E&I & Systems Specialist

The position is responsible for helping prioritize and promptly address E&I-related issues that may cause operational upsets, production delays, equipment downtime, or reliability concerns.

By coordinating resources, supporting effective troubleshooting, and reviewing available controls information when required, this role will help drive timely issue resolution, maintain production readiness, and support continuous improvement across plant operations.

The E&I & Systems Specialist will provide guidance and leadership to E&I personnel while ensuring maintenance, troubleshooting, commissioning, and project-related activities are planned and executed safely, efficiently, and in alignment with plant priorities.

This dual role requires the ability to coordinate daily work activities and resources while assisting with the resolution of complex electrical, instrumentation, automation, and controls issues.

The Specialist will utilize PLC/DeltaV logic, HMI information, alarms, trends, interlocks, permissives, I/O status, drawings, and field-device feedback to identify and resolve equipment and process issues.

The position serves as a key link between Operations, Maintenance, Process, and Automation teams to help identify root causes, reduce downtime, improve equipment reliability, and ensure E&I systems remain safe, reliable, and production-ready.

SAFETY & COMPLIANCE

• Promote a strong safety culture and lead by example in all activities.
• Perform troubleshooting, testing, calibration, and repair activities in accordance with site safety procedures, electrical safety requirements, lockout/tagout practices, and applicable regulatory standards.
• Report incidents, anomalies, and workplace hazards through approved procedures.
• Conduct regular work-area inspections and ensure identified issues are resolved in a timely manner.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives related to safety performance.
• Participate in safety incident investigations, ensuring root causes are identified and appropriate corrective actions are implemented.
• Implement and support 5S programs and effective housekeeping practices to positively impact the plant environment.

• Plan, assign, and coordinate the daily activities of electrical and instrumentation technicians.
• Lead daily toolbox meetings and promote a safe, productive work environment.
• Ensure work activities comply with site safety policies and procedures.
• Monitor job progress, quality of work, and adherence to maintenance and production schedules.
• Coach and mentor E&I team members, supporting technical skills development and performance improvement.
• Support performance evaluations and contribute to training and development needs assessments.
• Coordinate with the Maintenance Planner and other departments to align E&I activities with broader maintenance and production goals.
• Manage labor, tools, materials, and time effectively to ensure work is completed with minimal disruption to plant operations.
• Identify and escalate significant operational concerns, risks, reliability issues, and performance concerns.

TECHNICAL & PROCESS EXCELLENCE

• Respond immediately to production stoppages by accessing control systems to trace unfulfilled interlocks, frozen logic, missing start permissives, and other controls-related issues.
• Determine whether process interruptions are caused by failed field devices, including sensors, valves, and transmitters, electrical faults, or software/logic limitations.
• Force points when required under strict Management of Change (MOC) protocols and perform minor logic adjustments to safely restore production.
• Drive a high rate of first-time fixes by identifying and resolving root causes rather than relying on temporary solutions.
• Provide automation and controls support for plant equipment, including PLCs, HMIs, instrumentation, drives, control panels, and related E&I systems.
• Review PLC logic, control narratives, loop drawings, electrical schematics, P&IDs, and related technical documentation to troubleshoot equipment and process issues.
• Identify, investigate, and resolve control-related problems by analyzing inputs, outputs, interlocks, permissives, alarms, trends, and sequence logic.
• Support PLC/HMI programming, troubleshooting, and minor logic modifications in accordance with site requirements, management approval, and applicable change-control procedures.
• Assist with commissioning and startup activities, including I/O verification, control-sequence testing, alarm validation, instrument scaling, and functional checks.
• Work with vendors, contractors, and internal resources to diagnose automation issues and ensure control-system changes align with the Client's standards, safety requirements, and operational needs.
• Train and support E&I technicians in controls troubleshooting methods, including the use of PLC logic, HMI alarms, trends, and field-device feedback to identify root causes.
• Maintain awareness of control-system backups, program revisions, networked devices, and technical documentation required to support reliable troubleshooting and system recovery.
• Maintain and drive the resolution of deficiency and punch lists to ensure plant readiness and compliance.
• Identify, specify, and maintain critical E&I spare parts while supporting appropriate inventory levels.
• Lead the implementation and optimization of condition-monitoring techniques.
• Recommend and implement modifications designed to improve plant reliability, equipment performance, and production uptime.