Instrument & Controls Engineer

AstraZeneca • Frederick, MD

23h • $101,643 - $152,464 • Onsite

About The Position

The Instrument & Controls Engineer is responsible for lifecycle management, reliability, specification, troubleshooting, configuration, and technical ownership of process control instrumentation used across manufacturing, laboratory, utility, and facility systems. The role provides field-device expertise to ensure instrumentation and its control-system interfaces perform as intended.

The position supports existing DeltaV and Rockwell process control systems, Siemens EMS/BMS, and new projects. It applies engineering expertise to field, analytical, and smart instruments, control-system interfaces, and associated hardware and software. The engineer collaborates with Automation, Process, Facilities, Reliability, Maintenance, Manufacturing, Metrology, Quality, suppliers, and other stakeholders to ensure instrumentation is selected, installed, configured, maintained, documented, and operated in accordance with design requirements and applicable GMP, safety, quality, and company standards.

The engineer serves as technical owner for assigned instrumentation and maintains associated engineering documentation, configuration records, approved software and firmware information, and recoverable backups for smart or configurable instruments.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent/GED; the posting also lists multiple degree and experience-in-lieu alternatives.
• Bachelor’s degree in Instrumentation, Electrical, Controls, Automation Engineering, or a related discipline; an associate degree combined with significant directly relevant experience may be considered.
• Comprehensive knowledge of industrial instrumentation, control-system interfaces, measurement principles, installation practices, and failure modes.
• Ability to select practical, reliable, maintainable, and compliant instrumentation for complex process and facility applications.
• Familiarity with HART, Foundation Fieldbus, DeviceNet, EtherNet/IP, OPC, Modbus, or comparable communication protocols.
• Understanding of GMP, validated systems, data integrity, change control, deviation management, and good documentation practices.
• Experience developing engineering standards, instrument libraries, preferred-device lists, or maintenance strategies.
• Ability to work effectively with Automation, Process, Facilities, Manufacturing, Maintenance, Metrology, Quality, suppliers, vendors, integrators, and contractors.
• Ability to explain complex technical issues clearly to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
• Demonstrate adherence to AstraZeneca values, applicable policies, safety requirements, and regulatory expectations.

Nice To Haves

• Experience troubleshooting field instruments and their interfaces with distributed control systems, programmable logic controllers, building management systems, or other automation platforms.
• Bachelor’s degree in Instrumentation, Electrical, Controls, Automation, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline with 8–10 years of experience in process instrumentation and industrial automation.
• Experience with DeltaV, Rockwell Automation PLCs, Allen-Bradley PowerFlex or comparable variable-frequency drives, and industrial automation networks.
• Experience with HART, Foundation Fieldbus, DeviceNet, EtherNet/IP, OPC, Modbus, or comparable communication protocols.
• Experience with computerized maintenance and calibration management systems such as SAP and CMX.
• ISA Certified Control Systems Technician certification or comparable professional certification.
• Experience with instrument access control, configuration governance, or disaster recovery.

Responsibilities

• Support standalone instruments and instrumentation integrated with DeltaV or Rockwell platforms for process manufacturing, facility, and central utilities equipment, and provide instrumentation guidance related to the site EMS/BMS system.
• Support the EMS/BMS engineer during system design.
• Troubleshoot analog, digital, smart, analytical, and networked instruments and their interfaces with control systems, PLCs, BMSs, and other automation platforms; diagnose device, wiring, I/O, network, controller, software, and process-related issues.
• Provide technical leadership during instrument failures, recurring performance issues, communication faults, inaccurate measurements, alarms, calibration failures, and instrument-related manufacturing or utility events.
• Serve as engineering owner for assigned instruments throughout their lifecycle and maintain accurate inventories and technical records.
• Specify and select instrumentation for installations, replacements, upgrades, and improvement projects; contribute to user requirements, data sheets, specifications, indexes, functional requirements, and procurement documentation.
• Evaluate instrument suitability based on performance, process compatibility, materials, cleanability, environmental and hazardous-area conditions, maintainability, calibration, communications, cybersecurity, lifecycle support, and site standards.
• Review supplier documentation, quotations, drawings, manuals, certificates, and configuration information; support bid evaluations, supplier selection, acceptance testing, installation verification, loop checks, commissioning, qualification, and project closeout.
• Establish and maintain configuration-management practices and approved configuration records for smart instruments and configurable devices.
• Maintain recoverable backups for smart or configurable instruments; define backup processes and update and verify backups after approved changes, upgrades, replacements, or recommissioning.
• Maintain firmware records, approved configuration tools, device descriptions, files, licenses, programming interfaces, and restoration information; coordinate backup and disaster-recovery practices with Automation Engineering and IT.
• Support preventive and predictive maintenance, calibration, inspection, and repair strategies, including setting or reviewing maintenance and calibration intervals based on criticality, performance, risk, and regulatory expectations.
• Support Reliability Engineering with instrumentation Asset Lifecycle Management.
• Support Metrology and I&C Technicians with calibration methods, acceptance criteria, troubleshooting, spare parts, and return-to-service requirements; review calibration failures and performance trends and determine corrective actions.
• Recommend repairs, replacements, upgrades, preferred devices, spare parts, tools, service agreements, and obsolescence plans.
• Support automation, process, facilities, manufacturing, and capital projects involving instrumentation and control systems; provide instrumentation input to P&IDs, control narratives, specifications, design reviews, commissioning plans, and qualification documents.
• Review instrument locations and installation details for accessibility, protection, cleanability, maintainability, and compatibility with process and facility requirements; ensure project documentation, backups, spare-parts information, and maintenance requirements are complete.
• Perform work in compliance with company policies, engineering standards, safety requirements, GMP, data-integrity principles, and validated-system procedures; support change controls, deviations, investigations, CAPA, risk assessments, commissioning, qualification, validation, and requalification.
• Assess instrument-change impacts on product quality, process control, data integrity, safety, validated state, and regulatory commitments; ensure changes are reviewed, approved, tested, documented, and traceable.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and current engineering and quality documentation in approved systems and provide technical support during audits, inspections, supplier assessments, investigations, and quality reviews.
• Act as the primary instrumentation liaison among engineering, operations, maintenance, metrology, quality, validation, vendors, and contractors; provide technical direction, knowledge transfer, and training.
• Identify opportunities to improve instrument reliability, standardization, maintainability, documentation, system performance, and operational efficiency while maintaining compliance and fitness for intended use.
• Conduct activities in accordance with company values, the Code of Conduct, and supporting policies and standards; complete required training on time and report potential non-compliance.

Benefits

• Qualified retirement program (401(k) plan)
• Paid vacation and holidays
• Paid leaves
• Medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage
• Short-term incentive bonus opportunity
• Eligibility for equity-based long-term incentive program for salaried roles
• Retirement contribution for hourly roles
• Commission payment eligibility for sales roles
• Overtime pay for qualifying overtime hours for hourly and salaried non-exempt employees

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior