Process Control Engineer II

LE002 Onterris Payroll, LLC; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Onterris seeks a Process Controls Engineer II (PCE2) in our San Diego, CA office to design and deliver advanced water treatment control systems. You’ll own control specifications, sequences and interaction with hardware, PLCs, and SCADA, under senior engineering guidance.

Qualifications include a chemical/ process engineering background with 2–7 years in process/controls, familiarity with Rockwell or Siemens, and strong technical writing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical, process, mechanical, or environmental engineering or related field; chemical engineering preferred.
• 2–7 years professional experience in process, chemical, or controls engineering, preferably in environmental remediation/water/air treatment.
• Familiarity with control system hardware and software; exposure to Rockwell/Allen Bradley or Siemens preferred.
• Experience with process drawings (P&IDs, PFDs, etc.).
• Strong technical writing, communication, and documentation discipline.

Responsibilities

• Support process control designs for water treatment systems, typically 2–3 projects under a lead engineer.
• Draft specifications, narratives, sequences of operation, I/O lists, and alarm lists.
• Review and test control programs, assist with VFD configuration and SCADA integration.
• Coordinate with design teams, vendors and customers to meet project goals.

Skills

P&ID knowledge

Rockwell Automation/Allen Bradley

Siemens STEP 7

Control system design

MS Office

Technical writing

Communication skills

Travel coordination

Education

Bachelor’s degree in chemical, process, mechanical, or environmental engineering

Master’s degree in chemical, process, mechanical, or environmental engineering (preferred)

Tools

AutoCAD

Job description

About Us

At Onterris, we build careers grounded in purpose, responsibility and real-world impact. “For Planet and Progress” is our north star that guides everything we do. We believe environmental responsibility and human progress are interconnected, interwoven and international. Our scientists, engineers, field teams, consultants and professionals collaborate across disciplines and geographies, guiding industries and governments, ensuring that communities and environments thrive. When you join us, you’re not just forging a career, you’re joining a movement. A movement for better thinking, smarter solutions and lasting impact. Together, we will advance our way of life and protect the integrity of our environment every step of the way.

A Day in the Life

We are looking for a Process Controls Engineer II (PCE2) to join us in our San Diego, CA office. This role will report to the Senior Process Controls Engineer and will support the design and delivery of advanced water treatment systems. The annual compensation range for this role is $80,000-$110,000, in addition to an annual discretionary bonus commensurate with experience, skills, and geographic location. To thrive in this role, the PCE2 will be comfortable taking ownership of the following responsibilities:

• Be an integral part of our safety culture, approaching all aspects of work with a safety-first attitude
• Learn and understand the highly technical product that Onterris delivers to our customers
• Support process control designs for water treatment systems; generally contributing to the design of between 2 to 3 simultaneous projects under the direction of a lead engineer
• Responsible for the design and creation of control system functional specifications, control narratives, sequence of operation charts, instrument specifications, I/O lists, control table development, and alarm lists
• Provide input on PLC and HMI hardware selection; review, test and document control system programs developed by the Senior I&C engineer; and support VFD configuration and commissioning and local SCADA integration with customer SCADA systems
• Responsible for coordination and definition of process control requirements with the design team, 3rd party vendors and customers to ensure final detailed designs, fabrication and site installs accomplish intended treatment and operational goals
• Provide control related power requirements and assist the electrical design team with the creation of electrical power single line diagrams, load calculation tables, wire and cable schedules and instrumentation layout drawings
• Assist the team lead with creation of process flow diagrams, P&IDs, engineering reports, proposals, cost estimates, onsite pilot testing and various field work duties, including system startup, commissioning and troubleshooting
• Provide review and assist team lead with the creation of detailed process and mechanical designs, including plans and specifications for water (including groundwater, stormwater, surface water and drinking water) and vapor treatment projects
• Provide a detailed review of control panel drawings and assist with edits or provide direction for CAD designer of control panel drawings
• Provide review and assist with engineering calculations for piping systems, pump selection, heat transfer, and system operating regimes
• Responsible for vendor coordination to obtain control system equipment quotes which meet both the technical and budgetary requirements of projects
• Periodically be available for onsite support and various field work duties, including factory acceptance testing, system start-up, commissioning and troubleshooting
• Assist in identifying technical operational issues and approaches for evaluation
• Perform pilot, construction, fabrication and start-up oversight with our partner fabrication shops and customers’ contractors; sees their design vision through to completion and function
• Use Onterris networking software system to connect with remote systems to edit and interpret system data to improve system design and operations
• Draft technical sections of project communications and reports
• Maintain project documentation control, including drawing and specification registers, revision control, submittal logs, and compilation of as-built and O&M turnover packages
• Support QA/QC on engineering deliverables, including design checks, internal drawing and calculation reviews, and review of vendor submittals and third-party documentation for conformance with project specifications
• Review and interpret regulations related to control system design and installation
• Availability to travel 25% of the time, domestically

Your Expertise and Skills

These requirements reflect the knowledge, skills and abilities that help you do your best work here.

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical, process, mechanical, or environmental engineering or related field; chemical engineering preferred
• 2–7 years professional experience in process, chemical, or controls engineering, preferably focused in the environmental remediation/water/air treatment space
• Familiarity with control system hardware and software systems; exposure to Rockwell Automation/Allen Bradley (Studio 5000) or Siemens (STEP 7 TIA Portal) preferred
• Experience with process drawings (P&IDs, PFDs, etc.)
• Strong chemical/mechanical/process experience, i.e. water chemistry, process engineering, heat transfer, fluids, thermodynamics, strength of materials, material sciences
• Familiarity with the design of water treatment equipment involving ion exchange, adsorption, filtration, boilers, cooling systems, heat exchangers, and automated control systems
• Proficiency with MS Office applications
• Strong attention to detail, analytical, and organization skills
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong technical writing skills
• Demonstrated documentation discipline, including experience maintaining controlled engineering documents, drawing and specification registers, and revision histories
• Must possess a valid driver's license
• Must have a reliable form of transportation to travel to job sites and the office

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Registration eligible (FE Exam passed preferred)
• Experience with control system hardware and software systems; exposure to Rockwell Automation/Allen Bradley (Studio 5000) or Siemens (STEP 7 TIA Portal) preferred
• Master’s degree in chemical, process, mechanical, or environmental engineering or related field; chemical engineering preferred
• Experience with AutoCAD drafting software

We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We acknowledge that these experiences and perspectives help to enrich our teams and contribute to our ongoing success. We are committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in our employment for all applicants. For US residents, click here to learn more.

Onterris is a leading global environmental solutions company partnering with organizations to solve complex challenges where environmental pressures, regulatory expectations and operational risks intersect. Guided by our mission to advance the way of life without compromising the integrity of our environment, we believe environmental responsibility and human progress are fundamentally connected. Our scientists, engineers, field teams and consultants apply systems thinking that unites science, data and practical expertise to deliver solutions that strengthen our clients’ resilience, mitigate risk and protect the air, water and soil that sustain communities, while uncovering responsible paths forward for planet and progress. For more information, visit www.onterris.com.

Working with inspiring coworkers and clients across the globe over the past five years has been incredibly rewarding. Their passion motivates me to improve our client experience and work that I deliver.

There are not many places where a toxicologist can be boots-on-the-ground at an environmental emergency one day and deep in a human health risk assessment or litigation the next, but this company is one of them, and honestly, that breadth is what makes me love the work. We are a team of scientists with a broad range of talents and experiences who genuinely take the mission to heart, because protecting people and communities from chemical hazards is not abstract here; it is exactly why we show up every day. The culture reflects that shared commitment in the best way: collaborative, rigorous, and truly motivated by the impact we make together.

I knew my position here would be more than just a job. Every day is a new, exciting challenge to solve, and I get to go home knowing that the work I am doing is having a positive impact on the world.