AUSTIN - Junior Instrumentation and Controls Engineer

BGE•Austin, TX

24d

About The Position

The Junior Instrumentation and Controls Engineer is an entry-level engineer who supports delivery of instrumentation, control, and automation solutions for the energy services sector. The role contributes to projects involving field instrumentation, process measurement, control narratives, PLC and DCS systems, SCADA and telemetry, safety instrumented systems, metering, control panels, and industrial networks. Working under the direction of senior technical staff, the engineer completes assigned project tasks, prepares calculations and drawings for review, supports project teams and client deliverables, and builds knowledge through mentorship and training. The role helps deliver safe, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective energy solutions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Control Systems Engineering from an accredited university.
Must have passed or be eligible to sit for the FE exam by the time of graduation.
0 to 2 years of instrumentation and controls engineering experience.
Coursework-level knowledge of process measurement for flow, level, pressure, temperature, and analytical variables, as well as final control elements, control loop fundamentals, and PID control.
Awareness of applicable codes and standards, including NFPA, IEEE, ANSI, and ISA, with willingness to learn to apply them under supervision.
Ability to follow technical direction, organize assigned work, manage deadlines across multiple tasks, and communicate clearly in writing and in person with team members, vendors, and project stakeholders, including in plant and field environments.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, attention-to-detail, organizational, and interpersonal communication skills, with a commitment to accuracy and learning quickly.

Nice To Haves

Internships, co-ops, undergraduate research, or capstone work related to process control, automation, energy services, oil and gas, power systems, or engineering consulting.
Exposure through coursework, internships, or student projects to PLC, DCS, SCADA, HMI, safety instrumented systems, custody transfer or allocation metering, control panels, or industrial networks.
Exposure through coursework or internships to instrument sizing calculations, hazardous area classification, intrinsic safety, cause and effect development, or alarm rationalization.
Familiarity with design and configuration tools such as AutoCAD, AutoCAD Electrical, Revit, SmartPlant Instrumentation, MATLAB, or Python.

Responsibilities

Assist with instrumentation and controls design and produce project deliverables for energy services projects, including field instrumentation, control panels, PLC and DCS systems, SCADA, telemetry, metering, and site automation.
Prepare design documents under senior engineer direction, including instrument indexes and datasheets, loop diagrams, P&ID markups, wiring and termination details, panel layouts, I/O lists, and cable and conduit schedules.
Support instrument sizing and selection calculations, including flow element, control valve, level, pressure, and temperature sizing and range setting, as well as loop power and signal calculations, for senior review.
Learn and apply control system architecture and communication requirements, and gather information for protocol selection, network layouts, and remote I/O or RTU interfaces.
Draft control narratives, functional descriptions, technical reports, specifications, cost estimate backup, equipment selections, construction documents, and other project deliverables for senior engineer review.
Self-check assigned work, assist with quality control reviews at project milestones, and help verify deliverables are complete and comply with applicable standards and project scope.
Help resolve routine design and construction-phase issues, draft RFI responses, review vendor submittals and instrument data for conformance, and escalate unusual or complex items to a senior engineer.
Support factory acceptance testing, loop checks, point-to-point verification, calibration records, commissioning, and startup under supervision, including punch list tracking and as-built markups.
Communicate with project teams, vendors, and contractors on assigned tasks; participate in client, operations, and vendor meetings alongside a senior engineer; take notes and track action items.
Build technical knowledge through mentorship, formal training, self-learning, and hands-on project and field work; ask questions when direction is unclear and share lessons learned with peers.
Support business development and proposal efforts by compiling background information and past project data.
Contribute ideas for continuous improvement of design standards, workflows, tools, templates, and checklists.