Director Instrumentation

Mackinnon Bruce International; Arizona; Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Mackinnon Bruce International seeks a Director of Instrumentation Effectiveness to lead instrumentation strategy, reliability, and lifecycle management for a large, multi-site mining operation across the Americas. The role requires aligning maintenance, engineering, and operations to improve safety and data-driven decisions.

You will standardize practices, drive continuous improvement, and oversee deployment of sensors, VFDs, and process control systems while guiding training and supplier

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Electronic, Instrumentation and Control Engineering or related technical discipline, with 15+ years of mining maintenance experience.
• Alternatively: Master’s degree with 12+ years of mining maintenance experience.
• Experience leading large, diverse technical/maintenance teams across complex environments.
• Strong knowledge of industrial instrumentation, including installation, calibration, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
• Experience with process control systems, industrial networks, sensors, actuators, and field devices.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement enterprise-wide strategies and technical standards for field instrumentation.
• Establish standardized processes for instrument selection, deployment, maintenance, and decommissioning.
• Improve instrumentation availability and reliability through condition monitoring and RCFA.

Skills

Instrumentation expertise

Reliability engineering

Stakeholder influence

Cross-site leadership

Process control systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Instrumentation Engineering

Master’s degree (M.Eng/M.Sc/MBA)

Tools

SAP Plant Maintenance

CMMS platforms

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Director of Instrumentation Effectiveness to lead instrumentation strategy, reliability, and lifecycle management across a large, multi-site mining operation in the Americas.

This senior technical leadership role will be responsible for developing and implementing standardized approaches to the selection, installation, maintenance, monitoring, and replacement of industrial instrumentation across surface and underground mining operations.

Working closely with site maintenance, engineering, and operations teams, you will improve instrumentation reliability, reduce unplanned failures, enhance operational safety, and ensure accurate, dependable data is available to support critical operational decisions.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical expertise in industrial instrumentation and process control with the ability to influence stakeholders, standardize practices, and drive continuous improvement across a complex, multi-site organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Instrumentation Strategy: Develop and implement enterprise-wide strategies and technical standards for field instrumentation, ensuring equipment remains safe, reliable, and fit for purpose throughout its lifecycle.
• Lifecycle Management: Establish standardized processes for instrument selection, deployment, maintenance, condition monitoring, refurbishment, replacement, and decommissioning.
• Reliability & Performance: Improve instrumentation availability and reliability through criticality-based inspections, calibration routines, condition monitoring, and root cause failure analysis.
• Technical Standards: Standardize instrument specifications, sensor models, installation methods, commissioning procedures, testing protocols, and technical documentation across multiple sites.
• Asset Health & Risk Management: Implement proactive, risk-based replacement strategies informed by equipment condition, reliability data, operational requirements, and geotechnical risk.
• Instrumentation Deployment: Assess instrumentation requirements across surface and underground mining operations, optimizing device placement, system integration, and operational effectiveness.
• Process Control & Integration: Oversee the effective integration of sensors, actuators, valves, variable frequency drives (VFDs), communication networks, and associated process control systems.
• Digital Technology & Analytics: Utilize CMMS platforms, SAP, instrumentation diagnostics, digital twins, and advanced analytics to improve asset monitoring, forecasting, configuration control, and maintenance decision-making.
• Technical Training: Develop and deliver training programmes covering instrumentation installation, commissioning, configuration, calibration, maintenance, and safety standards.
• Resource & Contractor Management: Assess internal technical capabilities and workforce capacity, identifying where specialist external engineering or maintenance support is required.
• Safety & Compliance: Ensure instrumentation activities comply with applicable engineering standards, electrical regulations, mine safety requirements, and environmental obligations, including end-of-life disposal.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner with maintenance, operations, engineering, procurement, and site leadership to establish clear responsibilities, performance indicators, and consistent working practices across the organization.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Instrumentation and Control Engineering, or a related technical discipline, with 15+ years of mining maintenance experience covering fixed plant and mobile equipment.
• Alternatively: A relevant master's degree, such as an M.Eng, M.Sc., or MBA, with 12+ years of mining maintenance experience covering fixed plant and mobile equipment.
• Previous maintenance management experience within a mining, mineral processing, or comparable heavy industrial environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading large, diverse technical or maintenance teams across complex operational environments.
• Strong technical knowledge of industrial instrumentation, including instrument selection, installation, configuration, calibration, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
• Experience with process control systems, industrial communication networks, sensors, actuators, and field devices.
• Working knowledge of low- and medium-voltage variable frequency drives (VFDs).
• Understanding of relevant ISA standards, commissioning protocols, and engineering best practices.
• Proven experience implementing instrumentation lifecycle management and reliability improvement programmes.
• Knowledge of root cause failure analysis (RCFA), condition monitoring, preventive maintenance, and risk-based maintenance methodologies.
• Experience using SAP Plant Maintenance or equivalent CMMS platforms.
• Strong understanding of mining and mineral processing operational requirements, including both surface and underground environments.
• Experience in project management, budgeting, cost control, and resource planning.
• Familiarity with applicable electrical codes, mining safety regulations, and workplace safety legislation.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence technical standards and drive adoption across multiple sites.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading electrical or instrumentation engineering projects within large-scale mining operations.
• Familiarity with digital instrumentation platforms, advanced analytics, asset monitoring systems, and centralized configuration management.
• Knowledge of quality improvement methodologies such as Six Sigma or Total Quality Management (TQM).
• Demonstrated success improving safety, equipment reliability, and maintenance performance through standardized processes.
• Strong technical documentation, reporting, and cross-functional collaboration capabilities.
• Experience driving technical change and continuous improvement within a decentralized, multi-site organization.