Instrumentation and Controls Engineer, Data Center Power Generation

Basic Function

The Instrumentation and Controls (I&C) Engineer - DC Power Generation will serve as SB Energy’s owner-side I&C subject matter expert for simple-cycle and combined-cycle gas power generation projects. This role will provide technical oversight throughout engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and turnover, helping ensure plant instrumentation and control systems support safe, reliable, and coordinated operation.

The engineer will coordinate I&C design interfaces among original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors, control system suppliers, consultants, and SB Energy’s internal teams. Key responsibilities include reviewing design packages, resolving technical questions, and developing coordinated owner responses to requests for information (RFIs), submittals, and proposed design changes.

Responsibilities

Instrumentation and Controls Engineering Oversight

• Serve as the owner’s I&C engineering SME for simple-cycle and combined-cycle gas generation projects, providing technical guidance from initial design through commissioning and closeout.

• Review I&C design criteria, specifications, drawings, control narratives, logic diagrams, and equipment selections for alignment with contractual requirements, applicable standards, and plant operating needs.

• Review distributed control systems (DCS), programmable logic controllers (PLCs), turbine control interfaces, plant supervisory controls, human-machine interfaces (HMIs), historian systems, and associated industrial communications networks.

• Review instrument specifications, instrument indexes, input/output (I/O) lists, loop diagrams, instrument installation details, control valve requirements, and panel designs.

• Evaluate control strategies, operating sequences, alarms, permissives, interlocks, and trips for consistency with process requirements, equipment protection, and operating philosophy.

• Coordinate review of safety instrumented functions and emergency shutdown interfaces with OEMs, process engineers, and qualified functional safety specialists, as applicable.

• Identify technical gaps, conflicting requirements, and design risks; track resolution and escalate issues affecting safety, performance, cost, or schedule.

OEM and EPC Interface Coordination

• Coordinate I&C interfaces among gas turbine, steam turbine, heat recovery steam generator, generator, and balance-of-plant packages, as applicable to each project configuration.

• Establish and maintain clear interface requirements, scope boundaries, responsibilities, and required engineering deliverables among OEMs, the EPC contractor, and control system suppliers.

• Coordinate package control narratives, signal lists, communication protocols, data maps, time synchronization, and command and status interfaces for incorporation into the plant control system.

• Verify alignment among OEM package controls, the plant DCS, electrical protection and control systems, and plant supervisory systems.

• Coordinate startup, shutdown, load control, and abnormal operating sequences across interconnected equipment packages.

• Work with the data center controls and electrical design teams to define generation-to-load coordination requirements, including load changes, operating modes, dispatch signals, and responses to loss of generation or load.

• Lead technical interface meetings, document decisions and action items, and drive timely resolution of open issues.

• Work with project management and project engineering personnel to align technical deliverables and decisions with procurement, construction, and commissioning milestones.

Design Reviews RFIs and Submittals

• Lead or participate in I&C design reviews at key project milestones, consolidating owner comments and tracking their disposition through closure.

• Develop and coordinate SB Energy’s technical responses to I&C RFIs, equipment submittals, vendor drawings, technical deviations, and proposed substitutions.

• Review control narratives, cause-and-effect matrices, logic diagrams, alarm philosophies, HMI graphics, and control system architecture for completeness and consistency.

• Engage mechanical, process, electrical, operations, and cybersecurity resources when technical decisions affect systems beyond the I&C scope.

• Review proposed design and configuration changes for impacts on plant safety, equipment protection, reliability, operability, cost, and schedule; provide recommendations to project leadership.

• Maintain clear records of technical decisions, review comments, accepted deviations, and outstanding engineering issues.

• Coordinate reviews with the Owner’s Engineer and support responses to Independent Engineer questions and document requests.

Equipment Control Systems and Procurement Support

• Develop or review instrumentation and control system specifications, technical requisitions, and procurement package requirements.

• Perform technical bid evaluations, identify exceptions, and support clarification of supplier proposals.

• Review vendor documentation for instruments, control valves, analyzers, control panels, control system hardware, and software for compliance with project requirements.

• Review factory acceptance test plans and participate in testing of DCS, PLC, and packaged control systems, including simulation of interfaces, operating sequences, alarms, and interlocks.

• Coordinate resolution of testing deficiencies and verify that required changes are documented and incorporated before shipment or site deployment.

• Coordinate with operations and cybersecurity personnel on control system access, remote connectivity, network segmentation, backups, and recovery requirements.

• Work with procurement and project teams to address technical issues affecting equipment delivery and control system integration.

Utility and Interconnection Coordination

• Coordinate with utilities, Independent System Operators (ISOs), Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs), OEMs, and the EPC contractor on control, communications, and telemetry requirements associated with generator interconnection.

• Support integration of required dispatch, automatic generation control, plant output control, operating status, and remote monitoring interfaces, as applicable.

• Coordinate signal definitions, communications interfaces, point-to-point testing, and verification of required data exchange with utility and grid operator systems.

• Support interconnection-related energization and commissioning, including technical documentation, witness testing, and demonstration of required control and telemetry functionality.

Construction Commissioning and Turnover Support

• Provide owner-side technical support for instrumentation installation, control panel installation, field wiring, communication networks, and control system integration.

• Work with site engineering, construction, and QA/QC teams on first articles, installation benchmarks, inspections, and resolution of I&C deficiencies.

• Review instrument calibration, loop check, site acceptance, functional testing, and commissioning procedures.

• Support verification of control logic, operating sequences, alarms, permissives, interlocks, trips, and equipment interfaces before startup.

• Support troubleshooting during commissioning, initial operation, performance testing, and transition to commercial operation.

• Coordinate review and documentation of control logic changes, temporary overrides, bypasses, and their removal or final disposition with the responsible technical and operating personnel.

• Review test results and support verification that I&C systems meet project acceptance and turnover requirements.

• Review as-built drawings, final control narratives, software and configuration backups, instrument records, test reports, licenses, and other I&C closeout documentation for completeness and consistency with installed systems.

Qualifications/Requirements

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Instrumentation and Controls Engineering, Automation Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.

• Experience in I&C engineering for gas-fired power generation, with direct involvement in simple-cycle and/or combined-cycle projects.
• 7-10 + years of professional experience.

• Strong understanding of power plant instrumentation, process controls, DCS and PLC systems, turbine control interfaces, and balance-of-plant controls.

• Experience coordinating I&C design interfaces between major equipment OEMs, EPC engineering teams, and control system suppliers.

• Ability to independently review control narratives, logic diagrams, cause-and-effect matrices, P&IDs, instrument specifications, I/O lists, loop drawings, and control system architecture.

• Working knowledge of process measurement, instrument selection, control valves, loop control, industrial communications, and control system integration.

• Experience reviewing or testing plant operating sequences, alarms, permissives, interlocks, and protective functions.

• Experience working with utilities and ISOs/RTOs on generator interconnection control, communications, or telemetry requirements, including commissioning and testing.

• Familiarity with applicable instrumentation, control system, and industrial cybersecurity standards and project requirements.

• Ability to assess technical issues, develop practical recommendations, and recognize when additional specialist input is needed.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical issues to project managers, contractors, and operations personnel.

• Strong organization and follow-through in managing design comments, RFIs, submittals, and technical action items.

• Ability to work remotely and travel approximately 25% to project sites in Pike County, Ohio.

Preferred

• Experience with both simple-cycle and combined-cycle gas generation projects.

• Experience serving as an owner’s engineer or technical representative for a developer, asset owner, or utility.

• Experience with gas generation facilities co-located with large data center campuses, including coordination of generation controls with campus load requirements, load changes, operating modes, and reliability objectives.

• Experience coordinating plant-level load control, turbine controls, and data center power management systems.

• Experience with major power generation DCS and turbine control platforms.

• Experience with heat recovery steam generator controls, steam cycle controls, water treatment systems, emissions monitoring, and other balance-of-plant systems.

• Familiarity with substation SCADA, remote terminal units, and interfaces between plant controls and high-voltage electrical systems.

• Experience with control system factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, startup, and operating plant troubleshooting.

• Familiarity with safety instrumented systems, functional safety practices, and operational technology cybersecurity.

• Professional Engineer (PE) license and/or relevant instrumentation, controls, or automation certification.

Location: Hybrid - remote work with approximately 25% travel to project sites in Pike County, Ohio.

Base Pay - $140,000 - $170,000

The pay range mentioned above is a guideline. We tailor each offer based on your unique skills, experience, location, and market benchmarks—while ensuring internal parity across our teams. The compensation range provided reflects base pay. Total rewards may also include performance-based bonuses, equity grants, and a market leading comprehensive health and wellness benefits package. Final details will be discussed during the later stages of the hiring process.

Our Health & Wellness Benefits

At SB Energy, we invest in our people and their families with benefits designed for flexibility, support, and peace of mind. Full-time employees enjoy:

• 100% Company-Paid Medical, Dental & Vision (for employees and dependents)
• 401(k) with Company Match
• Generous Paid Time Off + 11 Paid Holidays
• 12 Weeks Parental Leave
• Life, AD&D & Long-Term Disability Coverage
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for Medical, Dependent Care, Transit & Parking (with company contributions)
• Mental, Physical & Social Wellness Support (with company contributions)
• Flexible Work Arrangements & Hybrid Office Setup Benefits
• Monthly Reimbursement for Phone, Internet & Data
• Optional Legal & Pet Insurance Plans
• Device Purchase Support

At SB Energy, the success of our projects is driven by a desire to see our projects benefit as many people as possible. We work to serve local communities through volunteering, fundraising, and much more. For example, we’re proud to support access and opportunity in engineering and clean energy through impactful mentorship programs and workforce training. When you join SB Energy, you can become a part of these efforts, collaborating with team members who share a vision of building a better future now!

SB Energy is built on a foundation of collaboration and inclusion. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class.

To learn more about us, visit www.sbenergy.com.