Senior Controls Engineer

About Expanse

Expanse Electrical is an electrical and automation contractor with operations in the Bakken (North Dakota) and the Permian (Texas) and panel fabrication facilities in both regions. Our Electrical, Automation & Control (EAC) division designs, builds, programs, and commissions control systems and facilities for oil and gas, water and wastewater, and industrial customers.

The Role

We are looking for senior controls engineer to take long term ownership of the control application for an unattended pressure control product used at the wellhead. You will take it from architecture through first deployment, then continue to develop it as the product line grows. The work covers time critical logic, redundant sensor validation, controller side alarm management, and formal factory acceptance and commissioning, followed by ongoing enhancements, new features, and field driven improvements.

You will apply the same engineering approach to facility construction engineering and programming across our North Dakota and Texas operations, including production facilities, compression, panel plant builds, and SCADA/HMI systems. Across all of this work, you will write code that other people can maintain, set the standards others build on, and work directly with customers' technical teams.

What You Will Do

Control system development

• Architect, program, and document PLC applications on Schneider Electric and Rockwell Automation platforms.
• Review P&IDs and functional specifications to define I/O requirements and control strategies.
• Implement programs from customer-issued Cause & Effect matrices and functional specifications. Raise contradictions and gaps formally instead of working around them.
• Develop deterministic logic for time critical shutdown and relief functions and demonstrate that it meets defined response time requirements.
• Build controller-side alarm lifecycle management, including state, acknowledgement, and classification, that stays synchronized across multiple HMIs and a remote SCADA system and recovers cleanly after communication loss.
• Design redundant-sensor validation, fault discrimination, degraded mode operation, and cold-start behavior.
• Implement role-based command authority and event journaling, with validation enforced in the controller.
• Integrate field networks and telemetry: EtherNet/IP, Ethernet RIO on fiber rings, Modbus, CANopen, and J1939. Include store-and-forward telemetry to cloud SCADA.

HMI / SCADA

• Develop and maintain HMI and SCADA applications in AVEVA (Wonderware) InTouch and System Platform, FactoryTalk View, and Schneider Electric Vijeo Designer.
• Define HMI tag interfaces and coordinate with HMI developers.

Test, commissioning, and support

• Write and run factory acceptance tests (FAT) and site acceptance tests (SAT), including formally specified validation test blocks.
• Support yard testing, field commissioning, and startup in ND and TX.
• Work on-site at customer locations to commission, start up, and troubleshoot systems alongside customer operations teams and Expanse field crews.
• Prepare engineering documentation and handover packages, train customer personnel, and recommend spare parts.
• Take part directly in customer technical working sessions.

Engineering standards

• Establish and maintain programming standards, code structure, and documentation across the division.
• Coordinate with Expanse’s panel engineering team and panel plants in both regions on I/O and design requirements.
• Evaluate new and alternate products and technologies and contribute to new product development.
• Mentor automation technicians and apprentices.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of hands-on PLC programming and controls engineering, preferably in oil and gas, industrial, or process environments.
• Production experience with all of the following: Schneider Electric EcoStruxure Control Expert (M580/M340), Rockwell Studio 5000 (ControlLogix/CompactLogix), Rockwell FactoryTalk, and AVEVA (Wonderware) InTouch and/or System Platform.
• A track record of taking an application from architecture through FAT and commissioning, as the owner of the finished product.
• Experience programming to Cause & Effect matrices or formal functional specifications.
• Working knowledge of industrial networks: EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP/RTU, and remote I/O architectures.
• Ability to read electrical schematics, P&IDs, and panel drawings.
• Clear written documentation and direct communication with customer engineers.
• Willingness to travel regularly to field sites and panel facilities in North Dakota and Texas.
• A valid driver's license.
• A bachelor's degree in electrical, controls, or a related engineering field, or equivalent experience.
• Ability to pass a pre-employment drug screen and background check. The position is subject to random and for-cause drug testing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Controller-side alarm management design, and familiarity with recognized alarm management standards.
• Safety relevant or time critical control applications, such as shutdown, relief, or burner management.
• CANopen and J1939 integration.
• SCADA and field communications, including Ignition, SCADAPack, licensed and unlicensed radios and cellular modems (such as MDS, FreeWave, and Sierra Wireless), HART, and OPC.
• Schneider Electric Vijeo Designer and Red Lion HMI experience.
• Equipment design and installation in hazardous (classified) locations, including intrinsically safe systems.
• Wellsite, production facility, or compression automation in the Bakken or Permian.
• ISA certifications or equivalent industry credentials.

Compensation

Base salary range: $130,000–$165,000 per year, depending on experience and qualifications. Relocation assistance is available.

Benefits

Full-time employees are eligible for benefits starting the first of the month after their hire date:

• Medical coverage with two plan options, including a high-deductible plan with a Health Savings Account (HSA) and an employer HSA match.
• Dental and vision coverage.
• 401(k) with Roth option and a company match: 100% of the first 2% of pay plus 50% of the next 4%. The match fully vests after 2 years.
• Company-paid basic life and AD&D insurance.
• Short-term disability. Long-term disability, supplemental life, accident, and critical illness coverage are available.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (healthcare and dependent care).
• Employee Assistance Program and Health Advocate services for employees and their families.
• Employee referral program.
• Relocation assistance.

Work Environment

The job combines office and engineering work with field time at customer sites and Expanse panel plants. Field work involves outdoor conditions, including North Dakota winters and West Texas summers. Required PPE and site safety practices apply.

Regular on-site time at customer locations is expected, particularly during commissioning, startup, and troubleshooting. This engineer is the technical lead in the field, working directly with customer operations and engineering staff and with Expanse electricians and automation technicians.

Why Expanse

• Long term ownership of a product line, from first deployment through continued development and innovation.
• You work closely with panel builders, field crews, and customers in two major U.S. basins.
• You help set controls standards for a growing automation division.