Lead Instrumentation & Controls Project Engineer

Nexus Circular LLC; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Nexus Circular is seeking a Senior Instrumentation & Controls Project Engineer in Atlanta to lead I&C activities on capital projects, facility expansions, and process upgrades. You will coordinate EPC firms, system integrators, and Nexus teams from conceptual design through startup, ensuring safety, reliability, and operability.

The role requires ABET-accredited engineering credentials and 7+ years in instrumentation and controls within process industries, including hands-on I&C discipline

Qualifications

• ABET-accredited B.S. in Electrical/Instrumentation/Controls.
• 7+ years instrumentation and controls experience in process industries.
• Experience delivering capital projects through engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and startup.
• Experience serving as I&C discipline lead or owner’s engineer.
• Experience coordinating with EPC firms, system integrators, vendors, contractors, and internal stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of process instrumentation, analyzers, control valves, PLCs, HMIs, remote I/O, and industrial networks.
• Knowledge of instrument grounding, shielding, signal segregation, intrinsic safety, and hazardous-area installations.
• Basic knowledge of industrial electrical systems through 480 VAC, including MCCs, motors, VFDs, control panels, UPS/DC systems, and grounding.
• Experience supporting FAT, SAT, construction, calibration, loop checks, functional testing, commissioning, and startup.
• Knowledge of ISA, NEC, NFPA, IEEE, ANSI, UL, OSHA, and hazardous-area requirements.
• Strong technical leadership, project coordination, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, contractors, and priorities.

Responsibilities

• Serve as Nexus’s I&C project lead and owner’s technical representative for assigned capital projects.
• Establish design criteria, scopes of work, battery limits, deliverables, schedules, and technical acceptance requirements.
• Lead and coordinate work performed by EPC firms, consultants, system integrators, vendors, and contractors.
• Develop and review P&IDs, instrument indexes, data sheets, and I/O lists.
• Instrument layouts, installation details, loop diagrams, and cable schedules.
• Control narratives, operating sequences, and cause-and-effect matrices.
• PLC, HMI, remote I/O, and industrial-network architectures.
• Alarm, interlock, permissive, and shutdown requirements.
• Select and specify process instruments, analyzers, control valves, actuators, and related accessories.
• Review instrument ranges, sizing, accuracy, materials, process connections, environmental ratings, and hazardous-area suitability.
• Coordinate instrument power, grounding, shielding, signal segregation, intrinsic safety, surge protection, and cable routing.
• Ensure control-system designs properly implement process requirements, operating philosophies, alarms, interlocks, permissives, and shutdown functions.
• Coordinate interfaces between plant control systems and packaged equipment, motor controls, safety systems, and industrial networks.
• Provide basic electrical engineering support for 120/480 VAC power distribution, MCC and VFD interfaces, control panels, UPS/DC systems, grounding, and heat tracing.
• Review single-line diagrams, load lists, wiring diagrams, equipment data sheets, and cable-sizing calculations as they relate to I&C systems.
• Prepare and review specifications, RFQs, technical bid evaluations, vendor submittals, RFIs, deviations, and field changes.
• Monitor engineering progress and identify design gaps, interface conflicts, long-lead items, and cost or schedule risks.
• Evaluate project deliverables for technical accuracy, completeness, integration, constructability, operability, and commissioning readiness.
• Support construction walkdowns, installation inspections, FAT, SAT, calibration, loop checks, I/O verification, functional testing, commissioning, and startup.
• Participate in PHA, HAZOP, MOC, PSSR, constructability, and commissioning-readiness reviews.
• Verify final project documentation reflects the installed and commissioned system.
• Mentor engineers and designers and provide technical direction across multidisciplinary teams.
• Travel approximately 10%–20%, depending on project requirements.

Skills

I&C project leadership

Cross-disciplinary coordination

PLC/HMI knowledge

P&IDs & data sheets

Industrial networks

Hazardous-area installations

480 VAC electrical systems

FAT/SAT/testing

ISA/NEC/IEEE/UL/OSHA knowledge

Multi-project management

Education

ABET-accredited B.S. in Electrical/Instrumentation/Controls

Tools

Rockwell ControlLogix

Siemens TIA Portal

Codesys

AutoCAD Electrical

SPI/Intools

Job description

Nexus Circular is seeking a Senior Instrumentation & Controls Project Engineer in Atlanta to lead I&C activities on capital projects, facility expansions, and process upgrades. You will coordinate EPC firms, system integrators, and Nexus teams from conceptual design through startup, ensuring safety, reliability, and operability.

The role requires ABET-accredited engineering credentials and 7+ years in instrumentation and controls within process industries, including hands-on I&C discipline