Principal Instrumentation Engineer

About us 

Worley is a global company of energy, chemicals and resources experts headquartered in Australia. We partner with our customers to deliver projects and create value across the life of their assets. We specialize in consulting, engineering, procurement and construction across the project lifecycle, with services extending through to operations and decommissioning. Leveraging extensive experience and AI-enabled delivery, we support customers in navigating complexity as they meet today's needs and transition to more sustainable solutions. 

Purpose:

The Principal Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Engineer provides engineering expertise for the operation, maintenance, modernization, and reliability improvement of hydroelectric pumped storage generating facilities. The position requires extensive knowledge of plant operations, turbine-generator controls, governor systems, excitation systems, Distributed Control Systems (DCS) and industry standards including IEEE Std 1010, Guide for Control of Hydroelectric Power Plants.

Responsibilities:

• Analyze plant operating issues and develop corrective actions.
• Support unit start-up, shutdown, synchronization, and operating sequence improvements.
• Review operating procedures and recommend enhancements for safety and reliability.
• Lead modernization projects involving replacement of legacy relay-based control systems with distributed control systems (DCS).
• Evaluate existing relay logic, hardwired control schemes, and electromechanical sequencing circuits and translate them into modern software-based control logic.
• Develop control narratives, functional design specifications, and sequence-of-operation documentation for digital control implementations.
• Review and validate conversion of unit startup, shutdown, synchronization, load control, and protection interface functions from relay-based systems to modern DCS architectures.
• Support Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), commissioning, and operational readiness reviews.
• Coordinate with Operations and Maintenance personnel to ensure digital control systems support established plant operating practices and reliability objectives.
• Verify compliance with hydroelectric control system industry practices as defined in IEEE Std 1010, including unit control, monitoring, local/remote operation, centralized control, and control system interfaces.
• Develop and review control logic narratives and sequence of operation documents.
• Implement control system upgrades and modernization projects.

What you will bring
Technical/Industry Experience and Qualifications Requirements:

• Direct experience modernizing hydroelectric pumped storage generating units from relay-based controls to:
  • Emerson Ovation.
• Experience replacing:
  • Generator start/stop relay logic.
  • Auxiliary system relay controls.
  • Governor control systems.
  • Excitation control systems.
  • Synchronizing systems.
• Knowledge of turbine-generator operational sequencing and the interaction between control, protection, and monitoring systems.
• Experience developing and reviewing:
  • Control logic diagrams.
  • I/O databases.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in power generation, hydroelectric facilities, and industrial control systems.
• Working knowledge of: 
  • Hydroelectric pumped storage turbine-generator systems.
  • Governor systems.
  • Excitation systems.
  • SCADA and DCS platforms.
  • Protection and control systems.
• Experience with plant operations and troubleshooting.
• Experience with hydroelectric modernization projects.
• Familiarity with IEEE Std 1010 and IEEE Std 1249.
• Experience with Emerson Ovation DCS.
• Knowledge of NERC, FERC, utility operating requirements, and cyber security practices.

Knowledge, Skills and Abiliti

• Proficiency in reviewing control logic diagrams, relay drawings, and HMI displays.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Typical Deliverables

• Control philosophy documents
• Sequence of operation narratives
• Modernization project scopes
• Reliability improvement recommendations
• Control system cybersecurity assessments

Preferred Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate combines hands-on plant operating knowledge with control system engineering expertise and has successfully led or supported projects involving the migration of legacy hydroelectric relay control systems to modern digital DCS platforms. The candidate understands generating unit operating sequences, control room operations, alarm management, and control system architectures described in IEEE Std 1010.

IEEE 1010 Compliance and Application

• Apply the principles and guidance contained in IEEE Std 1010 for hydroelectric pumped storage control systems.
• Evaluate plant control philosophies and architectures against industry best practices.
• Review control interfaces, monitoring strategies, automation functions, and centralized control requirements.

Reliability and Performance Improvement

• Investigate equipment failures and recurring operational issues.
• Develop asset improvement plans to improve unit availability and efficiency.
• Analyze operational trends and recommend optimizations.

Education – Qualifications, Accreditation, Training:

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline.

Preferred:

• Professional Engineer (PE) license.

Moving forward together

We want our people to be energized and empowered to drive sustainable impact. So, our focus is on a values-inspired culture that unlocks brilliance through belonging, connection and innovation. We're building a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace. Creating a space where everyone feels they belong, can be themselves, and are heard.

And we're not just talking about it; we're doing it. We're reskilling our people, leveraging transferable skills, and supporting the transition of our workforce to become experts in today's low carbon energy infrastructure and technology. Whatever your ambition, there's a path for you here.

And there's no barrier to your potential career success. Join us to broaden your horizons, explore diverse opportunities, and be part of delivering sustainable change.