SCADA Controls Engineer

Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority•Bluffton, SC

2d•$79,955 - $123,906

About The Position

Under limited supervision, serves as the Authority's lead automation and control systems engineer responsible for the design, development, implementation, commissioning, and optimization of industrial control systems supporting water treatment, wastewater treatment, water distribution, and wastewater collection operations. This position provides engineering leadership for programmable logic controllers (PLCs), instrumentation, industrial communications, radio telemetry systems, and control strategies. The SCADA Controls Engineer serves as the highest-level technical escalation point for complex automation and control system issues that cannot be resolved by SCADA operational personnel. The position is responsible for developing and maintaining control system standards, supporting capital improvement projects, performing advanced system integration, and assisting with long-term operational technology lifecycle planning. Routine maintenance, preventive maintenance, and first-line troubleshooting activities remain the responsibility of the SCADA operations team.

Requirements

Associate degree in Electronics Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology, Instrumentation Technology, Industrial Automation, or a related field required.
Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible experience involving industrial automation, PLC programming, SCADA systems, instrumentation, control systems, industrial communications, or related operational technology environments.
Must possess strong troubleshooting, analytical, project management, documentation, and communication skills.
Must be fluent with Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and other business productivity applications.
Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related discipline preferred.
Experience in water and wastewater operations, process control systems, field commissioning, instrumentation calibration, radio telemetry, fiber optic communications, and industrial networking preferred.
ISA Certified Control Systems Technician (CCST), ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP) or other automation, controls, instrumentation, or industrial networking certifications preferred.

Responsibilities

Serves as the Authority's technical lead for PLC programming, industrial automation, process control strategies, instrumentation integration, and control system design.
Designs, develops, tests, implements, and maintains PLC, RTU, and control system programming for Authority facilities.
Develops and maintains standardized PLC programming practices, control narratives, naming conventions, documentation standards, and testing procedures.
Serves as the final technical escalation point for complex SCADA, PLC, instrumentation, industrial communications, and automation related issues that cannot be resolved by SCADA Specialists or the SCADA Supervisor.
Performs advanced root cause analysis of recurring process control, instrumentation, communication, and automation failures and develops long-term corrective actions.
Leads factory acceptance testing (FAT), site acceptance testing (SAT), startup activities, commissioning, and turnover of new facilities, equipment upgrades, and automation projects.
Reviews engineering plans, specifications, control narratives, panel designs, instrumentation selections, and automation architectures for compliance with Authority standards.
Coordinates with Engineering, Operations, Information Technology, contractors, consultants, and system integrators to develop and implement automation solutions and process improvements.
Supports industrial communication systems including Ethernet/IP, Modbus TCP/IP, Modbus RTU, fiber optic communications, cellular communications, and radio telemetry systems.
Provides technical support for licensed and unlicensed radio systems, 4RF communications systems, antenna installations, telemetry networks, and associated communication infrastructure.
Assists the HMI/OT Network Administrator with the design and troubleshooting of OT network architectures where control system performance, reliability, or communications are impacted.
Evaluates system performance and identifies opportunities for automation enhancements, energy efficiency improvements, operational optimization, and reliability improvements.
Leads efforts to standardize PLC platforms, control strategies, and automation architectures across Authority facilities.
Participates in lifecycle planning, replacement strategies, modernization projects, and technology evaluations for operational technology systems.
Supports migration and modernization efforts including PLC upgrades, control system replacements, and implementation of new automation technologies.
Reviews alarm configurations with Operations and Engineering personnel to improve alarm effectiveness, reduce nuisance alarms, and ensure alarms support safe and efficient operations.
Develops and maintains comprehensive control system documentation including PLC source code, communication diagrams, I/O lists, control narratives, commissioning records, and system modification logs.
Provides technical training, mentoring, and guidance to SCADA personnel and operational staff regarding automation systems and control strategies.
Assists in the development of budgets, scopes of work, technical specifications, and procurement documents related to automation and control systems.
Maintains current knowledge of automation technologies, industrial control system cybersecurity practices, instrumentation technology, communications systems, and industry best practices.
Provides after-hours support for critical control system issues, major outages, startup activities, and emergency response operations as required.
Performs other duties as required.