DCS Specialist

Brief Description

BASIC FUNCTION

Provide Control Systems support for the continuous manufacture of quality high density polyethylene (HDPE) and specialty fluids at a high rate of production and minimum cost, consistent with high standards of quality, safety, housekeeping, and good employee relations. Workflow varies and often requires urgent resolution.

Position General

• Contribute to continuous improvement by offering suggestions for long-term solutions to minimize costs, improve reliability, and improve loss control performance
• Position is located in a chemical processing facility and requires overtime to meet plant needs, including alternative shifts as needed to meet facility needs
• Position requires periodic on-call duties and the successful candidate must be able to respond 24/7, 100% of the time to plant emergencies on short notice, including nights, weekends, and holidays while on-call.
• Understand and follow all lock‑out/tag‑out (LOTO) and other health, safety, and environmental requirements necessary to achieve plant loss control objectives. This includes the use of loss control software for loss control reporting and communication to management of potentially hazardous conditions or practices.

• Designs, implements, and maintains process control systems and advanced control technology. Identifies, diagnoses, and corrects integrity and data flow issues
• Gathers, selects, analyzes, and interprets data to understand the impact of changes on the distributive control systems (DCS) and Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS), specifically the potentials for domino effect problems, loss of view, loss of control, incorrect logic, and the interconnected nature of the system
• With engineering input, design and implement various small projects. Including, but not limited to, graphics, logic blocks, scripting, process trends, and alarms
• Monitor and optimize the operator Human-Machine Interface as assigned and through individual initiative and coordination with Operations
• Analyze alarm data from the DCS and report trends on how operators are responding to those alarms
• Identify nuisance alarms that do not tell the operator anything meaningful or which require no action, and make corrective action recommendations to operations that will improve the effectiveness of the alarm systems
• Review the alarm settings to ensure they are set at the correct values and annunciating the sound correctly
• Assist operators in finding information regarding alarms
• Assist contract DCS programmers, as needed, for larger projects

• Maintain distributive control systems for the entire plant
• Perform hardware and software updates for the DCS while on-line
• Install, set-up, upgrade, and edit program logic control (PLC) statements without bringing system down
• Set-up new equipment and change how equipment is viewed on the DCS
• Investigate, repair, and provide preventative maintenance on plant DCS, SIS, and PLC hardware and software
• Manage Remote Instrument and Electronic (RIE) buildings where plant electrical and instrument network is housed. Research network issues by identifying what equipment is not getting power
• Guide instrument technicians and electricians in the field to identify equipment malfunctions
• Maintain computer and network equipment on the plant process control networks
• Implement and administer antivirus and backup software solutions
• Partner with engineers to program alarms and operational limits
• Utilize software to observe and monitor system status and changes by changing PLC statements
• Manage DCS spare locations for Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Expense projects
• Partner with capital support for new DCS installations
• Create and perform weekly and monthly checklist of system status, software updates, and equipment condition
• Interpret and follow Baystar guidelines for industrial control system security
• Maintain DCS knowledge and coordinate training to maintain proficiency and continual learning, including self-study and webinars
• Maintain Aspen
  21 historian system, including new point creation, software troubleshooting, and new user training
• Build various density, pressure, temperature, flow, auto/manual, valve position trends
• Maintain documentation, instructions, and procedures
• Participate in functional acceptance testing of distributive control systems
• Manage vendor testing to ensure operating to Company specifications

Must exhibit and demonstrate our 4 Core Values

• Caring:
  Dedicated to Safety, Employees, Customers, Community and Environment
• Trustworthy:
  Living a Culture of Openness, Honesty and Collaboration
• Connected:
  Build Strong Partnerships
• Driven for Excellence:
  Commit to Continuous Improvement

• Job Knowledge
  - Understands facets of job, aware of duties and responsibilities, keep job knowledge current
• Productivity
  - Manages workload, works efficiently, meets goals and objectives
• Quality
  - Strives to eliminate errors, accurate work is a priority, seeks opportunities to improve…