Senior Control Systems Specialist
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.
HDR is currently seeking to hire a Senior Control Systems Engineer to join our Building Engineering Services (BES) Business Group in Columbus, OH, Cleveland, OH or Pittsburgh, PA. This individual’s primary function will be to serve in a project and team leadership role in support of our national Control Systems and Operational Technology Cybersecurity 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 Senior Control Systems Specialist / Engineer will work with a Control Systems Section Manager in a lead role of a team responsible for designing complex automated building/industrial control and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. This position requires coordination with multidiscipline design teams, and participation in the development of control system construction documents for projects in multiple market sectors including oil & gas; food & beverage; logistics; manufacturing; mining; general industrial, transportation, technology, media & telecom, healthcare, research, life sciences; and water/wastewater. In this role, the Senior Control Systems Specialist / Engineer will also lead the assessment of existing control systems and planning activities related to control systems improvements and replacement.
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. They 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 and will also be involved in coordination during construction phases including the review of shop drawings and construction observation. They must be self-motivated with an initiative to deliver high quality, technically excellent control system designs.
Primary responsibilities and duties include:
- Selection and specification of process instrumentation, control panels, and network equipment.
- Serving as Engineer of Record in responsible charge for the development and lead the production of biddable and technically accurate control system construction documents including P&IDs, network architecture diagrams, control panel layouts and wiring diagrams, installation details, loop drawings, operational sequences and technical specifications.
- Leading and coordinating the work of control system team members with the full multi-discipline project team throughout a project’s design development and construction – including site layout, process design, mechanical control, power and conduit coordination, panel location, remote equipment monitoring, integration to 3rd party systems, networking, and instrumentation locations.
- Developing Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) programs and Human-Machine Interface (HMI) applications.
- Managing workload and tracking project financials to complete deliverables on schedule and on budget.
- Reporting project status, performance, and quality updates to the Control Systems Section Manager.
- Assisting with system testing and commissioning documentation activities, remote and on-site.
- Mentoring and training junior staff including Control Systems Engineers, EITs, Designers, and Interns.
- Establishing and maintaining client relationships, participate in marketing, design, and production meetings regarding instrumentation and control systems.
- Travel to client facilities to participate in field activities to assess and document the current state of existing or installed control systems.
- Lead the development of preliminary engineering reports, studies, and master plans focused on recommending and developing solutions for building and industrial process control systems.
- Participate in and lead design review and planning meetings with the client.
- Participate in joint scoping and proposal development working with marketing staff.
- Participate in the planning and specification of applied technology solutions including instrumentation and control, advanced automation and control, artificial intelligence, Operational Technology (OT) networking, data management & analytics, augmented reality, and vision control.
Growth Opportunities:
- Interface and collaborate with national-level control system directors and experts.
- Active participation in industry professional societies, trade shows, and conferences.
- Serve as market sector or core service subject matter expert (SME).
Preferred Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering or Control Systems related field.
- Ohio or Pennsylvania PE preferred. Candidates hired without PE registration will have the title of “Senior Control Systems Specialist” and may transition to “Senior Control Systems Engineer” after obtaining PE registration.
- Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) / Distributed Control System (DCS) / Direct Digital Control (DDC) programming or SCADA HMI configuration experience a plus.
- Experience in water/wastewater, data centers, healthcare, food & beverage, manufacturing, or logistics a plus.
- Experience or knowledge of remote site telemetry communications a plus.
- Preference given to local candidates, Columbus area a plus.
- 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
What We Believe
HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.
Our Commitment
As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.
Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.
