Senior Specialist, Central Utilities I&C Engineering

Our Company is a global biopharmaceutical leader with a portfolio of prescription medicines, oncology, vaccines, and animal health products. We are driven by our purpose to develop and deliver innovative products that save and improve lives. With employees operating in more than 140 countries, we offer state-of-the-art laboratories, plants, and offices designed to inspire our employees as we learn, develop, and grow in our careers. We are proud of our 125 years of service to humanity and continue to be one of the world’s biggest investors in Research & Development.

This position is within the Utilities & Energy Operations (UEO) group, responsible for the safe, compliant, reliable, and cost-effective operation of Powerhouse, Central Plants, and Water Facilities. The UEO department operates two combined cycle heat and power plants, five balance of plant boilers, and seven distributed campus chiller plants. The power plant has a generating capacity of 60MW. The boilers have a total steam generating capacity of just over 100,000 lbs. per hour. Campus chiller plants have a combined capacity of 40,000 tons, consisting of a combination of steam and electric chillers. Utility & Energy Operations is responsible for providing West Point campus utilities 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. UEO also serves as the after-hours campus emergency response to maintenance issues.

About the role

As a member of the Central Utilities Department, the I&C Engineer’s primary role focuses on supporting the department as a technical resource for the maintenance, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement of instrumentation, control systems, and data systems owned and operated by the department. This role collaborates with system owners, maintenance staff, reliability engineers, and EHS staff to ensure equipment and systems are maintained or updated within corporate requirements and industry best practices. The role manages expense and capital project portfolios and budgets for I&C-related projects, ensuring robust management of change. Responsibilities include conducting incident investigations and root cause analysis (RCA) for control system-related issues, and working with partners in Utilities, Facility Management, Strategy, Research & Development, Manufacturing, GWES Reliability COE, and GES to solve problems and share best practices.

Responsibilities

• Primary owner of Chiller Plant Control Systems and supporting process instrumentation.
• Collaborate and support other automation systems within Utility & Energy Operations.
• Provide technical engineering insight for the maintenance and troubleshooting of Central Utilities instrumentation and control systems.
• Own and champion alarm management and cyber security programs, and high-performance HMI development.
• Maintain an active instrument list.
• Advise and interface with union technicians to achieve maintenance and repairs.
• Support the development and maintenance of engineering and control systems documentation, including drawings, performance parameters, equipment manuals, vendor information, PMs, safe operating limits, standard operating conditions, functional requirement specifications, configuration specifications, and design specifications.
• Manage expense and capital projects related to chiller automation.
• Manage Central Utilities I&C budget and master planning.
• Support owners in reviewing and making recommendations to operating procedures for utilities and facility systems.
• Participate in and conduct incident investigations/Root Cause Analysis and provide timely follow-up of corrective actions.
• Interface with internal and external groups (including OEMs and vendors), gain consensus, and contribute to reliable and effective teamwork.
• Leverage vendor support contracts to achieve automation initiatives and goals.
• Lead a sustainable culture of excellence by fostering commitment and engaging employees.
• Support operations and maintenance supervisors in ensuring system equipment is maintained in compliance with all safety, environmental, and quality requirements.
• Provide backup support to site operations management, Unit 12.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, or related engineering discipline).
• Minimum 5 years of control systems / I&C / automation design and operations experience in power, utilities, chemical, facilities, pharmaceutical, or similar industries.
• Experience in automation and technical troubleshooting.
• Ability to handle and prioritize a large number of simultaneous assignments and quickly adapt to changes in business priorities.
• Ability to address issues and develop solutions to minimize compliance risk and improve utility and facility reliability.
• Applied professional work experience demonstrating knowledge of environmental issues, safety, and regulatory and code compliance (OSHA PSM, EPA RMP, NFPA, ASME, ANSI, ISA, ISO, etc.).
• Experience creating, documenting, and adhering to Business Procedures / Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for standardization and sustainability.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Designation: PE (Professional Engineer), Engineer in Training (EIT), or Certified Automation Professional (CAP).
• Experience with Allen Bradley, Inductive Automation Ignition, ABB Symphony Plus, Infi90, GE MarkVIe, PI, Wonderware.
• Experience with networking systems and communication protocols such as TCP/IP, Modbus, and BACnet.
• Experience with BAS/HVAC control systems.
• Experience with fault detection software tools and advanced analytics/AI tools.
• Experience developing Job Plans, Preventative Maintenance, and Predictive Maintenance Plans utilizing CMMS.
• Experience coordinating work with bargaining unit personnel and operators.
• Experience in non-destructive testing (e.g., Thermography, Ultrasonic, and vibration analysis).
• Experience facilitating alarm rationalization.
• Experience managing budgets, contracts, and service agreements.
• Experience with campus-wide utility systems and equipment optimization programs.
• Working knowledge of high-performance HMI methodology.
• Working knowledge of NFPA 70, 70E, 85, and ISA18.2.
• Relevant professional experience supporting the pharmaceutical industry, including manufacturing, research labs, pilot plants, and utilities operations.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience executing Capital Projects.

Skills

• Adaptability
• Capital Project Management
• Change Management
• Controls Integration
• Corrective Maintenance
• Data Analysis
• Deviation Management
• Electrical Engineering
• Electromechanical Engineering
• Equipment Maintenance
• Equipment Monitoring
• Equipment Qualification
• Equipment Set Up
• Facility Maintenance
• Facility Management
• Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
• Industrial Machinery Repair
• Maintenance Management Systems
• Maintenance Services
• Maintenance Supervision
• NFPA Codes
• Occupational Safety and Health
• Operational Safety

Pay

The salary range for this role is $117,000.00 - $184,200.00. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs. The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits, including:

• Medical, dental, vision healthcare, and other insurance benefits (for employee and family).
• Retirement benefits, including 401(k).
• Paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days.

More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

Schedule

• 1st shift - Day
• 10% travel requirements
• Regular, full-time employee status