Instrumentation Engineer

Brunel; Baytown (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Brunel is seeking an experienced Instrumentation Engineer to provide day-to-day manufacturing support for plant operations. The role focuses on troubleshooting instrumentation and PLC control systems, supporting maintenance, and improving equipment reliability in a live manufacturing environment.

The successful candidate will work closely with operations, maintenance, and reliability teams to diagnose issues, implement corrective actions, and ensure safe and reliable plant performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering preferred; other engineering disciplines considered.
• 5+ years of instrumentation engineering experience in refining, petrochemical, chemical, or manufacturing environments.
• 10+ years of experience strongly preferred.
• Hands-on experience troubleshooting field instrumentation and industrial control systems.
• Experience with SAP and Microsoft Office.
• Knowledge of ISA standards, instrument specifications, and datasheet development.
• Strong communication and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced plant environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical support for plant instrumentation and control systems to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operations.
• Troubleshoot instrumentation, PLCs, control systems, and field devices to identify and resolve issues.
• Support maintenance technicians during troubleshooting, repairs, testing, and commissioning activities.
• Investigate instrumentation failures and implement corrective actions to improve reliability.
• Assist with preventive and predictive maintenance strategies for instrumentation and control equipment.
• Review instrumentation designs and ensure compliance with standards and regulatory requirements.
• Support alarm management and control system improvements.
• Assist with lifecycle activities for ICS cybersecurity and spare parts recommendations.

Skills

Instrumentation troubleshooting

Field instrumentation

PLC control systems

Industrial automation

Cross-functional collaboration

Troubleshooting & diagnosis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering or related discipline

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Office

DCS/SIS platforms

Job description

Duration: 12-month W2 contract (possibility of extension)

Instrumentation Engineer – Manufacturing Support

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Instrumentation Engineer to provide day-to-day manufacturing support for plant operations. This is a hands-on role focused on troubleshooting instrumentation and PLC control systems, supporting maintenance activities, improving equipment reliability, and resolving operational issues within a manufacturing environment.

The ideal candidate has a strong field instrumentation background with experience supporting operating facilities rather than primarily executing capital projects. They should be comfortable working closely with operations, maintenance, and reliability teams to diagnose problems, implement solutions, and ensure safe and reliable plant performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical support for plant instrumentation and control systems to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operations.
• Troubleshoot instrumentation, PLCs, control systems, and field devices to identify and resolve equipment issues.
• Support maintenance technicians during equipment troubleshooting, repairs, testing, and commissioning activities.
• Investigate instrumentation failures and implement corrective actions to improve system reliability.
• Assist with preventive and predictive maintenance strategies for instrumentation and control equipment.
• Review and provide technical input on instrumentation modifications, maintenance work, and engineering changes.
• Support control system maintenance activities including:
  • Software updates
  • Functional testing
  • ESD testing
  • Online and offline troubleshooting
  • Planned shutdown and routine maintenance activities
• Maintain and update instrumentation documentation including:
  • P&IDs
  • Logic diagrams
  • Loop drawings
  • Instrument specifications
• Review instrumentation designs and ensure compliance with company standards, engineering specifications, and regulatory requirements.
• Support alarm management and control system improvements.
• Assist with control system lifecycle activities including equipment obsolescence planning and spare parts recommendations as needed.
• Support Industrial Control System (ICS) cybersecurity initiatives and ensure compliance with applicable company standards.
• Work closely with Operations, Maintenance, Reliability, and Engineering teams to resolve production issues and improve plant performance.
• Provide field support during plant outages, turnarounds, and startup activities when required.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering preferred; Mechanical Engineering or another relevant engineering discipline will also be considered.
• Minimum of 5 years of instrumentation engineering experience in a refining, petrochemical, chemical, or manufacturing environment.
• 10+ years of experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong hands-on experience troubleshooting field instrumentation and industrial control systems.
• Experience supporting manufacturing operations or plant maintenance is preferred over solely project engineering experience.
• Working knowledge of PLC-based control systems and industrial automation.
• Experience with DCS or SIS platforms such as Honeywell, Schneider Electric, Triconex, or similar systems is desirable. No specific platform experience is required.
• Experience with instrumentation including:
  • Temperature instruments
  • Flow instrumentation
  • Control valves
  • Shutdown valves
• Ability to review and modify:
  • P&IDs
  • Logic diagrams
  • Instrument loop drawings
• Knowledge of ISA standards, instrument specifications, and datasheet development.
• Familiarity with SAP and Microsoft Office. Experience with reporting or analytics tools is a plus.
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to collaborate across operations, maintenance, engineering, and contractors.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Preferred Experience

• Experience providing direct manufacturing or plant support in an operating facility.
• Strong PLC troubleshooting experience in a live production environment.
• Experience partnering with instrument technicians on field diagnostics and repairs.
• Knowledge of equipment reliability and maintenance best practices.
• Experience supporting shutdowns and plant outages.