.

Inviting bright minds Do you want to push the boundaries of your profession and develop your excellence in an open, collaborative and empowering culture? We work to create a sustainable future and our inspiring projects and innovative solutions aim to set the standard among our peers. You will join a global company that has been growing successfully since its founding in 1945. Together, we lead and leave a positive impact on societies, companies and people around the world.

You will join our Automation and Communication department As the SCADA or Automation Senior, you are part of an exceptional technical environment with passionate colleagues in Denmark and Chennai. The department is highly experienced and delivers engineering and consultancy services globally within the energy sector for projects around the world.

We are seeking a senior engineer to lead vendor-independent automation solutions across multiple industries—including low‑carbon and green industry projects such as carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) and Power‑to‑X (PtX)—covering the full lifecycle from concept to handover. The role spans Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Distributed Control System (DCS), Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), Operational Technology (OT) networking, and multi‑system integration (Electrical, Fire and Gas, Telecom, Power Management) with hands‑on exposure to major Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) platforms (e.g., Siemens, ABB, Emerson DeltaV, Yokogawa) while maintaining platform independence. Strong experience with data‑centric delivery using AVEVA Engineering is required

Job Description

• Technical leadership and delivery
  • Lead automation strategy, architecture, and design across all phases: early concept, feasibility, Pre‑Front‑End Engineering Design (Pre‑FEED), Front‑End Engineering Design (FEED), detailed FEED, detailed engineering, Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), integrated Factory Acceptance Test (iFAT), Site Acceptance Test (SAT).
  • Produce key specifications and deliverables: User Requirements Specification (URS), Basis of Design (BOD), control philosophy, alarm philosophy aligned to International Society of Automation (ISA) 18.2 and Engineering Equipment and Materials Users Association (EEMUA) 191, Safety Requirements Specification (SRS) for Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS), Functional Design Specification (FDS), Software Design Specification (SDS), Cause and Effect (C&E) matrices, Input/Output (I/O) lists, instrument index, interface specifications, and test plans.
  • Develop SCADA/DCS/PLC architectures, OT network topologies, and cybersecurity controls; define Operational Technology/Information Technology (OT/IT) demarcation and data flows.
  • Guide technology selection with vendor‑agnostic trade‑off analyses; prepare Requests for Quotation (RFQs), conduct technical bid evaluations, and manage vendor clarifications and deviations.
  • Oversee panel and hardware design, I/O allocation, wiring topologies, segregation and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), power and Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) sizing, and hazardous area compliance.
• Multi‑system design, interfaces, and integration
  • Fire and Gas System (FGS), Emergency Shutdown (ESD): Fire and Gas mapping, detector layout, voting logic (e.g., one‑out‑of‑two [1oo2], two‑out‑of‑three [2oo3]), shutdown hierarchy, bypass/override management, proof‑testing, and integration with process control and safety systems.
  • Electrical and power: integration of Motor Control Centers (MCCs), Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs), soft starters, generator controls, Automatic Transfer Switches (ATS), switchgear, Direct Current (DC) and UPS systems, Electrical Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (eSCADA).
  • Power Management System (PMS) and Energy Management System (EMS): load shedding, load sharing, black start, islanding, synchronization, and power quality.
  • Substation Automation System (SAS) and protection: Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) and relays, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61850 communications (Manufacturing Message Specification [MMS], Generic Object Oriented Substation Event [GOOSE], and Sampled Values [SV]).
  • Smart relays and micro‑PLC devices: local logic, packaged equipment controls, and maintainable documentation.
  • Telecom systems: Public Address and General Alarm (PAGA), Closed‑Circuit Television (CCTV), access control, time services via Network Time Protocol (NTP)/Precision Time Protocol (PTP) with Global Positioning System (GPS) clocks, radio (Ultra High Frequency [UHF]/Very High Frequency [VHF]), microwave, fiber, and enterprise voice (Private Automatic Branch Exchange [PABX]/Internet Protocol [IP] telephony); alignment with Network Management Systems (NMS) and Quality of Service (QoS).
  • Interfaces and protocols: Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA), Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT), Modbus Transmission Control Protocol (Modbus TCP)/Modbus Remote Terminal Unit (Modbus RTU), EtherNet Industrial Protocol (EtherNet/IP), Process Field Network (PROFINET), Process Field Bus (PROFIBUS), Distributed Network Protocol 3 (DNP3), IEC 60870‑5‑104, IEC 61850.
• Architecture, redundancy, and safety integrity
  • High‑availability platforms: controller/server redundancy (hot/warm standby), historian clustering, failover Human–Machine Interface (HMI) servers, redundant I/O and storage.
  • Triple Modular Redundant (TMR) and high‑integrity systems: specify, engineer, and test TMR safety platforms and high‑availability DCS/PLC architectures; implement voting logic (e.g., 2oo3, 2oo4).
  • Safety Integrity Level (SIL) engineering: lead SIL determination and verification, design Safety Instrumented Functions (SIFs), calculate Average Probability of Failure on Demand (PFDavg), specify proof‑test intervals, align with IEC 61511/IEC 61508.
  • Network resilience: segmented Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), demilitarized zones (DMZs), firewalls, and redundancy using Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP), Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP), and High‑availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR).
• Functional safety and cybersecurity
  • Apply IEC 61511/IEC 61508 across the safety lifecycle; lead Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP), Hazard Identification (HAZID), Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA), SIL determination/verification, and SRS development.
  • Implement IEC 62443 cybersecurity controls; conduct risk assessments, zoning, compliance testing, including verification during FAT/iFAT/SAT.
• Data‑centric and digital delivery (AVEVA Engineering)
  • Deliver projects using AVEVA Engineering for data‑centric execution: class libraries, tag governance, specifications, datasheets, and cross‑discipline registers (instruments, I/O, cables, equipment).
  • Configure digital thread integrations between AVEVA Engineering, Computer‑Aided Design (CAD) and Computer‑Aided Engineering (CAE) tools (e.g., EPLAN, AutoCAD Electrical), historians (e.g., AVEVA/OSIsoft Plant Information [PI] System), and document control; drive quality through single‑source‑of‑truth.
  • Establish model‑based standards, templates, and rules for automatic deliverable generation and change control.
• Client engagement and project management
  • Define scope, schedule, budget, resource plans, and risk registers; manage change and ensure Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC).
  • Lead design workshops, vendor meetings, and multi‑discipline coordination; mentor junior engineers; perform technical reviews.
    

Dedicated Capabilities For FAT, IFAT, And SAT

• Strategy and planning
  • Define verification strategy, acceptance criteria, and traceability from URS/BOD through FDS/SDS to test protocols, including process, safety (SIS/ESD/FGS/HIPPS), electrical/PMS/S