Control & Instrumentation Specialist (Hay 15/C4)

In brief

**Overview** This is for a Control & Instrumentation Specialist (Hay 15/C4) at NECSA. The role primarily involves providing specialist technical expertise and support for control and instrumentation (C&I) systems within production facilities. Responsibilities span ensuring plant availability, managing C&I-related budgets, maintaining compliance with safety, health, environmental, and quality (SHEQ) as well as regulatory standards, fostering team development, and driving continuous improvement and innovation within the C&I discipline. **What you will do** * Maintain, troubleshoot, and program plant PLC, BMS, and SCADA systems to support reliable plant operation. * Provide specialist technical support for Control and Instrumentation systems, including process control, instrumentation, and associated control equipment. * Perform advanced fault-finding, diagnostics, and technical investigations on control and instrumentation systems. * Maintain and update plant instrumentation drawings, control system documentation, and configuration records. * Ensure regular and controlled backup of PLC, SCADA, BMS, and associated control-system configurations. * Perform preventative maintenance checks, including hardware and software inspections, system health checks, and control-system audits. * Provide technical input into the development and optimization of preventative and predictive maintenance strategies for C&I equipment. * Support the Section Head and Team Leaders with RCM implementation and reliability improvement activities. * Act as technical lead/support for ageing-management initiatives relating to C&I assets. * Identify obsolete, unreliable, and high-risk C&I equipment and provide technical recommendations for replacement or refurbishment. * Maintain technical oversight of critical C&I spare parts, including identification of critical spares and technical specifications. * Support investigation of recurring equipment failures and implement corrective actions to improve plant reliability. * Provide technical support during planned maintenance, shutdowns, breakdowns, and plant recovery activities. * Provide technical input into plant modifications and control-system changes to ensure functionality, reliability, and maintainability. * Provide specialist technical input into C&I maintenance budgets, forecasts, and expenditure planning. * Provide technical specifications and estimates for C&I maintenance, replacement, and improvement requirements. * Support evaluation of quotations and technical proposals to ensure proposed solutions meet technical and operational requirements. * Identify opportunities to reduce maintenance costs through equipment standardization, optimization, repair, refurbishment, and appropriate replacement strategies. * Monitor expenditure relating to assigned C&I maintenance activities and highlight significant variances to the Section Head. * Support effective management of C&I critical spares to minimize unnecessary expenditure while maintaining required availability. * Ensure maintenance and replacement recommendations consider whole-life cost, reliability, availability, and maintainability. * Provide technical justification for major C&I maintenance or replacement requirements. * Ensure C&I maintenance activities are performed in accordance with approved SHEQ procedures, work instructions, and maintenance standards. * Ensure PLC, SCADA, BMS, instrumentation, and control systems are maintained in accordance with applicable technical, safety, and regulatory requirements. * Provide technical support during SHEQ, regulatory, and maintenance audits. * Identify and report C&I-related hazards, risks, defects, and compliance gaps. * Ensure required technical documentation, maintenance records, inspection records, and configuration records are maintained and available. * Provide technical input into investigations of C&I-related incidents, deviations, failures, and non-conformances. * Support implementation and close-out of corrective and preventative actions relating to C&I systems. * Ensure control-system modifications and changes are appropriately assessed, documented, tested, and approved before implementation. * Support compliance with applicable NNR, SAHPRA, GMR, and other relevant regulatory requirements, where applicable to C&I systems and assigned plant areas. * Participate in SHEQ inspections, audits, risk assessments, and safety improvement initiatives. * Promote a strong Safety-First culture within C&I maintenance activities. * Provide specialist technical guidance and support to C&I technicians, artisans, and maintenance personnel. * Coach and mentor team members in PLC, SCADA, BMS, instrumentation, and process-control systems. * Share specialist knowledge and lessons learned from breakdowns, investigations, and improvement activities. * Identify technical skills gaps and recommend appropriate training and development requirements to the Section Head. * Assist with development and maintenance of C&I technical procedures, work instructions, and training material. * Support knowledge transfer to reduce dependency on individual specialists and improve team capability. * Participate in technical problem-solving and multidisciplinary maintenance activities. * Promote teamwork, effective communication, and safe execution of C&I maintenance activities. * Identify and implement opportunities to improve C&I system reliability, availability, maintainability, and performance. * Participate in root-cause analysis of recurring C&I failures and implement sustainable corrective actions. * Identify opportunities for automation, control-system optimization, and improved monitoring. * Support standardization of PLC, SCADA, BMS, and control-system architectures where technically appropriate. * Identify and address obsolete technology, component availability, and system obsolescence risks. * Develop and implement approved technical improvement projects within the C&I discipline. * Evaluate new technologies and technical solutions that may improve plant reliability, safety, or maintenance efficiency. * Improve C&I preventative and predictive maintenance strategies based on equipment history, failure trends, and operating data. * Maintain and improve technical standards, drawings, configuration records, and C&I maintenance practices. * Participate in cross-functional improvement initiatives and provide specialist C&I input. * Capture and share lessons learned from failures, modifications, and improvement projects. * Oversee and assist in executing Quality Assurance activities (management reviews, document reviews, audits) to ensure performance aligns with standards, compliance requirements, and established schedules. * Monitor the implementation, maintenance, and operation of the SHE&R regime to ensure compliance with the latest and applicable standards. * Facilitate the execution of BBS activities within the section and compile BBS statistics for NLS. * Monitor the execution of NNR compliance activities and manage risk-related tasks. * Serve as an auditee, responding to audit inquiries related to their section, and ensure the section passes the audit without qualifications, including facilitating the timely closure of audit findings. **Requirements (from the original advert)** * **Education:** * National Diploma Electrical (Control & Instrumentation) * B-Tech Electrical (Control & Instrumentation) would be advantageous. * **Experience:** * At least 8 years’ experience in production plants/facilities. * 6-years hands-on experience with programming and configuration tools. * Experience/formal qualification in SCADA, PLC / Control Systems. **Who should apply** Candidates should be highly skilled professionals with a strong background in PLC programming and configuration, SCADA, and BMS systems. The ideal applicant will possess deep expertise in process control, industrial instrumentation, fault-finding, and diagnostics of control systems. They must be proficient in applying reliability and maintenance principles such as PM, PdM, RCM, and ageing-management. A commitment to safety, regulatory compliance, and the ability to technically guide and mentor others while driving continuous improvement and innovation within the C&I field is essential. **Deadline** Not specified **Reference** Original posting: https://www.myjobmag.co.za/job/control-instrumentation-specialist-hay-15-c4-necsa Source: myjobmag

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At a glance

• Health and safety (OHS)
• PLC programming

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