Scada Ignition Engineer
The SCADA/PPC Engineer will be responsible for the development, configuration, integration, testing, commissioning, and troubleshooting of SCADA and Plant Power Control (PPC) systems for utility-scale renewable energy projects, including Solar PV and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).
The position will have a strong hands-on focus on Ignition SCADA, PPC controls, PLC/RTAC integration, industrial communication protocols, HMI development, historian systems, and plant-level monitoring and control. The engineer will work closely with internal teams, equipment vendors, utilities, and customers to implement reliable and standardized SCADA/PPC solutions.
The ideal candidate will have practical experience developing Ignition applications, integrating field devices and controllers, implementing control logic, troubleshooting communications, and supporting FAT, SAT, commissioning, and site troubleshooting activities.
**Attention external recruitment firms, we will not accept any unsolicited resumes at this time. Please do not contact any internal member of our company to discuss the position or to solicit candidates. **
- DUTIES: Develop, configure, and maintain Ignition SCADA applications for utility-scale PV and BESS projects.
- Develop Ignition Vision/Perspective screens, navigation, templates, UDTs, tags, alarms, trends, dashboards, and user interfaces.
- Configure and maintain Ignition Tag Providers, OPC connections, databases, historians, alarming, reporting, and system security.
- Develop and troubleshoot SCADA control logic and plant-level control functions in coordination with PPC requirements.
- Program, configure, test, and commission Plant Power Control (PPC) systems for PV and BESS applications.
- Implement plant-level control functions including, as applicable, active power control, reactive power control, power factor control, voltage control, frequency control, ramp-rate control, curtailment, and operating modes.
- Integrate SCADA/PPC systems with RTACs, inverters, battery management systems, power conversion systems, meters, protection devices, weather stations, and other plant equipment.
- Configure and troubleshoot industrial communication protocols including Modbus RTU/TCP, DNP3, OPC UA/DA, MQTT, API, IEC protocols, and TCP/IP-based communications.
- Configure and troubleshoot Schweitzer Engineering RTAC platforms and associated communication interfaces.
- Develop and maintain device point lists, tag structures, UDTs, alarm configurations, control mappings, IP address lists, and communication databases.
- Develop and troubleshoot SCADA-to-PPC, SCADA-to-RTAC, and SCADA-to-field-device communications.
- Troubleshoot communication and control issues using tools such as network diagnostics, packet captures, protocol analyzers, OPC diagnostics, and SCADA/PPC logs.
- Develop and execute FAT, SAT, point-to-point testing, functional testing, control testing, communications testing, and commissioning procedures.
- Support onsite commissioning and troubleshooting of SCADA/PPC systems for utility-scale PV and BESS facilities.
- Validate SCADA data acquisition, alarms, controls, historian data, HMI functionality, and communication performance during commissioning.
- Support integration and testing with utility/ISO requirements, including interfaces associated with organizations such as CAISO and ERCOT.
- Troubleshoot system issues and perform root-cause analysis involving SCADA applications, control logic, communications, field devices, and network infrastructure.
- Participate in continuous improvement of Ignition SCADA templates, PPC functions, system architecture, programming standards, and reusable software components.
- Develop and maintain technical documentation including SCADA configuration documents, control descriptions, point lists, test procedures, network diagrams, and commissioning documentation.
- Support customer technical discussions and demonstrations related to SCADA, Ignition, PPC, ROC controls, and monitoring systems.
- Perform other technical duties and/or tasks as required.
SKILLS / EXPERIENCE / EDUCATION
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Controls Engineering, Automation, or a related technical field preferred.
- 2+ years of hands-on experience developing and configuring Ignition SCADA applications. Experience with Ignition Perspective and/or Vision is must.
- Core or Gold Ignition certificate is highly desirable.
- Hands-on experience with Ignition scripting, Python, SQL, tags, UDTs, alarming, historian, databases, and OPC connectivity.
- Experience developing or troubleshooting PPC/plant controller systems for utility-scale Solar PV and/or BESS projects.
- Understanding of active/reactive power control, power factor control, voltage control, frequency control, ramp-rate control, curtailment, and plant operating modes.
- Experience with Schweitzer Engineering RTAC platforms is highly desirable.
- Strong knowledge of industrial communication protocols, including: Modbus RTU/TCP , DNP3 , OPC , UA/DA , MQTT , TCP/IP , Ethernet , RS-232 / RS-485
- Experience integrating SCADA with inverters, PCS, BMS, meters, RTACs, protection relays, weather stations, and other electrical equipment.
- Strong understanding of industrial Ethernet and SCADA networking, including IP addressing, VLANs, routing, switches, firewalls, and basic network troubleshooting.
- Ability to read and interpret electrical drawings, single-line diagrams, control diagrams, network diagrams, and equipment documentation.
- Experience with FAT, SAT, point-to-point testing, commissioning, and field troubleshooting.
- Ability to troubleshoot complex SCADA, communication, and control-system issues and identify root causes.
- Understanding of utility-scale power plant operations and the interaction between SCADA, PPC, ROC, utilities, and Independent System Operators (ISOs).
- Experience with CAISO and/or ERCOT requirements is highly desirable.
- Experience with databases and SQL, particularly in support of Ignition historians and SCADA data systems, is preferred.
- Ability to develop technical documentation and clearly communicate technical issues and solutions.
- Ability to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
- Position is based in Georgetown, TX.
- Fast-paced technical environment supporting multiple utility-scale renewable energy projects.
- Travel to customer sites is required, and the ability to travel internationally with a valid passport.
- Must be legally entitled to work in the USA and prepared to travel abroad.
- The primary technical focus of this position will be:
Ignition SCADA | PPC | RTAC | Device Integration | Industrial Communications | HMI | Historian | SQL | FAT/SAT | Commissioning | Troubleshooting
Hanwha Convergence is proud to be an at-will Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination against race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, pregnancy, citizenship, disability, protected veteran status and any other classification protected by applicable federal, state or local law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
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