DCS Engineer: Digital Controls & Power Plant Optimization

IS International Services; Alpharetta (GA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering firm in Alpharetta, Georgia is seeking a Process Control Engineer to bridge digital product owners and engineering teams. You will design control solutions, manage projects, and apply advanced analytics to optimize operations in power plants. Ideal candidates will have over 8 years of experience and a strong background in DCS and industrial communication protocols.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years in process control, preferably in combined cycle power plants.
• Experience with advanced analytics, AI, or machine learning in operational technologies.
• Proven experience with industrial communication protocols is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement controls solutions using SPPA-T3000 in a power plant environment.
• Contribute to digital transformation through innovative technology tools.
• Perform efficiency calculations for plant operations.

Skills

Process control

Data analytics

Communication protocols

DCS system

HMI/SCADA systems

Education

Bachelor of Science

Tools

SPPA-T3000

Job description

In this role, you will function as a technical bridge between our Digital Product Owners and our Regional Engineering team focused on solving our client’s business problems in the areas of Performance, Reliability and Availability. On a day-to-day basis, process control engineers spend 75% of their time in the back office on project related activities while the other 25% will be spent onsite testing and/or directing our client’s operational team (process control engineers work 9-to-5 on a full-time basis).

Working Conditions:

· Normal power plant environment and/or out-of-doors work environment.

· Work around large rotating equipment, energized electrical equipment in high noise areas, climb stairways, ladders.

· Must be prepared to work extended hours; varied/rotating shifts with weekend and holiday work as required by schedules, workload, and project conditions.

· Ability to work in mentally stressful environments: must be able to react to crises where immediate action is required to correct or curtail potentially damaging or hazardous situations.

· Projects tasks will include but not limited to:

· Researching and developing new innovative solutions

· Managing project cost and time constraints

· Software Engineering for our traditional DCS modernization business

· Bottom end cycle tuning and optimization

· Process control health assessments

· Collecting data, authoring reports, and presenting findings to senior management & our clients

How You’ll Make an Impact (responsibilities)

· Work with a niche project team to design and implement controls solutions using the SPPA-T3000 within a Power Plant Environment.

· Effectively demonstrate the ability to deliver on complex situations or problems without guidance or supervision.

· Being able to contribute to our business’s digital transformation through innovative technology tools and data analytics.

· Adapt and integrate products to create digital services and achieve customer outcomes.

· Aid in designing site-specific control logic from customer specifications, SAMA diagrams, logic diagrams, and reverse-engineering of ladder-logic, or existing code.

· Aid in designing, developing, and testing engineering modifications of solutions.

· Perform and track changes for complex new software designs, processes, or design changes to meet specified requirements.

· Aid in performing on-site studies to determine cost benefits of startup optimization, heat rate optimization, startup sequencing, alarm, and manual operator intervention reduction at power generation facilities.

· Aid in perform efficiency calculations for Plant Heat Rate, Boiler Efficiency, combustion turbine efficiency.

· Experience with advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and/or machine learning in operational technologies

· Perform plant integration and aid with loop checks of new and existing instruments and commissioning of engineered control logic.

· Work with Supervisors, Maintenance, Engineering and Operations to plan, procure and document maintenance activities.

· Maintaining strict adherence to site specific safety rules and regulations

· Knowledge in field of industrial communication protocols for third party interfaces (Modbus, IEC60870, IEC61850, OPC UA) will be an advantage.

· Proven experience with DCS system and HMI/SCADA system.

· Continuously develop own knowledge and skills and help others to grow and develop

Travel Requirement:

· 20-35 % travel required.

What You Bring (requirements)

· Bachelor of Science from an accredited university

· Minimum of 8 years in process control (preferable combined cycle power plants)

· Applicants must be legally authorized for employment in the United States without need for current or future employer-sponsored work authorization.