PI Systems Specialist

Prince William Water; Virginia; Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Prince William Water is seeking a PI System Specialist to administer and enhance the AVEVA/OSI PI System across operations, BI, and reporting platforms. You will collect time-series data from SCADA, PLCs, and smart instruments, ensuring data accuracy and availability through the full source-to-report pipeline.

You will design PI AF models, coordinate with SCADA and DBA teams, and develop data flows to downstream systems using PI Integrator, SQL databases, and Power BI.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field and 4+ years' PI System experience.
• Experience integrating PI System with reporting/BI tools.
• Strong knowledge of SCADA/PLC data and data integrity.

Responsibilities

• Administer and maintain the AVEVA/OSI PI System ecosystem and backups.
• Configure PI interfaces for SCADA systems, PLCs, and instruments; ensure data quality.
• Design PI AF models, hierarchies, attributes, and analytics for operations.
• Develop data flows from PI to downstream systems using PI Integrator, SQL, and Power BI.
• Provide training and on-call support to operations and SCADA teams.

Skills

PI System

Data quality

Cross-functional collaboration

Data pipeline

Education

Bachelor of Science in Engineering/IT/CS

Tools

SQL Server

Oracle

Power BI

PI Interfaces/Connectors

Job description

**This position is eligible for a partial telework schedule, with a combination of on-site and remote work based on job responsibilities and operational needs.**

The PI System Specialist is responsible for administering, configuring, developing, and maintaining the OSI/AVEVA PI System and its integration with Prince William Water’s operational, business intelligence, and information systems. The role collects, contextualizes, and delivers time-series process data from Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, Programmable Logic Controller (PLCs), and smart instruments through the PI infrastructure to downstream analytics and reporting platforms, supporting process reliability, optimization, and continuous improvement. The Specialist ensures data accuracy, integrity, and availability across the full source-to-report pipeline and independently resolves new or unusual technical challenges. Demonstrates and supports a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Administer, secure, and maintain the full AVEVA/OSI PI System ecosystem, including PI Data Archive, PI Asset Framework, PI Vision, and PI Integrator, ensuring reliable performance, backups, archives, license compliance, and continuous availability.
• Configure and maintain PI interfaces and connectors for SCADA systems, PLCs, and smart instruments; ensure data quality related to timestamps, scan rates, compression/exception settings, and troubleshoot end to end pipeline issues.
• Provide technical direction to contractors integrating SCADA, instrumentation, and controls with the PI System; support procurement activities related to PI data collection and integration.
• Design and maintain PI Asset Framework (AF) models, including hierarchies, templates, attributes, analytics, rollups, and event frames, to provide contextualized operational intelligence.
• Develop and maintain data flows from PI to downstream systems using PI Integrator, Structured Query Language (SQL) databases, Power BI, and other reporting platforms.
• Create and support PI Vision dashboards, trends, and reports, ensuring accuracy and completeness of operational data visualizations.
• Collaborate with SCADA teams, Data Base Administrators (DBAs), operations, and reporting staff to ensure data accuracy and consistency across systems and organizational boundaries.
• Support regulatory and compliance reporting needs, including preparation of data for Discharge Monitoring Report (DMRs) and other required submissions.
• Provide training, guidance, and technical support to operations, SCADA, and field staff on PI tools, analytics, and reporting capabilities.
• Maintain complete and accurate system documentation, including data flow diagrams, tag and asset mappings, and configuration standards.
• Provide on-call support for emergency response troubleshooting to correct PI System and data pipeline problems. Make service calls during off-hours as required.
• May be deemed essential at any time.
• Perform other duties as assigned or required.

• Strong working knowledge of the AVEVA/OSI PI System suite, including PI Data Archive, PI AF, PI Vision, PI Integrator, and PI interfaces/connectors.
• Solid understanding of industrial data sources such as SCADA systems, PLCs, Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs), and time-series data concepts (sampling, exception/compression, interpolation, timestamp alignment).
• Experience interfacing SCADA/HMI platforms (e.g., EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert, AVEVA Wonderware/System Platform) with the PI System.
• Knowledge of Open Platform Communication (OPC) standards including Distribution Automation (DA), Historical Data Access (HDA), and Unified Architecture (UA) for real-time and historical data exchange.
• Proficiency with relational database platforms such as SQL Server and Oracle, including SQL querying, data validation, troubleshooting, and supporting downstream analytics/reporting.
• Understanding of data replication and synchronization methods between historians, databases, and reporting systems.
• Ability to design and maintain PI AF asset models, data hierarchies, and contextualized structures for analysis and reporting.
• Working knowledge of business intelligence/reporting tools such as Microsoft Power BI and how underlying data structures influence visualization and report behavior.
• Ability to interpret Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) diagrams and narrative control descriptions to inform data modeling and integration work.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences and maintain effective working relationships.
• Excellent attention to detail with the ability to understand broader system-level data flows across platforms.
• General knowledge of public utility processes, design principles, and operational workflows.
• Minimum Education and Work Experience:
  • Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering, Information Technology, Computer Science, Data/Information Systems, or a closely related field.
  • At least four years of progressively responsible experience administering, configuring, or developing on the OSI PI System (AVEVA PI System) or a comparable data historian, including integration of historian data with reporting or business intelligence systems.
  • Or a combination of education and experience as described above.
  
  Required Licenses/Certifications and other Special Requirements:
  • Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license consistent with Prince William Water policy requirements.
  
  Minimum Lead/Supervisory or Management Experience:
  • None

The qualifications listed above are intended to represent the minimum skills and experience levels associated with performing the duties and responsibilities contained in this job description. The qualifications do not express absolute employment or promotional standards. They are general guidelines that should be considered along with the job-related selection or promotional criteria.

• Physical demands: The work is partly sedentary with periods of light to moderate physical activity and is performed in offices and field sites. Typical positions require workers to walk or stand for short periods; lift and carry up to 20 pounds; climb stairs, ladders or scaffolding; bend, kneel and crouch; reach, hold, grasp and turn objects; and operate computer or typewriter keyboards. ?Work requires the ability to speak clearly, to see and hear clearly with or without correction, and to detect odors.

Work environment: Employee is subject to work beyond the normal scheduled hours. Employees are required to wear protective gear to protect against hazards in the work