Senior Ovation DCS Programmer - Systems Engineer

Your Opportunity

Stantec is seeking a highly experienced Senior Emerson Ovation DCS Programmer – Systems Engineer to support the design, implementation, commissioning, and long‑term support of Emerson Ovation Distributed Control Systems for water and wastewater treatment facilities. The role is a senior technical position responsible for hands‑on system programming, configuration, troubleshooting, and optimization, with direct involvement in plant operations, startup, and lifecycle support.

The successful candidate will serve as a technical lead, supporting project delivery while mentoring junior staff and collaborating closely with operations, engineering, and project management teams.

• Design, program, test, configure, and commission industrial control systems, including Emerson’s Ovation DCS and PLCs such as Allen‑Bradley, Siemens, Schneider, and GE, as well as SCADA and HMI platforms.
• Develop control logic, communication architectures, operator graphics, alarm configurations, system databases, and integration strategies.
• Participate in system upgrades, troubleshooting, and root‑cause analysis of automation issues.
• Lead the design and architecture of advanced industrial control systems, including PLC, SCADA, DCS, HMI, and OT networking infrastructure.
• Architect robust system standards aligned with operational, safety, and cybersecurity best practices (ISA, IEC 62443, NIST CSF, NFPA).
• Develop and approve control logic, high‑level functional specifications, cause‑and‑effect matrices, and network topologies.
• Oversee system integration efforts across multiple teams, vendors, and stakeholders.
• Serve as a technical escalation point for complex automation, networking, and instrumentation issues.
• Manage and support lifecycle modernization, migration, and large‑scale capital projects.
• Conduct risk assessments, failure‑mode analyses, and system reliability studies.
• Champion OT cybersecurity initiatives—segmentation, hardening, patch plans, secure communications, and policy alignment.
• Mentor junior and mid‑level engineers; lead design reviews and training sessions.
• Ensure rigorous documentation, testing, commissioning, and change control processes.
• Support cross‑functional strategy around automation standards, digital transformation, and operational performance improvements.
• Support OT cybersecurity with best practices in control system design and deployment.
• Perform system upgrades, migrations, and expansions on legacy and current Ovation platforms.
• Produce and maintain system documentation, drawings, network diagrams, and test plans.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to define system requirements and ensure operational readiness.
• Provide on‑site or remote commissioning and technical support as needed.
• Lead or support capital projects involving automation enhancements or modernization.
• Support control optimization, tuning, and modernization initiatives.
• Implement and support control strategies for water and wastewater treatment and conveyance, covering pumping, filtration, chemical feed, disinfection, solids handling, and water distribution systems.
• Have knowledge of historians, databases, and industrial data integrations.

• Strategic systems thinker with strong technical judgment
• Leadership and mentorship abilities
• Strong communication with technical and non‑technical stakeholders
• Advanced troubleshooting and analytical skills
• Project planning, sequencing, and risk management
• Commitment to safety, reliability, and operational excellence

• Emerson Ovation training or certifications.
• Experience and/or certification with OT cybersecurity principles or segmented architectures.
• Professional certifications (e.g., ISA CAP, CCST, or related credentials).

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Controls/Computer Engineering or related field.
• 8+ years of progressive experience with industrial control systems engineering.
• Expert‑level proficiency with major DCS/PLC/SCADA platforms (Emerson, Allen‑Bradley, Siemens, Schneider, or similar).
• Strong mastery of industrial protocols (Ether Net/IP, Profi
  
  NET, Modbus TCP/RTU, OPC UA, MQTT, DNP3).
• Proven experience…