Instrumentation & Control Technician

City of Palm Bay•Palm Bay, FL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Under general supervision, the Instrumentation & Control Technician performs skilled technical maintenance on telemetry instrumentation and process-control equipment at the City's water production and wastewater treatment facilities. Work includes programming, troubleshooting, calibration, installation, and repair of electrical and electronic systems, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), meters, recording devices, and control systems. Equipment and systems may include electrical equipment up to 480 VAC; flowmeters; computerized process controllers; electric, hydraulic, and pneumatic valves and actuators; and chemical-related systems. The role also involves operating, maintaining, installing, and troubleshooting instrumentation, process-control, and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. The position reports to the Electrical Maintenance Coordinator. The technician performs advanced instrumentation and control work, including maintaining SCADA and radio telemetry networks, configuring and programming automation systems, and supporting in-house control projects from design through programming, simulation, testing, and start-up. The role uses maintenance-management software and a range of electrical and electronic test equipment, and includes preparing records, reports, drawings, sketches, and schematics. The technician may train new instrument technicians and provide equipment training to electricians and mechanics. Essential employees may be required to work during undeclared or declared emergencies, as determined by the Department Head on an incident-by-incident basis.

Requirements

High school graduation, GED, or equivalent.
Five years of experience in highly automated electronics instrumentation and controls installation, maintenance, and repair.
Three years of directly related experience with PLCs, SCADA systems, radio networks, and UPS.
Ability to read, understand, and use technical manuals.
Ability to closely follow electrical diagrams and schematics.
Valid Florida Driver’s License and an acceptable driving record that can be maintained.
May be required to work during an undeclared or declared emergency, depending on the incident and Department Head determination.

Responsibilities

Inspect, install, maintain, program, calibrate, and repair electrical, electronic, instrumentation, PLC, meter, recording, and control systems at water production and wastewater treatment facilities.
Maintain, repair, calibrate, and troubleshoot instrumentation and controls; connect devices using network communication; and maintain PLC ladder-logic programs.
Facilitate or perform implementation, coordination, supervision, and maintenance of the SCADA network.
Use tools and appropriate methods to identify issues; perform preventative and corrective maintenance using computerized maintenance-management programs; and report or resolve issues.
Perform bench work, overhauls, and rebuilds of complex electronic equipment.
Detect causes of electronic failures, ensure compliance with established codes, and calculate data as needed for instrument-system wiring.
Configure, document, and program automation and control systems; handle control aspects of in-house projects, including design, programming, simulation, testing, and start-up.
Perform general electrical work, including programming VFDs, troubleshooting motor-control panels, and occasionally pulling wire.
Adjust and calibrate instrumentation using prepared chemical standards, portable electronic meters, and related calibration equipment.
Install equipment and wire units in accordance with electrical codes, schematics, and diagrams; troubleshoot and repair existing equipment.
Service and repair hydraulic, pneumatic, hydro-pneumatic, and electro-pneumatic instrument and control systems.
Prepare records, reports, drawings, sketches, and schematics.
Install, repair, maintain, and configure radio telemetry systems serving water production, wastewater treatment, booster stations, monitoring wells, and elevated tanks.
Install, maintain, diagnose, and repair field instrumentation used in control systems or telemetry data acquisition, including applicable flowmeters, pressure transmitters, level sensors, rain gauges, vibration sensors, inclinometers, proximity switches, turbidimeters, pH sensors, and chlorine, TSS, and ammonia analyzers.
Design new control systems and data-acquisition monitoring applications when necessary.
Bench-test radio equipment to determine whether it needs repair.
Train new instrument technicians and train electricians and mechanics on equipment.
Perform other related work as assigned or required, including weather or other extreme-emergency duties.