Principal Instrumentation & Controls (I&C) Engineer

Berkner Group; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 145,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Berkner Group in Boulder, CO is seeking a Principal Instrumentation & I&C Engineer to lead design, development and support across R&D and commercial scale plants. The role requires hands-on problem solving and technical leadership across disciplines including chemistry, biology, operations and engineering.

The ideal candidate has 7+ years of I&C experience in process industries, strong PLC/DCS, instrumentation and OT expertise, and a track record of delivering reliable systems from

Qualifications

• B.S. in Instrumentation, Electrical, Controls, or Chemical Engineering.
• 7+ years I&C experience in industrial/chemical processing; chemicals, petrochemicals, oil & gas, hydrometallurgical, mining, and/or biotechnology.
• Working knowledge of DCS/PLC platforms, field instrumentation selection and troubleshooting.
• Working knowledge of ladder logic, structured text and function blocks.
• Working knowledge of control loop tuning.
• Working knowledge of various industrial protocols including OPC UA, Modbus RTU/TCP, Serial, Ethernet/IP.
• Have demonstrated both hands-on experience and technical leadership.

Responsibilities

• Own operational support, maintenance, reliability, continuous improvement and design of all EIC and OT equipment at R&D scale (pilot and demonstration plants).
• Provide hands-on technical support and troubleshooting for instrumentation, analyzers, controls, PLC/SCADA, electrical systems and OT equipment.
• Set up and manage PLC/SCADA, instrumented safety systems, alarm management and data historian.
• Create and manage maintenance strategies for EIC/OT equipment including sparing and redundancy.
• Commission instrumentation and control systems on the demonstration plant, including loop checks and calibration verification.
• Liaise with EPC/EPCM to manage EIC and OT activities; coordinate vendors for commissioning.
• Lead FAT/SAT and loop checks during commercial plant construction and commissioning.
• Develop design information such as control narratives, I/O lists, loop diagrams, SIS requirements.

Skills

Instrumentation & Controls

Industrial automation

Troubleshooting

Technical leadership

DCS/PLC knowledge

Ladder logic/structured text

Control loop tuning

Industrial protocols (OPC UA, Modbus)

Education

B.S. in Instrumentation/Electrical/Controls/Chemical Engineering

Tools

Rockwell Studio 5000

Ignition

Logix family

DeviceNet/ControlNet/Profibus

Job description

Principal Instrumentation & Controls (I&C) Engineer

Location: Boulder, CO

Reports To: VP of Engineering

About the Company

Our client is a next generation mining company that uses synthetic biology to separate critical minerals from conventional and unconventional resources, including e-waste. Founded in 2023, the company is expanding its team in Boulder, CO. The exponential growth of new tech industries, as well as the information technology sector, are driving historic growth in mineral demand and stressing existing supply streams. Meeting new demand, diversifying the supply chain, and producing minerals in a more sustainable manner requires the rapid development, deployment and scaling of new technologies. This mineral challenge represents a historic opportunity for technology development and value creation. The company is proud to be at the vanguard of this mega trend.

Role Summary

The company is seeking a talented Instrumentation & Controls Engineer to join its growing Engineering and Operations team. This role will lead operational support, maintenance efforts and design efforts across all scales and projects, which include R&D activities, pilot plant operation, demonstration plant operation, and design of upcoming commercial plants. This role will help form the technical know-how and systems to Engineer Commercial Scale Plants and Licensing Packages. This role will be a key contributor to the company's innovation pipeline.

A successful candidate should have experience with equipment and process design in the Chemicals, Petrochemicals, Oil & Gas, Biotech, and/or Mining Process Industries; having worked for operating companies, EPCs and/or licensors. A successful candidate is one who can both jump in and troubleshoot problems on their own and also elevate to provide technical leadership and oversight over the discipline. There should be a strong desire to collaborate across disciplines including chemistry, biology, operations and engineering.

Key Responsibilities

Operational & Maintenance support of R&D Assets

• This role will own operational support, maintenance, reliability, continuous improvement and design of all EIC (Electrical, Instrumentation, Controls) and Operations Technology (OT) equipment and systems at R&D scale (pilot and demonstration scale plants)
• Provide hands on technical support and troubleshooting for instrumentation, analyzers, controls, PLC/SCADA, electrical systems and other Operations Technology (OT) equipment and systems
• Set up and manage all aspects of PLC/SCADA, instrumented safety systems, alarm management and data historian
• Create and manage maintenance strategies for all Instrumentation, Electrical, Controls and OT equipment including reactive and preventive maintenance strategies, sparing strategies, redundancy, availability and maintainability
• Commission instrumentation and control systems on the demonstration plant, including loop checks, calibration verification, improving instrumentation and troubleshooting EIC problems that are found during commissioning
• Liaise with and manage equipment vendors for EIC commissioning activities
• Drive reliability initiatives and continuous improvement through performance analysis and root cause investigations
• Configure and troubleshoot VFDs, control valves, actuators, and motor controls
• Support operations with loop tuning
• Liaison with EPC/EPCM to manage all EIC and OT related activities
• Lead vendor evaluation and engagement from EIC and OT perspectives
• Specify and size field instrumentation/analyzers (e.g. flow, level, pressure, temperature, density, pH, ORP, CEMS, BMS, conductivity etc.)
• Specify PLC/DCS/SIS requirements and the network architecture
• Develop design information such as control narratives, cause-and-effect matrices, instrument index, I/O lists, I&E schedules, loop diagrams, single-line diagrams and etc
• Develop company control systems strategies such as control system architecture selection, SIS requirements, level of automation, control room requirements, etc
• Develop company and Engineering standards for EIC and OT to support all commercial scale projects
• Lead FAT/SAT and loop checks during commercial plant construction and commissioning
• Coordinate electrical engineering activities on electrical equipment selection, sizing and development of specifications. Review grounding and hazardous area classification for field devices

Required Qualifications

• B.S. in Instrumentation, Electrical, Controls, or Chemical Engineering
• 7+ years I&C experience in industrial/chemical processing; chemicals, petrochemicals, oil & gas, hydrometallurgical, mining, and/or biotechnology
• Working knowledge of DCS/PLC platforms, field instrumentation selection and troubleshooting
• Working knowledge of ladder logic, structured text and function blocks
• Working knowledge of control loop tuning
• Working knowledge of various industrial protocols including OPC UA, Modbus RTU/TCP, Serial, Ethernet/IP
• Have demonstrated both hands-on experience and technical leadership

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of Rockwell Studio 5000, Logix family of controllers, and Ignition
• Working knowledge of DeviceNet, ControlNet, Profibus, Fieldbus etc.
• Chemical process control (Batch and ISA88)
• Industrial Cybersecurity (ISA99, IEC62443)
• Working knowledge of IEC-61511 (ISA-84)
• Experience supporting scale-up from lab/pilot to demonstration to commercial plant
• PE license a plus, not required
• Project Management capabilities

Early-stage capital project in front-end engineering; role requires flexibility across design, testwork support, and eventual commissioning as the project progresses through FID toward construction and startup.

Travel is required for partner meetings (EPCMs, vendors, others) and manufacturing site visits.

Compensation and Benefits

The starting pay range for this position is $145,000 - $175,000, commensurate with educational background and work experience.

EOE

The company is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities it serves. The company believes that varied perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds strengthen its team and drive better outcomes for its clients and partners.