Senior Ovation DCS Programmer - Systems Engineer

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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. This 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 System, PLCs (e.g., Allen‑Bradley, Siemens, Schneider, GE) and SCADA and HMI platforms.

• Develop control logic, communication architectures, operator graphics, alarm configurations, and system databases and system 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 that align 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 project 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 analysis, 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 shaping around automation standards, digital transformation, and operational performance improvements.

• Support OT cybersecurity with the 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 including all aspects of pumping, filtration, chemical feed, disinfection, solids handling, and water distribution systems.

• 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…