What are the responsibilities and job description for the AUTOMATION ENGINEER position at LOOP LLC?
Our Story:
Crude oil is an essential element of our nation’s energy supply - fueling our cars, trucks, airplanes, and factories, and heating and cooling our homes. As part of the energy mix, the United States relies on a steady supply of crude oil to produce products we use on a daily basis. LOOP plays a key role in meeting those daily energy needs as the single largest point of entry for waterborne crude oil coming into the U.S.
LOOP is a joint venture of Marathon Petroleum Company, Shell Oil Company, and Valero, and is the only Deepwater Port in the U.S. capable of offloading and loading a wide range of vessels from Ultra Large Crude Carriers down to Medium Range Tankers.
LOOP stores crude oil in eight underground caverns in a naturally occurring salt dome capable of storing approximately 60 million barrels. In addition, LOOP has a modern above-ground tank facility consisting of twenty-two tanks with a total storage capacity of 12 million barrels.
LOOP has called Louisiana home for over forty years. With headquarters in Covington and operating facilities in Galliano and St. James LA, as well as a facility 20 miles in the Gulf of Mexico.
Summary Description
Motivated individual looking for growth opportunities, future advancement, and expansion into evolving technologies. The Automation Specialist is responsible for the development, design, programming, integration, testing, troubleshooting and commissioning of instrumentation and control system devices which includes, but is not limited to the following: Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC’s), Transmitters, Flow Computers, PID Control Loops, Wiring, Switches, Densitometers, Data Communications with both internal and/or external Customers, and Human Machine Interface (HMI) systems.
This role supports Operations, Maintenance, SCADA administrators, Oil Movement Controllers (OMC’s), Engineering, Loss Controls (Measurements), Cybersecurity, and internal/external Customers by providing technical expertise and high level troubleshooting of Control Systems and Instrumentation equipment.
The Automation Specialist position also supports Project Management for both Capital and Expense projects. Coordinates with contractors, consultants and support personnel in the design, fabrication, installation, and testing of Instrumentation and Control systems. Ensures projects are within budget and meet scheduling requirements. Supports the Management of Change (MOC) process and ensures all aspects of the MOC are complete.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Provide input into LOOP’s Technology strategy and supports equipment lifecycle replacement.
- Provide support for Engineering on projects with Instrumentation and Control system requirements.
- Manage projects within the Instrumentation and Controls group.
- Provide High Level Technical Support for Maintenance, Operations, Engineering, SCADA, OMCs, and Loss Controls.
- Troubleshoot Instrumentation and Control systems, develop logic and/or configuration, communications for both internal and external customers, and system implementation (Factory Acceptance Testing, Site Acceptance Testing, and Point to Point testing). Redline field drawings and Instrumentation and Control system documentation.
- Develop secure data interfacing configuration and/or programming via specialized communication modules for both internal and external customers (Customer Data, Peer to Peer data links, etc.).
- Interface with Network Engineers on Operational Technology (OT) network connections providing a secure interface. Knowledge of Operational Technology (OT) Cybersecurity associated with Instrumentation and Control system devices is a plus.
- Calibrate and/or program Instrumentation and Control System devices (level transmitters, pressure and temperature transmitters, densitometers, etc.).
- Develop and/or edit documentation associated with Instrumentation and Control system devices (IO List, Functionality Documents, Safe Charts, P&IDs, Instrumentation wiring and loop diagrams, Cause and Effect Charts, etc.).
- Support Management of Change (MOC) for Instrumentation and Control system devices.
Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in Engineering, Engineering Technology (Electrical, Automation, Control Systems, etc.), Computer Science, or related technical field.
Experience: Minimum of five (5) years of experience in automation, instrumentation, and project management. Demonstrated proficiency in troubleshooting and failure analysis is preferred, with emphasis on PLC, HMI, Flow Computer, and PID Control loops.
Licensure/Certification: None
Supervisory Responsibilities: None
Field Presence: Up to 50% required field presence.
Essential Physical Requirements:
This position routinely requires eight hour (8) days on a 5/2 schedule.
Employee must meet the physical standards expressed in the LOOP Occupational Health Assessment to be physically qualified to carry out the duties and responsibilities of this position.
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of an Instrumentation & Communication Technician at the LOOP Marine Terminal.
Benefits:
LOOP employees and their families enjoy a competitive health care package providing comprehensive medical care.
LOOP provides both a traditional pension plan and a 401k savings plan with 7 percent company matching contribution to advance your long-term financial security.
We offer one of the most competitive pay packages in our region including base pay and an annual incentive cash bonus for qualifying employees. These programs are designed to reward individual performance and align overall rewards with company and team performance. Paid time-off benefits include sick leave, vacation, holiday and disability pay.
“LOOP provides energy to its customers on a continuous 24/7 basis and thus individuals posting for this and other positions must possess the understanding that reporting for duty during both regular shifts and call outs to maintain operations is a core requirement of every LOOP position. Individuals may be required to report for duty during weather events, weekends, holiday and other irregularly scheduled, unscheduled or normally scheduled periods to maintain, operate or assist operation of the Company.”