Controls Engineer, Distributed Control System; DCS

Controls Engineer, Distributed Control System (DCS)

La Paloma Power Facility is located approximately 40 miles west of Bakersfield in McKittrick, California, and operates as a 1,022 MW natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant. Utilizing ABB GT24 combustion turbines, ABB HRSGs, and an ABB VAX 16 steam turbine, the facility delivers efficient and reliable power generation. Its strategic location and proven technology support a dependable electricity supply while maintaining compliance with stringent environmental regulations.

The Controls Engineer, Distributed Control System (DCS), is responsible for the maintenance, reliability, and optimization of the control and automation systems supporting the safe and efficient operation of La Paloma Power Facility. This includes the plant's DCS, turbine control systems, PLCs, industrial networks, CEMS, and related automation infrastructure.

This position provides technical leadership for control system modifications, software enhancements, cybersecurity initiatives, and system upgrades. Working closely with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, OEM representatives, and contractors, the Controls Engineer supports safe, reliable plant operation while improving performance, compliance, and asset reliability.

Your scope of responsibility as Controls Engineer, DCS includes the following primary functions:

• Maintain, troubleshoot, program, and optimize the plant's Distributed Control System (DCS), turbine control systems, SCADA systems, PLCs, Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs), industrial networks, field instrumentation, and automation infrastructure.
• Work closely with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and other stakeholders to identify control system, instrumentation, communications, and hardware/software issues, develop practical solutions, and implement effective corrective actions.
• Develop, configure, program, test, and commission control logic modifications, custom software applications, software enhancements, and automation solutions to improve plant reliability, performance, and operational flexibility.
• Develop, maintain, test, and support interfaces between plant control systems, turbine controls, PLCs, historians, business systems, environmental systems, and third-party applications.
• Support the operation, maintenance, and regulatory compliance of Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) and associated environmental reporting interfaces.
• Maintain and enhance operator interface graphics, alarm management systems, plant historians, data archiving systems, data logging applications, and performance monitoring tools to support plant operations and decision-making.
• Provide technical support, guidance, and training to Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering personnel regarding control system functionality, troubleshooting, system enhancements, and new applications.
• Provide technical leadership for control system upgrades, migrations, lifecycle replacement projects, and automation improvement initiatives to ensure systems remain current, reliable, and maintainable.
• Analyze plant operating data and control system performance to identify opportunities for improving efficiency, availability, reliability, heat rate, startup performance, and overall plant operation.
• Support plant cybersecurity initiatives through the management of industrial control system networks, firewalls, remote access, user access controls, backups, disaster recovery plans, and compliance with corporate and regulatory requirements.
• Review, evaluate, test, and implement OEM software updates, firmware revisions, Functional Service Instructions (FSIs), technical bulletins, and control system modifications to ensure safe and reliable operation of plant systems.
• Support planned and forced outage activities, including system testing, commissioning, troubleshooting, startup support, software validation, and post-outage verification of control system performance.
• Participate in Root Cause Analyses (RCA), event investigations, and reliability improvement initiatives, serving as the plant subject matter expert for control and automation systems.
• Develop and maintain control system documentation, engineering standards, configuration records, network drawings, operating procedures, and technical specifications while coordinating with OEMs, contractors, and service providers.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned to support the safe, efficient, and reliable operation of the facility.

Safety is a core value at NAES, and as a condition of employment, all employees are expected to remain mentally alert and work safely at all times. Employees must also adhere to all safety warnings and posted signs while on company property. Additionally, they are required to follow all NAES safety rules and procedures. Adherence to these safety responsibilities is one of the key factors in the evaluation of each employee's performance.

The Controls Engineer, DCS reports to the Maintenance Manager and works closely with the…