Senior Automation & Controls Engineer

TAI · Charlottesville, VA · Yesterday

Hybrid$135k–$185k/yrFull-time

About The Role

Join a leading automation and controls engineering team supporting complex pharmaceutical and life sciences projects from concept through commissioning. As a Senior Automation & Controls Engineer/SME, you will serve as a technical leader responsible for developing and reviewing control system designs, driving engineering excellence, and ensuring automation solutions align with project objectives, regulatory expectations, and operational requirements. This role offers the opportunity to collaborate with stakeholders, guide technical strategy, and contribute to the successful delivery of critical facility and process automation systems.

About TAI

TAI brings together engineering, construction, systems integration, on-site services, and technical services — combining proven execution with trusted expertise to support clients across the entire project lifecycle. Team members at TAI are capable, well-rounded, flexible, and optimistic. We have found that the best employees are the ones who recognize the importance of what they do and the ones who let that guide them in the actions they take. More than any skill, we seek people who make decisions that support the common good. We work for our clients, and we work for one another.

What's Your Day-to-Day Like?

Engage with key stakeholders to ensure their needs are understood and reflected in the CD design
Prepare Project Technical Requirements Specification for all systems specifying performance requirements & applicable Standards [GE.SP.CEE.204 made Project specific]
Ensure all relevant Specifications are delivered to the Design Contractor
Define & agree with Design Contractor necessary design deliverables for all design stages (CD, BD, DD) - Design Deliverables List made Project Specific including the level of review appropriate to these documents
Prepare Project specific Technical Requirements for Package Equipment [GE.SP.CEE.207 or 209 made project specific]
Attend Project meetings on an as required basis
Participate in and make recommendations for the procurement strategy for technical work packages including pre-qualification/contractor selection and technical content/scope of contracts
Produce regular Design Assurance Reports according to the plan set up by the PTM, to ensure ongoing technical alignment
Identify value engineering opportunities
Ensure key SHE and GMP compliance requirements are reflected in the design deliverables
Attend and contribute to SHE risk assessment activities to ensure alignment with SHE requirements and ensure appropriate mitigations are included in the design
Provide technical guidance to Work Package Owner teams within their areas of responsibility
Ensure specific technical solutions are consistent with Customer, cost and schedule requirements
Provide input to Project Planning Review/ involvement with mechanical packages
Review BMS description of operation from Electrical view point (Applicable if BMS written by others)
Review EMS URS from Electrical view point (Applicable if EMS written by others)
Support development of redundancy strategy and maintenance philosophy
Respond to Construction queries where the Design Contractor is unable to provide answers

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university; Electrical, Mechanical or Chemical Engineering
Master’s Degree is a plus
Professional Engineer licensure is preferred
Minimum of eight (8) years of control system design experience helping to create construction documents for a wide range of projects
Minimum of 3 years of experience supporting projects within the Pharma/Biotech/Life Science industry
Experience in specifying, designing, programming and maintaining distributed control systems, within Life Sciences industry
Other applicable industry experience, such as industrial, power, oil & gas, manufacturing, food & beverage facilities will also be considered
Working knowledge of and ability to specify both digital and analog instrumentation (Level, Flow, Pressure, Temperature, Analytical - pH, LEL, O2, CO, CO2, etc.) and integrate construction and panel drawing sets
Working knowledge of and ability to specify Electrical Component and Field Devices (combination starters, VFD’s, MCC’s, pushbuttons/selector switches, heat trace, etc.)
Experience designing, reviewing and approving Electrical Construction Drawing sets including but not limited to instrument location plan, conduit block and network architecture drawings
Experience designing, reviewing and approving PLC control panel and motor control panel drawings
Experience with specification and programming of controls systems including Rockwell family of processors and HMI’s, ability to program new applications and modify existing applications with ample annotation for future reference
Working knowledge of TCP/IP, Modbus, Profibus and other industrial communication protocols
Experience programming PlantPax, Wonderware, IFix, Maple, Delta V, Siemens, Omron, Modicon, Mitsubishi and Koyo is a plus
Experience programming SCADA and SQL is a plus
Familiarity with the installation, configuration, and testing of Data Historians (e.g. AVEVA (OSIsoft) PI System) is a plus
Working knowledge of and ability to specify control systems for use in hazardous area locations as identified by NFPA 70
Working knowledge of ISA standards and ability to interpret and contribute to development of P&ID
Working knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Guidelines and Regulations as well as ISPE and GAMP 5 standards is preferred
Experience with the acceptance testing and qualification of Computerized System is preferred
Working knowledge of and ability to design robust safety circuits and specify components of varying industry requirements
Working knowledge of NFPA 79
Interact with customers and contractors to gather critical information
Strong communications skills with the ability to manage existing customer relationships

Compensation and Benefits