Senior Control Systems Engineer (Industrial/Water)

HDR•Charlotte, NC

20h

About The Position

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we work to weave diversity, equity, and inclusion into our work and foster a sense of belonging throughout the company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world? Watch Our Story:' https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story' Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world. We believe building engineering is more than systems and structures, it’s about powering progress and enabling innovation. As part of HDR’s Building Engineering Services Group, you’ll help design the critical infrastructure that supports the digital age and shapes the spaces where people work, connect, and thrive. From high-performance data centers driving the future of AI to dynamic commercial environments, your work will directly support technological advancement, sustainability, and human experience. We bring together mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil engineering experts to solve complex design challenges with precision, creativity, and collaboration. Whether you're optimizing energy efficiency, integrating resilient systems, or engineering the backbone of next-generation facilities, your contributions will help define the future of the built environment. This isn’t just a job, it’s a chance to lead innovation, engineer impact, and build a legacy of excellence. HDR is looking for a Senior Control Systems Engineer to serve in a project leadership role in support of our national Control Systems practice which includes full-service capabilities. Our practice provides assessment, planning, design, automation programming/configuration, testing & commissioning, and maintenance for control systems in multiple industries. The primary role of this position will involve leading the planning, design, and implementation of automated industrial control systems in coordination with clients and multidiscipline teams to develop solutions for construction and implementation in multiple market sectors including the following: food/beverage, oil/gas, logistics, manufacturing, mining, general industrial, transportation, and water/wastewater. This position involves exercising judgment in evaluation and selection of equipment and system components and coordinating closely with multidiscipline design teams through all stages of design including schematic, design development, and construction documents. This individual will be responsible for creating biddable and technically accurate construction documents including drawings and specifications, as well as conducting reviews of documents for areas of conflict with all disciplines. They will also be involved in coordination during construction phase activities including the review of shop drawings and construction observation. On a day-to-day basis, they'll also be expected to:

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering or related field
A minimum of 10 years applicable experience
Professional Engineer (PE) license
Demonstrated leadership and project management skills
Automation programming experience
Experience designing control systems
Experience managing control systems projects
Knowledge of automation hardware including but not limited to Allen-Bradley, Emerson, Foxboro, Modicon, Siemens, and GE.
Knowledge of automation software including but not limited to Wonderware, iFix, FacotryTalk, VTScada, Ignition
Proficiency with Microsoft Office products
Excellent oral and written communication and documentation skills are essential
An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must

Nice To Haves

Network design experience for industrial control or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems
Knowledge of remote site telemetry communications
Knowledge of cybersecurity considerations for industrial control or SCADA systems
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) programming and configuration a plus
Distributed Control System (DCS) programming and configuration a plus
SCADA HMI programming and configuration a plus
Experience with data management and analytics a plus
Experience with artificial intelligence a plus
Experience with manufacturing execution systems (MES) a plus
Experience in water/wastewater a plus
Experience in food & beverage, general industrial, mining, manufacturing, or logistics a plus
Local candidates are preferred
LI-SM1

Responsibilities

Travel to client facilities to participate in field activities to assess and document the current state of installed control systems.
Participate in and lead design review and planning meetings with the client.
Lead the development of preliminary engineering reports and studies focused on recommending and developing solutions for improvements to client control systems.
Serve as Engineer of Record in responsible charge for the development of biddable and technically accurate control system construction documents.
Coordinate with project manager and section manager to update workplans for control systems staff assigned to your project, and to track budget and schedule performance for the control systems team.
Interface with Electrical, Process, and Cybersecurity specialists to fully coordinate design requirements for network, power, control, and instrumentation.
Participate in joint scoping and proposal development working with clients and marketing staff.
Participate in the planning and specification of applied technology solutions including instrumentation and control, advanced automation and control, artificial intelligence, networking, data management & analytics, augmented reality, and vision control.
Lead the selection and specification of facility and process instrumentation, control panels, and network equipment.
Lead the development of biddable and technically accurate control system construction documents including P&IDs, process flow diagrams, network architecture diagrams, control panel layouts and wiring diagrams, installation details, loop drawings, and technical specifications.
Provide Quality Control (QC) reviews of control system designs.
Participate in system testing and commissioning activities.
Contribute to Control System Technical Leadership Team and drive corporate initiatives for quality and strategic growth within the Control Systems Discipline.
Actively participate in industry professional societies to contribute to the development of standards, participate in the development and delivery of presentations and whitepapers at industry trade shows and conferences, and develop article content for general industry and market sector specific newsletters and periodicals.
Gain exposure to multiple market sectors and core services of our global control systems program.
Train and develop to build a skillset to serve as market sector and core service subject matter expert (SME).
Mentor junior staff and assist section manager in identifying development opportunities to achieve team goals and objectives.
Develop a skillset to serve as Design Manager on mid-scale, large scale, or complex control systems projects, responsible for leading day-to-day design activities to achieve project milestones.
Develop a skillset to serve as Project Manager on control systems projects with responsibility to lead multi-discipline teams to achieve project objectives including scope, schedule, budget, and quality.