Required Skills & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience with 5+ years of industry experience.
- Strong IT/OT Networking Skills: Hands-on expertise with IP addressing, subnet masking, TCP/IP protocols, VLAN configuration, and network switch management.
- Device Integration Expertise: Deep knowledge of configuring and integrating major protocols: BACnet/IP, BACnet MS/TP, Modbus TCP/RTU, and Profinet.
- Hardware & Wiring Proficiency: Extensive experience with DDC termination, low voltage (24V) wiring, relay logic, 4-20mA loops, multimeter troubleshooting, and using signal generators for point-to-point validation.
- Experience with Inductive Automation Ignition, Automated Logic (ALC) WebCTRL, or Siemens Desigo.
- Ability to program, configure, and network Variable Frequency Drives (e.g., ABB, Sinamics).
- Experience with Python/Jython for Ignition scripting, SQL databases, and EIKON ALC Logic.
- Knowledge of energy management, HVAC controls, or sustainable building practices.
- Proficiency with SQL or Time-Series Databases (e.g., InfluxDB, TimescaleDB).
Nice to Have Skills & Experience
- Certifications such as Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Building Automation Professional (BAP), or IT networking certifications (e.g., CompTIA Network+, CCNA).
Job Description
The Infrastructure DesignX team leads the development of innovative solutions for complex R&D and manufacturing facilities across the Bay Area and beyond. They specialize in creating sophisticated infrastructure systems that power next-generation research and production environments. A large automotive company in the Bay Area is seeking a specialized BMS Controls Engineer to bridge the gap between Facilities Operations and Data Science teams. The ideal candidate will optimize our Building Management Systems (BMS) not just for operation, but for high-fidelity data acquisition. You will work closely with facilities personnel to instrument systems, validate sensor accuracy, and architect the data pipeline required to feed predictive Machine Learning models.
What You’ll Do
- Field Device & Network Configuration: Perform low-level field device setup, including setting MAC addresses, baud rates, and communication parameters. Assign, configure, and manage static IP addresses for local DDCs, VFDs, and networked control meters across the internal network.
- DDC Termination & Signal Scaling: Execute point creation and configuration within the DDC programming environment. Accurately translate physical electrical signals (e.g., 4-20mA loops, 0-10VDC, pulse outputs) into scaled engineering units for the BMS database.
- IT/OT Network Integration: Bridge the gap between operational technology (OT) and IT by coordinating with network administrators to establish VLANs, configure network switches, and resolve IP conflicts or firewall issues for BMS devices.
- Collaborate with facilities staff to identify critical control points and sensors required for ML modeling, translating the complex requirements of the ML team into technical tasks.
- Conduct regular audits of trend data to identify "flatlined" sensors, calibration drifts, or communication drop-outs.
- Design and maintain the pathway from the BMS Edge to the central repository (Cloud/On-Prem).
- Develop automated scripts or dashboards to monitor the "health" of the data pipeline ensuring uptime and completeness. PLC setup, HMI development (Ignition/WebCTRL/Desigo) and developing the sequence of operations.
- Configure and program controllers to communicate via standard industry protocols. Program DDCs and Siemens PLCs using TIA-Portal. Should know IEC 61131-3 languages.
- Develop, maintain, and upgrade intuitive graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and dashboards within Ignition and ALC to visualize system performance. Develop Alarm rationalization with feedback from Facility operations.
- Advanced Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot field-level hardware, signal wiring, and network integration issues (e.g., fixing loose terminations, verifying RS-485 trunk integrity, correcting baud rate mismatches, and replacing faulty sensors).
- Program control sequences and alarm logic. Manage tag databases, historical data logging, and SQL database connections for reporting.
- Manage and prioritize requests for information on new construction builds, existing site facilities support, and legacy site enhancement projects.
Pay Range for this role is $55 - $65 per hour depending on years of experience and education