Staff Engineer, Process Controls

Who You Are

You are a high-level performer who works independently within established guidelines to develop complex materials processing equipment. In your work at Sila, you will execute industrial process controls and instrumentation designs through influence and technical mastery, ensuring systems are safe, reliable, and well-documented. You possess excellent communication skills to harmoniously collaborate across teams and contribute to the growth and development of your teammates.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Execute process controls and instrumentation designs for production-scale synthesis equipment by working collaboratively with other teams to design robust, modular, and well-documented controls.
• Implement control system strategies to execute processes, ensuring designs are incorporated in Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) according to established standards.
• Create and maintain design documentation—including instrument indexes, I/O lists, alarm lists, cause and effect matrices, and SIL/IPL verification forms—participate in HAZOP reviews, source and select instrumentation, and contribute to project templates.
• Engage successfully with a range of different outside vendors for process controls designs and electrical / instrumentation subsystems.
• Participate in safety reviews following established safety guidelines to ensure safe design of the process, and own closing controls recommendations.
• Assist in bringing online hardware and code.
• Gather feedback from end-users of your work and collaborate to implement actionable modifications, sharing best practices with the team.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements

• Proficiency in control system design principles, including PID control, cascade control, and advanced control techniques.
• Strong knowledge of instrumentation principles and devices (e.g., flow meters, level transmitters, temperature sensors) and industrial communication protocols (e.g., Profinet, Modbus).
• Experience with the full design lifecycle of process control systems, including creating Cause & Effect diagrams, Safety Requirements Specification (SRS), and Alarm Rationalization
• Hands-on experience with PLCs and writing Structured Text and familiarity with other IEC 61131-3 languages.
• Experience designing and programming intuitive and user-friendly human-machine interfaces (HMIs) to enable real-time monitoring and control.
• Experience with ensuring regulatory compliance related to process controls standards, such as, NFPA, UL508A, and IEC 61151.
• 5+ years of industry experience is required. B.S. in Electrical, Mechanical, or Chemical Engineering preferred.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and steel toe safety shoes
• Move items up to 50 lbs with the assistance of lift equipment and carts
• Move long distances (such as from building to building) and be stationary for extended periods of time
• Reach low shelves or items on the floor
• Climb stairs or over containment walls
• Operate a computer and other office equipment, such as a laptop, copier/printer, etc in a fixed location
• Travel up to 20%

The starting base pay for this role is between $151,000 and $191,000 at the time of posting. The actual base pay depends on many factors, such as education, experience, and skills. Base pay is only one part of Sila’s competitive Total Rewards package that can include benefits, perks, equity. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.
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