Roles and Responsibilities of SCADA, DCS and PLC Programmer (Control System Engineer)

Control System engineers develop skills in specific control disciplines such as:

• advanced process control (APC);
• distributed control systems (DCS);
• programmable logic controllers (PLC);
• supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA).

The use of these disciplines will depend on the exact nature of individual job roles. In general, however, tasks and responsibilities can include:

• designing and developing new control systems;
• testing, maintaining and modifying existing systems;
• analysing data and presenting findings in written reports;
• managing operations;
• working collaboratively with design engineers, operation engineers, purchasers and other internal staff;
• liaising with clients, suppliers, contractors and relevant authorities (e.g. the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority);
• project management within cost and time constrained environments;
• understanding and ensuring compliance with relevant health and safety regulations and quality standards;
• providing advice and consultancy support;
• purchasing equipment;
• writing computer software and test procedures;
• developing new business proposals.