SCADA Controls Automation Project Engineer

Woodard & Curran is seeking a dynamic, client-focused SCADA Controls Automation Project Engineer to join our Water Team, supporting projects across the New England Region, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. In this role, you’ll collaborate with municipal clients to develop, implement, and manage a variety of water, wastewater, remediation, and some industrial projects, with a focus on automation and control systems.

You’ll lead projects from planning through completion, supported by a team of project managers, technical managers, engineers, and operations staff to ensure delivery within scope, schedule, and budget. Regular client interaction is key-you’ll serve as a trusted advisor, keeping them and our project managers informed on project status and identifying future opportunities to enhance their operations.

This position involves regular travel to job sites (typically within driving distance) to oversee and lead SCADA project startups, lead preconstruction and kickoff meetings, and maintain strong client relationships throughout the project lifecycle.

Who are we looking for:

The successful candidate will join a strong team of motivated individuals to execute projects for our municipal, industrial water, and wastewater clients. The candidate will serve as the lead for medium to large-scale implementation projects, which may be standalone or multidisciplinary SCADA projects. It is critical for the candidate to understand and meet project requirements while working within the project’s scope, schedule, and budget constraints. Because the candidate will interface with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, they must possess strong communication and technical skills. Additionally, the successful candidate will mentor junior staff and contribute to initiatives that enhance performance and efficiency.

Offering Flexible Hybrid Work Schedule

Travel: Regional travel up to 80%. Occasional overnight travel.

Just to name a few, these projects may include:

• Design review and implement process control systems
• PLC / HMI upgrades and optimizations
• Develop and implement PLC / HMI systems for water and wastewater treatment plants.
• Assist Practice leadership and project managers in the development of SCADA master plans for technology improvements

What you will be doing at Woodard & Curran:

• Perform site investigations to gather information about the client’s systems, equipment, and instruments to develop SCADA system architecture options and define the upgrade migration path for each option with associated cost estimates;
• Coordinate with Practice Leadership and Project managers on identifying and developing new SCADA opportunities
• Support the Project Manager in writing the technical content for proposals and client communications
• Be capable of working independently on small projects or leading teams on larger projects
• Provide Support for client SCADA systems
• Mentors and trains junior staff;
• Foster and maintain relationships with key clients;
• Coordinate and provide technical oversight of subcontractors and vendors
• Develop process logic for programmable logic controllers (PLCs) used to monitor and control water and wastewater treatment systems;
• Design graphical screens that represent process equipment and instrumentation in the human-machine interface (HMI) software packages used by our clients;
• Design graphical screens for the operator interface terminals (OITs) utilized in our SCADA systems;
• Use specialized software to create automated reports containing process information that is incorporated into regulatory reports and used by clients to monitor and evaluate operations.
• Oversee and guide contractors in terminating wires, checking out and modifying equipment and instrument wiring connected to the SCADA system;
• Collaborate with Project Managers and Senior Engineers to prepare documents and presentations with minimal guidance and oversight;
• Configure and test instruments, including level, pressure, flow, temperature, process analyzers, and more, and connections to the SCADA system;
• Configure and commission SCADA computers, industrial networking hardware, including Ethernet switches, wireless access points, and licensed frequency radios;
• Participate in the testing and startup of the process equipment, instruments, and SCADA system to ensure the SCADA system monitors and controls the equipment as intended.
• Train operations personnel on the use, maintenance, and troubleshooting of the SCADA system hardware, software, and installation;
• Perform QA/QC for deliverables produced by the design team and the code developed by the controls team.
• Understands that safety is paramount and adheres to safety protocol;

What you will need to succeed:

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Systems Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Electrical Engineering or associated field;
• PE License or CAP (Certified Automation Professional) is a bonus;
• 5+ years’ experience in control system integration;
• Extensive experience with Allen-Bradley PLC hardware and software (other PLC experience is a bonus);
• Extensive experience with Allen-Bradley FactoryTalk, Schneider Wonderware, Ignition, GE Proficy iFix HMI software (other HMI package experience is a bonus);
• Experience configuring and developing graphics for OITs such as Allen-Bradley PanelView and Automation Direct C-More;
• Experience with automated reporting software (such as SyTech’s XLReporter and HachWims);
• Hands-on experience configuring, interfacing with, and troubleshooting instrumentation found in the water and wastewater industry;
• Strong electrical and mechanical aptitude;
• Experience with Microsoft Office suite (Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
• Computer networking experience (hardware and configuration) is a bonus;
• Experience in higher programming languages (VB, C++, Java, Python) is a bonus;
• Water/wastewater industry experience is a bonus.