Automation Engineer

Automation Engineer - Offshore Operations

Talos Energy is a leading energy company focused on offshore oil and gas exploration and production as well as the development of future carbon capture and storage opportunities in the United States Gulf Coast, Gulf of America and offshore Mexico. We provide safe, reliable and responsible energy production that powers our world and delivers energy prosperity to modern life, while simultaneously applying core skill sets to develop large-scale decarbonization projects to reduce industrial emissions.

Locations for this role could be in Houston, TX or Lafayette, LA.

The Automation Engineer provides asset-aligned Automation support for offshore Operations, including troubleshooting, MOC support, PLC/HMI/SCADA support, project and commissioning support, vendor coordination, standards adherence, documentation quality, and control system reliability improvement. This role serves as the primary Automation focal point for assigned assets and works closely with Operations, I&E, Facility Engineering, IT, OT Systems, Data/Historian, vendors, and integrators to safely support and improve offshore production systems.

• Serve as the primary Automation focal point for assigned offshore assets and maintain awareness of asset-specific PLCs, HMIs, SCADA systems, historian interfaces, control networks, alarm/shutdown logic, vendor packages, and support needs.
• Assist field personnel and Operations in troubleshooting issues and provide clear direction for remediation during daily support, offshore execution, after-hours events, and time-sensitive operational issues.
• Lead structured troubleshooting for PLC, HMI, SCADA, communications, instrumentation interface, alarm, shutdown, package equipment, and historian data issues. Differentiate between instrumentation, logic, HMI display, network, historian, vendor package, and process-related issues.
• Support common communications protocols including Ethernet I/P, Modbus, Control Net, HART, and OPC.
• Review MOCs for Automation, I&E, controls, alarms, shutdown logic, historian, HMI, cybersecurity, networking, and commissioning impacts. Identify hidden Automation/I&E scope early in Facilities, Subsea, Operations, and maintenance-driven changes.
• Support MOC and project closeout by verifying drawings, logic backups, HMI backups, configuration records, redlines, test records, and final documentation are updated and complete.
• Source, select, and manage vendors in the operational technology (OT), automation, and system integration space. Set clear scope, specification, schedule, documentation, testing, and closeout expectations with vendors and integrators.
• Participate in project lifecycle activities including project definition, FEED and design basis, concept selection, material specification, engineering, implementation, validation and testing, FAT/SAT, installation, commissioning, startup, maintenance, and closeout.
• Coordinate with OT Systems & Cybersecurity on OT networks, servers, VMware environments, backups, patching, remote access, cyber remediation, and recovery needs for assigned assets.
• Coordinate with OT Historian & Data Reliability on historian tag issues, PI/OPC interfaces, stale or bad data, data quality concerns, operational context, and sensor gaps for optimization or AI readiness.
• Coordinate with Automation Project Engineering on Facilities projects, TARs, project intake, FAT/SAT expectations, commissioning readiness, technical standards, and integrator execution.
• Document root cause, corrective action, and follow-up actions after significant failures, recurring issues, or events affecting safety, production, reliability, cybersecurity, or data quality.
• Read, understand, and propose modifications to:
  • P&IDs
  • Cause & Effects charts
  • SAFE Charts
  • Wiring schematics
  • System specifications
  • Register Maps
  • Controls Narratives
  • System/network architectures
  • PLC/HMI backup and configuration documentation
• Actively participate in specifying, improving, and enforcing Talos standards around:
  • PLC hardware and software
  • HMI hardware and software
  • PLC logic structure
  • HMI interface design
  • Alarm management and control room usability
  • Flow measurement and flow computers
  • Installation standards
  • Instrumentation & controls elements (I/O)
  • Networking and communications devices
  • Remote access and vendor connectivity expectations
  • Documentation and project closeout requirements
• Follow OT cybersecurity standards for remote access, vendor connectivity, account management, backups, patching, segmentation, and change control. Identify cybersecurity concerns related to PLCs, HMIs, engineering workstations, outdated operating systems, unsupported hardware/software, and unmanaged connectivity.
• Maintain asset-level Automation action lists, risks, obsolescence concerns, vendor issues, documentation gaps, and follow-up items for assigned assets.
• Ability to specify instrumentation & controls elements and materials.
• Ability to program and test control and HMI logic.
• Ability to inspect, verify, and…