Senior Instrumentation & Controls Engineer - Control Room Systems & HMI

Senior Instrumentation & Controls Engineer – Control Room Systems & HMI

The Senior Instrumentation & Controls Engineer – Control Room Systems & HMI is responsible for the design and implementation of the plant control room, including operator interfaces, human-machine interaction, and integration with Plant Control and SCADA systems. This role leads the architecture of the control room environment to ensure safe, intuitive, and efficient plant operations, with a strong focus on human factors engineering, situational awareness, and operational reliability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and buildout of the plant control room, including operator consoles, display layouts, alarm presentation, and system ergonomics.
• Architect operator interface strategies across HMI, SCADA, and plant control platforms.
• Develop and implement HMI applications for real-time monitoring, control, and diagnostics.
• Apply human factors engineering principles to improve operator situational awareness, reduce cognitive load, and support safe decision-making.
• Define control room standards for display hierarchy, navigation, alarm management, color philosophy, and interaction design.
• Integrate control room systems with PLCs, DCS platforms, historians, and SCADA infrastructure.
• Collaborate with operations, process engineering, and safety teams to translate operational requirements into effective control room functionality.
• Support development of control narratives, operating procedures, and alarm response strategies.
• Lead FAT, SAT, and commissioning of control room systems and operator interfaces.
• Evaluate and continuously improve control room performance based on operational feedback and event analysis.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Chemical, Mechanical, Nuclear, or related Engineering discipline.
• 8–12+ years of experience in instrumentation & controls engineering within industrial or process environments.
• Experience designing HMI/SCADA systems and operator interfaces for complex facilities.
• Strong understanding of plant control systems, including PLCs, DCS platforms, and historian integration.
• Familiarity with human factors engineering principles and control room design practices.
• Ability to develop display standards, alarm philosophies, and operator workflows.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing or modernizing industrial or nuclear control rooms.
• Experience with FactoryTalk View SE/ME, PlantPAx, or comparable SCADA/DCS platforms.
• Familiarity with ISA-101 (HMI), ISA-18.2 (alarm management), and related industry standards.
• Background supporting commissioning and operator training.