Process Controls Lead

Description

The Process Controls Lead serves as the plant's technical subject matter expert for industrial automation, process control, and control-system reliability. Reporting to the Maintenance and Engineering Manager, this role provides leadership in the design, development, integration, commissioning, optimization, and lifecycle management of PLC, DCS, HMI, SCADA, and safety instrumented control systems supporting manufacturing operations. The Process Controls Lead Engineer leads complex controls projects, evaluates process and equipment changes, troubleshoots critical plant issues, and develops long-term strategies to improve plant safety, reliability, efficiency, capacity, and operational performance. This role is responsible for the design, development, integration, commissioning, optimization, troubleshooting, and lifecycle management of plant control systems, including Yokogawa CENTUM Distributed Control System (DCS), Yokogawa ProSafe safety systems, Allen-Bradley/Rockwell Automation PLCs, HMI, SCADA, instrumentation, and related industrial automation technologies. Requirements JOB RESPONSIBILITIES Develop and maintain plant-wide controls architecture and automation standards. Design, develop, and implement PLC programs to control industrial machinery and processes. Perform system integration, testing and commissioning of PLC systems. Develop and maintaining HMI (Human-Machine Interface) and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems. Assess obsolescence and develop lifecycle/replacement strategies for critical automation systems. Establish standards for PLC programming, HMI development, alarm management, documentation, and system configuration. Provide technical leadership for instrumentation and process control systems, including control valves, transmitters, analyzers, motor controls, VFDs, interlocks, permissives, alarms, and process control loops. Evaluate control-loop performance and implement improvements to process stability, throughput, energy efficiency, and equipment reliability. Troubleshoot complex instrumentation and control problems involving field devices, networks, PLC/DCS logic, HMI/SCADA, and process conditions. Partner with Operations and Process Engineering to optimize control strategies and improve process performance. Create and maintain documentation for PLC programs and systems. Collaborate with other engineering teams to ensure the integration of PLC systems with other control systems. Extensive experience with PLC and/or DCS platforms in a continuous manufacturing environment, particularly with Allen-Bradley PLCs, Yokogawa Centum DCS, and ProSafe SIS systems. Stay to date with the latest developments in PLC technology and recommend improvements to existing systems. KEY SKILLS & COMPETENCIES: Ability to work closely with both the Production Team and Technical Team to ensure the reliability and continuous improvement of control systems. Lead controls and automation scope for capital projects from concept and front-end engineering through design, procurement, installation, commissioning, startup, and project closeout. Develop and review control-system specifications, P&IDs, I/O lists, control narratives, cause-and-effect matrices, system architecture, and commissioning plans. Manage controls contractors, system integrators, vendors, and engineering consultants. Review engineering deliverables and ensure technical quality, schedule, cost, and operational requirements are met. Provide technical leadership during plant expansions, equipment installations, process modifications, and major turnarounds. Interpret, analyze, apply, articulate and ensure compliance with relevant laws, rules, contracts ordinances, regulations and guidelines. Analyze problems, identify alternative solutions, project consequences of proposed actions and implement recommendations in support of goals. Strong commitment to safety and regulatory compliance. Requirements BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor’s degree in process, mechanical or electrical engineering or a related field with a minimum of 15-30 years relevant work experience in control engineering with DCS and PLC programming and troubleshooting or In lieu of a degree, 20+ years of progressive experience in industrial controls, automation, instrumentation, or process control, with demonstrated expertise in PLC/DCS programming, system integration, troubleshooting, and commissioning. Strong problem-solving and analytical skills. Excellent communication and teamwork abilities. Demonstrated ability to understand and make meaningful impact to technical requirements on projects. Hold optimization of equipment maintenance activities and strategies background. Excellent communication, presentation and documentation abilities with the capacity to understand complex problems and distill the message into a clear plan. Support industrial automation cybersecurity initiatives, including secure PLC/DCS architecture, user access, network segmentation, system backups, patching, vulnerability management, and change control. Partner with IT/OT cybersecurity teams to maintain the security and availability of critical control systems. Preferred experiences include the use and programming of Distributed Control Systems. Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics and control diagrams. Maintenance and testing of safety shutdown systems. Demonstrated success in safety performance management. Must have a valid state issued driving license. Must possess or be eligible to obtain a valid TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential). PREFFERED QUALIFICATIONS: Master’s degree or certifications, in, Engineering or other technical field from an accredited college or university. Certified Automation Professional (CAP), Certified Control Systems Technician (CCST) and various specialized licenses like the Control Systems Engineer (CSE) PE. Provide technical leadership for instrumentation and process control systems, including cont