Senior Data Center PLC Technician — Remote (US Travel)

ABB Inc.; Iowa (LA); Remote; USD 55,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Parental Leave

Health benefits

401k Plan

Employee discount

Short Term Disability

Long Term Disability

Job summary

ABB is seeking a Data Center Sr. PLC Technician to provide independent technical leadership for pre-startup, startup, commissioning, and maintenance of paralleling switchgear and controls in mission-critical power applications.

The role requires guiding on-site teams and serving as a trusted technical interface for customers. This remote-in-the-US, travel-intensive position reports to the Service Manager and requires extensive nationwide travel to customer sites.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED with 7+ years of relevant field experience, or associate or bachelor degree with 5+ years in a related field.
• Demonstrated independent field capability for highly complex assignments.
• Advanced experience with low- and medium-voltage switchgear, circuit breakers, protective relays, generator controls, PLC-based controls, HMIs/ACS, industrial networking, and mission-critical power systems.
• Hands-on experience leading startup and commissioning activities, coordinating energization and switching, troubleshooting under schedule pressure, and directing multi-person site teams.
• Ability to read, interpret, and redline complex electrical and control drawings and to apply approved engineering methods in the field.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, customer communication, technical reporting, and field leadership skills.
• Ability to travel extensively within the United States and remain at customer sites for extended assignments based on project demand.
• Ability to meet ABB and customer site access, electrical safety, training, and personal protective equipment requirements.
• Candidates must have authorization to work in the United States without requiring ABB sponsorship, where applicable to the requisition.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, and execute complex field assignments involving Paralleling Switchgear and other PLC/Relay transfer schemes during pre-startup, full startup, commissioning, modifications, preventive maintenance, and emergency troubleshooting.
• Lead functional and integrated testing of emergency/standby power systems, including open-transition and closed-transition sequences, hard and soft transfers, load add/shed, utility-generator paralleling, import/export, and baseload applications.
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot generator controls, generator load-sharing systems, protective relays, switchgear controls, meters, breakers, PLCs, HMIs/ACS platforms, and associated communications.
• Perform advanced troubleshooting and authorized modifications of PLC ladder logic, PLC I/O, communications, sequencing, and ACS parameters using approved engineering documentation and change-control practices.
• Establish and troubleshoot Modbus, PLC-to-PLC, redundant PLC, remote PLC, PLC-to-ACS, and customer BMS/EPMS/SCADA communications.
• Interpret one-line diagrams, elementary schematics, interconnection drawings, sequence-of-operations documents, coordination studies, settings files, and commissioning procedures.
• Lead on-site technical execution, coordinate daily work, communicate status and risks, manage punch-list closure, and support on-time, on-budget completion of complex or high-profile projects.
• Direct and mentor junior field engineers and technicians, assign work within demonstrated competencies, and provide practical coaching on safe execution, troubleshooting, documentation, and customer communication.
• Act as a senior escalation resource for high-level remote and on-site troubleshooting, including emergency response where assigned.
• Complete accurate field service reports, startup checklists, redlines, test documentation, software backups, time entry, expense reporting, and customer-facing status updates.
• Protect ABB and customer assets, control job costs and expenditures, and identify opportunities to improve quality, productivity, and service delivery.
• Build effective customer relationships by translating complex technical findings into clear actions, recommendations, risks, and recovery plans.

Skills

Field leadership

Startup & commissioning

Troubleshooting under pressure

Electrical drawings reading

Customer communication

Travel readiness

Education

High school diploma or GED

Associate or bachelor degree

Tools

ABB Energy Commander/Paralleling switchgear

RX3i PLCs & Proficy Machine Edition

ABB AC500/Automation Builder

HMI/Panel Builder tools

Woodward EasyGen/LS5

Modbus/Industrial Ethernet networks

Job description

ABB is seeking a Data Center Sr. PLC Technician to provide independent technical leadership for pre-startup, startup, commissioning, and maintenance of paralleling switchgear and controls in mission-critical power applications.

The role requires guiding on-site teams and serving as a trusted technical interface for customers. This remote-in-the-US, travel-intensive position reports to the Service Manager and requires extensive nationwide travel to customer sites.