Controls Engineer

INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROLS ENGINEER

SUMMARY

Under immediate to general supervision, performs a wide variety of skilled duties in the design, development, installation, modification, maintenance and repair of industrial electrical and electronic control systems, plant control systems, RF and fiber optic-based telecommunication systems used in manufacturing systems and facilities; tests and calibrates a diverse range of electronic control system equipment, devices, and components; and performs related duties, as assigned.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Tests, troubleshoots, locates and calibrates, repairs and performs preventive maintenance on a variety of medium and low voltage industrial electrical and electronic systems, components and devices associated with manufacturing equipment, metals extrusion equipment, conveyor systems, and electrical and electronics in a manufacturing plant.
• Tests, troubleshoots, locates and calibrates, repairs and performs preventive maintenance on a variety of Vision systems used in production processes.
• Troubleshoots, aligns, and calibrates equipment; rebuilds equipment to manufacturer's specifications.
• Installs, maintains, repairs, and replaces electromechanical, electronic, and electrical components of equipment and machinery.
• Develops and writes control programs for state of the art facilities; makes program modifications to various programmable logic controllers (PLC)(primarily Allen Bradley) and their operator interface terminals; corrects defects in instrumentation.
• Troubleshoots, repairs and programs remote terminal units, including the replacement of hardware components, circuit boards, power supplies, and electronic components.
• Performs preventive maintenance and repair of plant, field and shop electrical and electronic systems, components, devices and equipment, including hazardous chemical feed, storage systems, and leak detection equipment, laboratory equipment, flow stations, reservoirs, motors, pumps, and electrical-mechanical valves.
• Disconnects electrical sources (up to 12,000 volts), uses lockout/tagout procedures and current OSHA requirements; racks and un-racks up to 12kv breakers to lock out and perform maintenance, following appropriate safety procedures.
• Maintains inventory of electrical/electronic parts for equipment; checks pricing and availability of parts and submits purchase requests.
• Coordinates arc flash mitigation; works with electrical engineers to analyze and mitigate hazards; schedules utility outages with Dominion Power, makes corrections/modifications as recommended, and generates reports; updates and maintains file sharing database with latest studies, reports and changes to sites pertaining to arc flash hazard mitigation program.
• Tests solid state circuitry to locate defective parts in analog and digital equipment.
• Installs conduits, wires, pull boxes, switchboards, controllers and switches required in making additions, extensions or alterations in industrial electrical systems.
• Designs and modifies motor control equipment circuits, ladder logic, planning, laying out, and wiring the work.
• Reviews all plans for upgrade, installation, and construction projects; inspects projects for safety and code compliance; reads and interprets blueprints, complex wiring and control schematic diagrams; plans and lays out jobs from blueprints, drawings, sketches or verbal instructions; maintains records in the form of blueprints, plans and specifications for industrial electrical and instrumentation equipment, as well as radio telemetry and other related devices; schedules and coordinates activities with other sections and divisions.
• Researches new operational methods, techniques and equipment and recommends their application; performs proactive measures and make modifications to the control systems; corrects design or installation issues and makes improvements to match evolving/changing process conditions and control strategies.
• Replaces equipment and devices which have reached or exceeded their life span; retrofits and replaces obsolete equipment with upgraded equipment.
• Participates in developing annual plant budget for electrical and instrumentation needs.
• Responds to emergency situations as necessary, including after hours.
• May assist in training or instructing others in the work; provides safety training to others within the plant along with performing pre-job safety meetings with contractors and others outside of the plant.
• Observes and complies with all District and mandated safety rules, regulations, and protocols.
• Performs related duties, as assigned

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsible for supervising contractors and maintenance to complete project tasks, parts fabrication, troubleshooting, machine problems, and perform repairs.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED

Under supervision of engineering and/or maintenance manager who gives work assignments, spot-checks work for accuracy, and reviews completed assignments.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge of:

• A diverse range of communications protocols used in the industry.

• Methods and techniques of configuring communication between devices such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), Remote Telemetry Units (RTU), and field devices.

• Experience with troubleshooting and repair of Vision systems.
• Principles, techniques and theory of radio telecommunication, radio wave propagation, test equipment, and tools used in installing, servicing, and repairing various electronic equipment.

• Practices, methods, techniques, tools and equipment used in the design, installation, testing, calibration, maintenance and repair of electrical and electronic equipment devices, and components, including those utilized in process control.

• Basic construction knowledge and experience with industrial power design, including medium and low voltage electrical power distribution, motor control, PLCs, VFDs, lighting systems, equipment layout, and related activities.

• Operating characteristics of electronic components, including programmable logic controllers, feedback devices, variable frequency drives and operator interface programs, microprocessor controls.

• Electrical and electronic shop procedures and practices.

• Scientific mathematics associated with process controls.

• Codes, ordinances and regulations pertaining to the work.

• District and mandated safety rules, regulations, and protocols.

• Techniques for providing a high level of customer service by effectively dealing with the public, vendors, contractors, and District staff.

• The structure and content of the English language, including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

• Modern equipment and communication tools used for business functions and program, project, and task coordination, including computers and software programs relevant to work performed.

Ability to:

• Test, diagnose, program, modify, calibrate and repair a wide variety of electrical and electronic instrumentation devices, motors, machinery and equipment.
• Plan, organize, initiate, and complete engineering projects relating to Electronic instrumentation and systems controls.

• Use modern, state-of-the-art precision and diagnostic instruments to test, calibrate, and repair complex electrical and electronic devices and equipment.

• Work on or around hazardous chemical containment areas on dosing and metering equipment, leak detection equipment, and analyzers

• Acquire, interpret, and apply Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) to identify hazards and select appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

• Apply electronic theory, principles of electrical circuits, electrical testing procedures, engineering mathematics, physics, and related knowledge to layout, build, test, troubleshoot, and repair production equipment.

• Identify and implement effective courses of action to complete assigned work. Read and interpret plans, specifications and manuals.

• Coordinate work assignments with other divisions or departments.

• Operate and maintain scrubber and chlorine leak detector equipment, radio-based and fiber-optic telemetry and associated hardware and software equipment.

• Understand, interpret, and apply all pertinent laws, codes, regulations, policies, and procedures, and standards relevant to work performed.

• Effectively use computer systems, software applications relevant to work performed, and modern business equipment to perform a variety of work tasks.

• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, using appropriate English grammar and syntax.

• Establish, maintain, and foster positive and effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

Bachelors degree preferred in either Electrical Engineering or Electrical Engineering Technology and 3-5 years experience in a heavy industrial work environment. CCST, ETA, and/or ISCET certification(s) a plus.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read, interpret, and produce documents such as safety rules, schematics, blueprints, sketches, diagrams, operating instructions, procedure instructions, and maintenance instructions. Ability to communicate orally and written to co-workers and give presentations to supervisors.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Work requires advanced math skills, special relationship abilities, and the ability to understand "abstract" principles behind math and physics. Has a working knowledge of CAD tools.

PERSONAL INTERACTION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Ability to work cooperatively with others, confer with co-workers, management, vendor and contractors who supply materials, equipment and/or services for maintenance and project work.

REASONING ABILITY

The individual should have problem solving, troubleshooting, project and job planning skills. The individual needs to be able to evaluate production systems and design for the same. Has the ability to enhance knowledge through additional on-site and off-site instruction.

Physical Requirements:

• The employee must be able to lift and/or move weights in excess of 30 Lbs personally.

• The employee must be able to maneuver in tight places, such as between equipment.

• The employee must be able to climb ladders, step over obstacles, and step on/off machinery.

Working Environment

• The employee may be exposed to work near moving mechanical parts.

• The employee may be exposed to heat in excess of 90 degrees and cold less than 40 degrees.

• The employee may be exposed to elements of nature, cold, hot, rain, snow, sleet, ice, etc.

• The employee may be exposed to hazardous chemical, smoke, dust, or potentially hazardous or volatile situations.

• The employee may be exposed to noise in excess of 85 decibels.