Controls Engineer, Gas Processing

Ultipro; Houston (TX); Remote; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

VoltaGrid is seeking a Controls Engineer to design, program, test, commission, and support control systems for gas-processing and urea equipment. You will develop PLC and HMI applications, troubleshoot control logic, and provide on-site and remote support.

Ideal candidates have a bachelor’s degree in engineering and 3+ years of PLC/DCS/HMI experience, with travel up to 35%. Remote work options are available for the right candidate.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree or higher in engineering with 3+ years PLC/DCS/HMI experience, or 6+ years without degree.
• Ability to travel ~35%.
• Working knowledge of ladder logic, structured text, and function block programming.
• Ability to read P&IDs, electrical schematics, and control-system documentation.
• Strong troubleshooting and clear communication skills.
• Willingness to participate in on-call troubleshooting.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and maintain PLC and HMI applications for gas-processing and urea systems.
• Troubleshoot control logic, instrumentation, and industrial communications to resolve issues.
• Develop and tune pressure, temperature, flow, and level control strategies, including PID loops.
• Collaborate with Operations to define requirements and assess control changes.
• Standardize programs across variations with configuration management and backups.
• Plan and test control-system changes following management-of-change procedures.
• Perform factory and site acceptance testing and commissioning.
• Develop control narratives, I/O lists, and troubleshooting procedures.
• Support Ignition HMI development, deployment, and troubleshooting.
• Provide training to Operations and maintenance personnel.
• Participate in project planning and continuous improvement.

Skills

PLC programming

DCS programming

HMI programming

Ladder logic

Structured text

P&IDs interpretation

Troubleshooting

Communication protocols

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent

Tools

Studio 5000

RSLogix 5000

Ignition

FactoryTalk View

VTScada

EtherNet/IP

Job description

Position Title: Controls Engineer or Senior Controls Engineer
Location: Midland, TX (preferred), Houston, TX, or Remote
FLSA Class: Exempt
Responsible to: Controls Manager

Position Summary: This position is responsible for designing, programming, testing, commissioning, and supporting control systems for gas-processing and urea equipment, including pressure regulation, heating, flow measurement, pumping, and dosing.

The Controls Engineer will work closely with Engineering and Operations to improve equipment reliability, standardize control programs, and troubleshoot operating issues. Responsibilities include remote support, on-site commissioning and troubleshooting, and participation in on-call support.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and maintain PLC and HMI applications for gas-processing and urea systems.
• Troubleshoot control logic, instrumentation, industrial communications, and control hardware to identify and resolve production issues.
• Develop and maintain pressure, temperature, flow, and level control strategies, including PID loops, operating sequences, alarms, permissives, and interlocks.
• Work with Operations and other engineering disciplines to define operating requirements and evaluate proposed control changes.
• Standardize control programs across equipment variations while maintaining configuration management, version control, and backups.
• Plan, document, and test control-system changes through applicable management-of-change procedures.
• Perform factory and site acceptance testing, commissioning, and verification of control and shutdown functions.
• Develop and maintain control narratives, cause-and-effect documentation, I/O lists, communication maps, and troubleshooting procedures.
• Support Ignition HMI development, integration, deployment, and troubleshooting.
• Provide technical support and training to Operations, maintenance personnel, and other engineering teams.
• Participate in project planning, equipment evaluations, and continuous improvement efforts.

Other Requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree or higher in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Computer Science, or an equivalent engineering discipline, plus at least three years of PLC, DCS, or HMI programming experience; or at least six years of PLC, DCS, or HMI programming experience in lieu of the degree requirement.
• Ability to travel ~35%
• Working knowledge of industrial control programming methods, such as ladder logic, structured text, or function block programming.
• Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and control-system documentation.
• Understanding of process instrumentation, analog and discrete I/O, PID control, alarms, and interlocks.
• Strong troubleshooting skills and the ability to communicate technical findings clearly.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Availability to participate in an on-call rotation and provide after-hours troubleshooting support.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel to operating sites, with estimated travel of 35%.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience programming Allen-Bradley PLCs using Studio 5000 or RSLogix 5000 is strongly preferred.
• Experience in gas processing, oil and gas, oil-refining, or petrochemical operations is strongly preferred.
• Experience troubleshooting industrial electrical and control circuits operating at 24 VDC, 110 VAC, 480 VAC, or comparable voltage levels.
• Experience with gas heaters, pressure regulators, control valves, and Coriolis flowmeters.
• Experience with urea storage, pumping, transfer, or dosing controls.
• Experience with Ignition, FactoryTalk View, and/or VTScada HMI systems.
• Experience integrating industrial devices through EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP, and Modbus RTU.
• Experience troubleshooting remote I/O, industrial Ethernet networks, serial communications, and instrumentation.
• Experience with control-system standardization, software version control, commissioning, and management of change.
• Familiarity with process safety, shutdown systems, and applicable industrial electrical and instrumentation standards.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

VoltaGrid is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, arrest record, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment during employment #GC

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.