AUSTIN - Junior Instrumentation and Controls Engineer

Summary

The Junior Instrumentation and Controls Engineer is an entry level engineer who supports the delivery of instrumentation, control, and automation solutions for the energy services sector. This role assists on projects involving field instrumentation, process measurement, control narratives, PLC and DCS systems, SCADA and telemetry, safety instrumented systems, metering, control panels, and industrial networks.

The Junior Instrumentation and Controls Engineer works under the direction of senior technical staff on assigned project tasks, prepares calculations and drawings for review, supports project teams and client deliverables, builds knowledge through mentorship and training, and helps deliver safe, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective energy solutions.

Job Responsibilities

• Assist with instrumentation and controls design and production of deliverables for energy services projects, including field instrumentation, control panels, PLC and DCS systems, SCADA, telemetry, metering, and site automation.
• Prepare, under the direction of a senior engineer, instrumentation and controls design documents, including instrument index, instrument 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 sizing, control valve sizing, level, pressure and temperature sizing and range setting; loop power and signal calculations, for senior review.
• Learn and apply control system architecture and communication requirements, and gather information needed for protocol selection such as HART, Modbus, Profibus, Foundation Fieldbus, Ethernet/IP, and OPC, along with 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.
• Perform self-checks on assigned work before submittal, assist with quality control reviews at project milestones, and help verify that deliverables are complete and follow applicable ISA, NEC, NFPA, and client standards as well as project scope.
• Help resolve routine design and construction-phase issues, draft responses to RFIs, review vendor submittals and instrument data for conformance with the design, 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 internal project teams, instrument and control system vendors, and contractors on assigned tasks, and participate in client, operations, and vendor meetings alongside a senior engineer, including taking notes and tracking 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, and contribute ideas for continuous improvement of design standards, workflows, tools, templates, and checklists.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Control Systems Engineering from an accredited university required.
• 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. Internships, co-ops, undergraduate research, or capstone work related to process control, automation, energy services, oil and gas, power systems, or engineering consulting preferred.
• Coursework-level knowledge of process measurement for flow, level, pressure, temperature, and analytical variables, along with final control elements, control loop fundamentals, and PID control.
• Exposure to PLC, DCS, SCADA, HMI, safety instrumented systems, custody transfer or allocation metering, control panels, or industrial networks through coursework, internships, or student projects preferred.
• Awareness of applicable codes and standards, including NFPA, IEEE, ANSI, ISA, with a willingness to learn to apply them under supervision.
• Exposure to instrument sizing calculations, hazardous area classification, intrinsic safety, cause and effect development, or alarm rationalization through coursework or internships preferred.
• Familiarity with design and configuration tools such as AutoCAD, AutoCAD Electrical, Revit, SmartPlant Instrumentation, MATLAB, or Python preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to follow technical direction, organize assigned work, manage deadlines on 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 to learning quickly.