Instrumentation & Automation Engineer

This role is responsible for implementing, maintaining, and enhancing instrumentation, control, and automation systems used in industrial facilities such as oil and gas, chemical manufacturing, manufacturing, and water treatment to ensure plants operate safely, efficiently, and reliably.

This is an important technical role that responsible for implementing, maintaining, and enhancing instrumentation, control, and automation systems such as Ecolab's proprietary programs of 3D TRASAR, HX IQ, TLM IQ, and other Digital Premium Services in Downstream business that would generate $42MM digital revenue in 2026. The role will also support the digital adoption, utilization, installation and troubleshooting of our automation at site.

Typical responsibilities

• Provide engineering and technical support for Nalco Water’s process and water treatment equipment operations and projects, including installation, commissioning, troubleshooting, calibration, rebuilding, and repair of electrical equipment and automated dosing systems such as 3D TRASAR™ and ECOLAB Heat Exchanger IQTM control platforms, using digital multimeters and other electrical diagnostic tools.
• Apply digital technologies, including ECOLAB3D™ connected sensors such as 3D TRASAR™ for cooling water, boilers, and process applications, to improve productivity, reduce waste, and enhance the efficiency of chemical manufacturing and water and process treatment operations.
• Ensure maximum reliability of sensors and instrumentation used for monitoring, chemical feed, blending, treatment processes, procedures, and automation equipment supporting downstream refinery and petrochemical customers.
• Incorporate PLC and HMI programming enhancements into chemical production and water treatment automation systems to improve process reliability, reduce electrical energy costs, minimize cycle time, and increase throughput for Nalco Water’s downstream chemical product lines.
• Troubleshoot networking, server, and SCADA issues across plant automation systems, including connectivity to ECOLAB3D™ cloud platforms, remote monitoring services, and the Ecolab Global Intelligence Center (EGIC) for 24/7 operational support.
• Support implementation of Nalco Water equipment data connectivity, including 3D TRASAR and related platforms, to customer DCS systems for data visualization and actionable insights.
• Create and maintain current documentation, including operating manuals for process control systems, automation equipment, digital platform configurations, and standard operating procedures aligned with Nalco Water and Ecolab design standards.
• Build cross-functional collaboration among manufacturing, R&D, marketing, sales, supply chain, field engineering, and customer-facing teams to achieve project goals in safety, production, equipment quality, and customer satisfaction—core tenets of Nalco Water’s downstream service model.
• Work closely with internal digital teams to develop PLC logic programming and HMI operator interfaces for chemical blending equipment, 3D TRASAR™ controllers, automated dosing skids, and other process automation platforms.
• Work closely with site teams on continuous improvement projects (TVD) in refining, chemical manufacturing, and water treatment automation through the design, selection, and installation of new process equipment, control systems, and digital monitoring solutions.
• Work closely with RDE to design and specify machine and gauge control systems, HMI systems, and data collection systems according to Ecolab and Nalco Water design standards, including integration with ECOLAB3D™ digital platforms for predictive analytics and prescriptive decision-making.
• Expected to domestic travel about 50% of the time.

Position Details:

• Candidates must be located in or near Houston TX
• 50% of overnight travel required

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline, or a high school diploma with 10+ years of experience in electrical or controls engineering.
• 2+ years of experience in an industrial manufacturing or process plant environment, preferably in chemical, refining, or water treatment operations.
• 2+ years of experience in PLC and HMI troubleshooting and programming.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Electronics, Instrumentation, Automation, or Mechatronic Engineering.
  • Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering with controls or instrumentation experience.
• Experience with Rockwell Automation PLCs, including RSLogix 5000 and ControlLogix programming.
• Networking experience, including familiarity with industrial Ethernet, SCADA, and cloud-connected IoT platforms such as ECOLAB3D™.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills in a deadline-driven, customer-centric environment.
• Familiarity with arc flash safety requirements, NFPA 70E, IIoT, historians, and digitalization tools.
• Knowledge of control systems and process automation, including P&IDs, loop diagrams, wiring diagrams, and control narratives.
• Experience with chemical process automation, water treatment control systems, or midstream and downstream oil and gas operations is a strong plus.

Annual or Hourly Compensation Range

Benefits 

Ecolab strives to provide comprehensive and market-competitive benefits to meet the needs of our associates and their families. Click here to see our benefits. 

If you are viewing this posting on a site other than our Ecolab Career website, view our benefits at jobs.ecolab.com/working-here. 

Potential Customer Requirements Notice

To meet customer requirements and comply with local or state regulations, applicants for certain customer-facing roles may need to:

- Undergo additional background screens and/or drug/alcohol testing for customer credentialing.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 

Ecolab will provide reasonable accommodation (such as a qualified sign language interpreter or other personal assistance) with our application process upon request as required to comply with applicable laws. If you have a disability and require accommodation assistance in this application process, please visit the Recruiting Support link in the footer of each page of our career website.  

Our Commitment to a Culture of Inclusion & Belonging
At Ecolab, we believe the best teams are inclusive. We are on a journey to create a workplace where every associate can grow and achieve their best. We are committed to fair and equal treatment of associates and applicants and recruit, hire, promote, transfer and provide opportunities for advancement based on individual qualifications and job performance. In all matters affecting employment, compensation, benefits, working conditions, and opportunities for advancement, we will not discriminate against any associate or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, creed, national origin, citizenship status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions, genetic information, marital status, age, disability, or status as a covered veteran.

In addition, we are committed to furthering the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) through Affirmative Action (AA).

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the New York City Fair Chance Act.