Hydro Controls Engineer / Specialist (Birmingham or Atlanta)

Southern Company•Birmingham, AL

7h•Hybrid

About The Position

This position is responsible for supporting the plant engineering needs for Southern Company’s hydroelectric power plants, primarily within Georgia Power but occasionally supporting hydro plants in Alabama Power. This position interfaces with plant operators/hydro journeymen, superintendents, and managers to identify, troubleshoot, and solve hydro plant operations and maintenance issues. I&C engineers will be heavily involved in the Hydro Modernization program and have primary technical responsibility for the I&C scope of work for Modernization projects. This position has cradle to grave responsibility for small and large projects, working with hydro plant personnel to: identify problem, develop viable solutions, assess options and select solution, find relevant vendors, and provide technical direction for installation and commissioning. Project management duties for small projects can be the responsibility of this position. For larger projects, this position will work on a multidisciplinary team serving as a I&C Subject Matter Expert (SME). In this role, the position would be responsible for writing or reviewing specifications, reviewing logic and graphic design, reviewing electrical design pertaining to control system, reviewing mechanical design pertaining to instrumentation and process control, providing drawings to contract partners, reviewing design drawings from internal or external groups, and providing technical support for demo, installation, and commissioning. This position would also interface with, provide support for, and attend meetings scheduled for these larger projects.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering (ABET accredited) or related technical degree
Associate degree in Engineering Technology, Industrial Controls, or related technical degree
Minimum three (3) years of experience working with Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and/or Distributed Control System (DCS) is required.
Experience working in an industrial setting is required.
Experience working on large industrial projects supporting start-up, engineering, construction, and project management.
Experience working on project teams in various roles (design, technical support, project engineer, etc.).
Knowledge of control system design (DCS or PLC systems, Ovation experience strongly preferred)
Knowledge of networking protocols such as Modbus TCP/IP, Modbus Serial, DNP3, OPC, Profibus, Allen Bradley (A-B) Ethernet, etc) is required.
Knowledge of instrumentation design (temperature, level, pressure, flow, vibration, position, and speed measurement) is required
Ability to review operational data to identify trends.
Ability to identify missing data from drawings that are pertinent to design and document for future use
Ability to inspect control systems for condition assessment.
Ability to read, review, and mark-up physical and schematic drawings is required.
Strong troubleshooting skills are required.
Ability to handle multiple projects of various priorities at once is required.
Ability to build relationships across departments and organizations is required.
Strong Microsoft Office (for I/O database management) skills are required.
Strong written and oral communications skills are required.
Ability to communicate with all levels of organization, from union-represented plant employees to executives is required.
Ability to be comfortable making timely decisions even without all information.
Must be comfortable working in an operating power plant, often during construction or outage related activities, occasionally in confined spaces.

Nice To Haves

Previous power plant experience is highly desired.
Basic knowledge of networking design and troubleshooting is preferred
Knowledge of industry cyber security best practices including physical and electronic access controls is desirable.
Operational Technology (OT) and Windows Server administration, including Active Directory, OS patching, and anti-malware are desired.
Knowledge of medium voltage switchgear
Knowledge of DC power systems 125VDC to 24VDC
Basic knowledge of Generator and Excitation system operation is desirable
Basic knowledge of mechanical systems in hydroelectric power plants is desired: pumps, piping systems, heat exchangers, rolling element and fluid film bearings
Basic knowledge of machine design as it relates to turbine and generator assembly and disassembly is desirable.
Basic knowledge of hydroelectric turbines is desirable
Knowledge of formal root cause analysis process is desirable
Project management skills are desirable.
Ability to write and review detailed technical specifications is desirable.

Responsibilities

Identify problem, develop viable solutions, assess options and select solution, find relevant vendors, and provide technical direction for installation and commissioning.
Writing or reviewing specifications
Reviewing logic and graphic design
Reviewing electrical design pertaining to control system
Reviewing mechanical design pertaining to instrumentation and process control
Providing drawings to contract partners
Reviewing design drawings from internal or external groups
Providing technical support for demo, installation, and commissioning.
Attend industry conferences and technical meetings as needed
Perform factory acceptance tests.
Perform shop inspections of witness or hold points prior to equipment shipment.
Write or modify existing specifications for control systems, hydroelectric turbines, oil systems, compressors, bearings, HPU, coolers, and instrumentation.
Assist Hydro management with Capital and O&M budgeting process by providing budgetary estimates, project durations, and project cash flows.
Provide support for O&M strategy (spare parts, calibration frequencies, and preventive maintenance)
Provide technical input in support of procurement organization contract negotiations.