Instrumentation Specialist

Job Title:
Instrumentation Specialist

Location:
Various

Company Overview:

RTF Project Services is a recognized leader in providing high-quality services to the Oil & Gas, Petrochemical, Chemical, and Power Generation sectors. Our dedicated team specializes in delivering safe and efficient solutions. We pride ourselves on fostering a can-do attitude even when the odds are against us, and we bring integrity and exceptional customer service to every project we undertake.

Position Summary:

We are seeking an accomplished Instrumentation Specialist who can seamlessly integrate technical proficiency, engineering support, and strategic planning skills. In this role, you will not only maintain, troubleshoot, and optimize a broad spectrum of instrumentation, but also develop comprehensive scopes of work, create and manage Management of Change (MOC) documents, plan and schedule maintenance and upgrade tasks, write and refine procedures, and run the DCS or other advanced control systems while performing Safety Instrumented System (SIS) testing. Your expertise will drive improved reliability, compliance, and operational excellence across complex, continuously operating units.

Key Responsibilities:

Instrumentation Scope Development & MOC Management:

• Develop detailed scopes of work for instrumentation upgrades, replacements, and preventive maintenance activities.
• Review existing instrumentation installations (flow, level, pressure, temperature, analytical, vibration) and identify potential risks that could lead to unit upsets, trips, or operational inefficiencies.
• Proactively identify obsolete or at-risk components and implement Management of Change (MOC) processes to specify suitable replacements.
• Evaluate alarm logs and prioritize alarm rationalization, determining corrective paths forward for system- and component-level alarms.
• Assess Fieldbus and wireless network infrastructures to identify potential points of failure and develop corrective action plans.
• Optimize warehouse stock practices, ensuring on-hand spares align with actual field requirements to balance availability and inventory costs.

Instrumentation Expertise & Variety:

• Work with a full range of instrumentation:
  
• Flow:
  Ultrasonic (doppler, transit-time), magnetic, Coriolis, vortex, variable area, thermal mass, turbine, and DP-based meters.
• Level:
  Radar (free-space, guided wave), magnetostrictive, displacer transmitters, capacitance, ultrasonic, float-based, and DP level measurement devices.
• Pressure:
  Transmitters, switches (electronic/pneumatic), differential pressure cells, gauges.
• Temperature:
  RTDs, thermocouples, thermowells, infrared sensors, bimetallic thermometers, and fiber-optic temperature systems.
• Analytical:
  pH, conductivity, oxygen, moisture/dew point, gas analyzers, CEMS, process gas chromatographs.
• Vibration:
  Accelerometers, velocity probes, eddy-current displacement sensors, and advanced vibration analyzers for rotating equipment.

• Maintain and optimize a variety of final control elements:
  rotary, butterfly, globe, gate, and ball valves, along with solenoids, limit switches, position transmitters, I/P converters, positioners, and volume tanks.

Planning & Turnaround Support:

• Perform thorough walk-downs prior to turnarounds or scheduled outages, identifying instrumentation and electrical items that require calibration, repair, removal, or inspection.
• Convert work scopes into detailed job packages, including loop check sheets, specification sheets, loop drawings, electrical schematics, P&IDs, identifying photos, parts lists, scheduling timelines, and QC requirements.
• Interface with vendors and procurement to order parts, replace obsolete instruments through MOC processes, and ensure timely availability of required materials and documentation.

SIS Testing & Complex Troubleshooting:

• Execute Safety Instrumented System (SIS) and Instrumented Protective Function (IPF) testing, ensuring full compliance with procedures, mitigation plans, and regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate with Operations for pre-job briefs, confirming no unintended unit upset or trip occurs during SIS bypass and testing activities.
• Diagnose and resolve issues in complex loops, retrieving necessary documentation (complex loop write-ups, logic drawings, control narratives) and performing careful planning to maintain operational integrity.
• Identify and correct instrumentation and installation errors that compromise reliability or safety, implementing engineered solutions through the MOC process.

Procedure Writing & Continuous Improvement:

• Develop detailed procedures for implementing MOCs, performing critical maintenance steps, and executing complex commissioning and start-up tasks.
• Focus on human performance and error-proofing in procedure development, ensuring clarity, adherence to standards, and minimal risk of mistakes.
• Write and update procedures for complex control systems, including those tied to motor controls, protective relays, and interlocks.

Quality Control & Compliance:

• Ensure all installations meet or exceed industry standards, as well as local and national codes.
• Develop and maintain QC documentation for clients, ensuring compliance with design, engineering, and regulatory practices.
• Provide training and oversight to ensure all personnel maintain good documentation practices.

DCS & Control System Operation:

• Operate DCS or similar control systems during maintenance activities, alarm management, and SIS tests.
• Make informed control adjustments and temporary configurations to support maintenance without compromising the safe, efficient operation of the unit.

Software Proficiency & Data Management:

• Utilize industry software and data management tools, including:
  
• Intools/SmartPlant:
  Create and modify loops, tags, and instrumentation spec sheets.
• Create and manage MOCs, track documentation, and action items throughout the MOC life cycle.
• Electronic Data Management Systems:
  Locate and retrieve documentation for troubleshooting, scope building, and part selection.
• SAP / Passport:
  Create work orders, maintain equipment history, plan tasks, specify manpower and costs, order parts, and manage warehouse stock to support maintenance activities.
• Microsoft Office:
  Use Excel for temporary databases, forms (FCOs), and tracking maintenance activities; Word for procedure writing; PowerPoint for presentations; Outlook for communication and scheduling.
• AutoCAD:
  Update P&IDs, loop drawings, and other CAD-based documents.
• Adobe Pro:
  Mark up documents, add redlines to drawings, and incorporate notes into work packages.
• AMS / PRM or similar Asset Management Tools:
  Commission and calibrate instrumentation, utilize manufacturer plug-i.