I&C Technician

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Chapel Hill (NC); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is seeking an Electronics Specialist - Advanced in Chapel Hill, NC. This full-time, permanent position will manage distributed control systems for campus chilled water plants, perform maintenance, calibration, and occasional on-call duties in a demanding environment.

The role requires an electronics background and experience with SCADA/DCS programming, with a sign-on bonus available.

Qualifications

• Associate degree in electronics from an accredited institution.
• Experience with Distributed Control Systems (DCS) and PLCs.
• Willingness to work on-site in a high-noise environment and participate in on-call rotations.

Responsibilities

• Maintain, troubleshoot, repair and calibrate existing chill water plant controls and instrumentation.
• Install, calibrate, and commission new chiller plant and bridge instrumentation and final control elements.
• Configure and operate the District Cooling System, perform trend analysis, alarms, graphics and reports for SCADA.
• Work in an on-site role with possible on-call duties and adverse weather requirements.

Skills

DCS/PLC experience

Electronics

Education

Associate's degree in electronics

Tools

SCADA

Job description

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

**ELIGIBILITY FOR SIGN-ON BONUS

The selected candidate for this position may be eligible for a sign-on bonus. Qualified applicants must apply and be selected from the candidate pool of this posting and meet the State policy following requirements:
To be eligible for a Sign-on bonus, an individual must not have worked in a probationary, permanent, or time-limited appointment in the last 12 months as an employee in North Carolina state government, including but not limited to the judicial system, state executive branch agencies, and the university system in a position subject to the State Human Resources Act.

A newly hired permanent full time or permanent part-time (more than 20 hours a week) employee are eligible for a sign-on bonus (this will be prorated for employees working more than 20 hours and less than 40 hours per week).
This SHRA Sign-on Bonus is contingent upon budget and final eligibility determination as of the effective date of hire. All recipients must sign the Pay Back Agreement form. Additional information regarding the SHRA Sign-on Policy can be found https://oshr.nc.gov/policies/sign-and-retention-bonus-policy.

Posting Information

Department

Department ES CW-227310

Career Area Facilities and Skilled Trades

Is this an internal only recruitment?

Is this an internal only recruitment? No

Posting Open Date

Posting Open Date 09/17/2026

Application Deadline

Application Deadline 10/01/2026

Position Type

Position Type Permanent Staff (SHRA)

Position Title

Position Title Electronics Specialist - Advanced

Salary Grade Equivalent

Salary Grade Equivalent NC10 / GN12

Working Title

Position Number

Position Number 00031650

Vacancy ID

Vacancy ID P021384

Full-time/Part-time Permanent/Time-Limited

Full-time/Part-time Permanent/Time-Limited Full-Time Permanent

If time-limited, estimated duration of appointment

Hours per week 40

Work Schedule

Primarily Monday – Friday 6:30am to 3:00pm.
This position is ADVERSE WEATHER , EMERGENCY EVENT and COMMUNICABLE DISEASE MANDATORY ON- SITE PRIMARY . (This means the employee in this position is expected to report to or remain at work during adverse weather and emergency events and, if deemed necessary, to work a differing schedule or shift than normally assigned).
Participation in On-Call rotation.

This position is not eligible for H-1B sponsorship.

One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC -Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package , paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit

The purpose of Chilled Water Systems ( CWS ) is to produce and distribute chilled water for approximately 155 buildings located at the main campus and two (2) satellite campuses in a cost effective, efficient and reliable manner. Chilled water is produced in two ways. One is by an extensive chilled water generating system – the single, virtual chilled water plant, comprised of four (4) networked chiller plants that are operated as a single virtual system and the second is by stand-alone chillers that are building specific. Additionally, Chilled Water Systems provides electric and steam load balance for Cogeneration Systems. CWS is part of UNC Energy Services.

Position Summary

A SIGN -ON BONUS OF $7,458 IS AVAILABLE FOR THE SUCCESSFUL APPLICANT OF THIS POSITION PAID IN 2 INSTALLMENTS WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF HIRE : $3,729 WITHIN 30 DAYS OF HIRE DATE & $3,729 12 MONTHS AFTER HIRE DATE .

This position is responsible for an assigned area of distributed control system and instrumentation installation, commissioning, maintenance and repair. This position must commission and operate existing and new plants and bridges. The control systems and associated instruments operate large-scale chilled water plants, a sophisticated Thermal Energy Storage System and ‘Free Cooling’ Heat Exchanges, future plant/facility growth and on-going upgrading of existing controls and power electronics. The plants must operate continuously:
-Maintenance, troubleshooting, repair and calibration of existing plant and chilled water bridge controls and instrumentation, large variable frequency drives and uninterruptible power supplies at chiller plants and campus buildings.
-Installation, calibration and commissioning of new and retrofit chiller plant and chilled water bridge instrumentation and final control elements.
-Configure and operate the District Cooling Systems to include system starts after major outages, problem diagnosis and solutions, trend analysis, graphics, alarms and reports for the SCADA system.
-This is an Emergency Duty position which requires incumbent to work during periods of adverse weather or other University or Chilled Water Systems emergency

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

Associate’s degree in electronics; or equivalent combination of training and experience. All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.

Management Preferences

Associates degree in Industrial Electronics, Instrumentation, and Process Controls. Related technical degree in computer programming, electrical or mechanical engineering may be considered.
Combination of related progressive on the job training, self-study, and experience in a similar environment using similar control systems and tools.

Required Licenses/Certifications

Special Physical/Mental Requirements

Position will work in a very noisy environment requiring hearing protection. Some work must be performed in high places such as cooling towers.
Employee works in close proximity to high voltages found in large horsepower machinery while operating. Position is expected to work on energized electrical equipment as deemed necessary by management. May be exposed to hazardous substances.
Multiple priorities, changing weather conditions, manpower, equipment availability, unexpected emergencies, and cascading failures, short periods of time to analyze and take action. Equipment availability affects scheduled maintenance and retrofit projects for instruments. Daily, weekly, monthly and annually activities must adjust to weather induced changes in operation. New types of cooling technology and operating procedures require on-going changes to the instrumentation. New proprietary vendor equipment and upgrades to existing equipment require learning new procedures and techniques to install and maintain control systems.

Campus Security Authority Responsibilities

Not Applicable.

Position/Schedule Requirements

Position/Schedule Requirements Evening work occasionally, Exposure to Hazardous Materials, Night work occasionally, On-call, Overtime occasionally, Valid NC Driver’s License, Weekend work occasionally

Special Instructions

**ELIGIBILITY FOR SIGN -ON BONUS

The selected candidate for this position may be eligible for a sign-on bonus. Qualified applicants must apply and be selected from the candidate pool of this posting and meet the State policy following requirements:
To be eligible for a Sign-on bonus, an individual must not have worked in a probationary, permanent, or time-limited appointment in the last 12 months as an employee in North Carolina state government, including but not limited to the judicial system, state executive branch agencies, and the university system in a position subject to the State Human Resources Act.

A newly hired permanent full time or permanent part-time (more than 20 hours a week) employee are eligible for a sign-on bonus (this will be prorated for employees working more than 20 hours and less than 40 hours per week).
This SHRA Sign-on Bonus is contingent upon budget and final eligibility determination as of the effective date of hire. All recipients must sign the Pay Back Agreement form. Additional information regarding the SHRA Sign-on Policy can be found https://oshr.nc.gov/policies/sign-and-retention-bonus-policy.

Office of Human Resources Contact Information

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the Office of Human Resources at [phone] or send an email to [e-mail]
Please note: The Office of Human Resources will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Required Documents

• List of References

Optional Documents

• Curriculum Vitae / Resume
• Cover Letter

Posting Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• * How many years experience in energy/utilities at a large college/university or equivalent industry?
  • 0-5
  • 6-10
  • 10+
• * Explain your working knowledge and experience with Industrial/Commercial Chiller Systems and associated auxiliary equipment:

  (Open Ended Question)

• * Do you have Distributed Control System (DCS) and/or PLC experience?
  • Yes
  • No
• * Please select the response below that best describes your experience/education for the Electronics Specialist position.
  • Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, and/or Doctorate in electronics
  • Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, and/or Doctorate in an unrelated field and 2 years of related experience
  • Combination of post-high school education and experience to equal at least 2 years of related experience. (ex: 1 year towards related degree and 1 year related experience)
  • High School diploma/GED and at least 2 years of related experience
  • Did not complete high school but have a combination of high school education and related experience to equal 6 years. (ex. 3 years of high school and 3 years related experience)
  • None of the above