Be the foundation for your clients' success. Engineer the infrastructure that propels commerce, enables a more-sustainable impact, elevates municipal services, and creates impressive gathering spaces. As a VAA Process Controls Engineer, you'll have unique opportunities to utilize your talents and experience while flexing your problem-solving muscles. Our growing firm is looking for passionate problem-solvers driven to make a real impact: we're hiring a Process Controls Engineer.
Get to know VAA
Hear first-hand what it's like to work here, the range of opportunities you can find and the wealth of resources that will support you – both professionally and personally.: https://vaaeng.com/careers/#careers-video
VAA is an Engineering, Planning and Design firm specializing in bulk commodity-handling facilities and structures for value-added processing, manufacturing, distribution, consumer, and institutional use.
We partner with facility owners, architects and contractors nationwide – and beyond – to bring vision to life and accomplish business objectives. Putting relationships first has established nearly a half century of excellence and an impressive track record of repeat business.
VAA is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, with an office in Sioux Falls, SD. We are professionally licensed in 49 states and 5 Canadian provinces.
Process Engineering at VAA
Our Process team’s work is focused on producing Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) / process flow diagrams, process equipment layout, equipment and instrumentation specifications, and conveying system design for dry, liquid and gas commodities.
Your role:
- Serve as the primary technical contact for client, contractor, and vendor in the areas of industrial, agricultural process, and food & beverage instrumentation and controls.
- Work closely with Process, Mechanical and Electrical design teams for specification of instrumentation and controls to achieve project objectives.
- Actively participate in development and quality control of Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs) and Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs).
- Specify functional requirements for control system regarding safety instrument systems, control interlocks, fail safe states for control devices, alarm management, production reports, historian, network firewalls and managed access from remote operation stations or enterprise network communication.
- Communicate with vendors and manufacturers for selecting appropriate instrumentation and control devices for the project. Review and sign off on vendor shop drawings and submittals.
- Support preparation of technical scope of work and cost estimates for process controls instrumentation, equipment, and miscellaneous hardware.
- Support VAA electrical engineers on development of instrument loop diagrams, control panel specifications and wiring diagrams, and other related activities.
- Respond to RFIs and field questions from client’s construction manager and contractor.
- Participate in factory acceptance testing when requested. Provide start-up and commissioning support as required by the project.
- Participate in process hazard analysis (PHA) reviews as required by project objectives.
- Participate in project closeout activities, such collection and organizing documentation of controls related items.
- Able to travel up to 10-15% of work time for site visits during the design phase to verify existing conditions and identify engineering and coordination issues.
Your resume must include:
- Bachelor’s degree in Chemical, Industrial, Industrial Technology, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering.
- 5-8 years of engineering experience in process controls design.
- Familiar with agricultural, industrial, and food/beverage processes.
- Proficient with controls of mechanical equipment, such as steam boilers, cooling towers, HVAC, pumps, and heat exchangers.
- Familiar with electrical design of process instrumentation and control panels (DCS and PLC).
- Experience with selection and specifying process measurement (flow, pressure, temperature, level) instruments and control devices (control valves).
- Proficient with interpretation and design of functional and logic diagrams.
- Knowledgeable of modern process control systems (hardware and software) functionality. Understanding of compatibility requirement for migration or integration of external controls systems and communication protocols.
- Consulting firm experience preferred.
Why VAA?
VAA is one of the industry’s leading firms, combining nearly a half-century of excellence with a vibrant, future-focused energy. We serve a diverse portfolio of clients, ranging from multinational corporations to local municipalities to individual farms and businesses.
As a VAA Process Controls Engineer, you're more than just a piece of the puzzle. We believe in giving Mechanical Engineers the opportunity to succeed – to take ownership of complex projects and see them through – while continually developing their talents to their full potential. Along the way, you'll enjoy:
- Competitive compensation designed to attract and retain top talent, together with generous profit-sharing.
- Exceptional benefits, including comprehensive and flexible insurance benefits, industry-leading HSA contributions, paid parental leave, a robust employee assistance program… even pet insurance.
- Support for life/work balance: flexible schedule options, onsite wellness resources and fun opportunities for friendly competition.
- Ongoing professional development, including mentoring, online learning and tuition reimbursement.
- An award-winning workplace, recognized by USA Today as a national 2024 Top Workplace USA, by the Star Tribune as one of Minnesota's Top 200 Workplaces (2022/2023/2024) and by Gallagher as a Best-In-Class Employer (2022).
A culture of community
It’s not all calcs and CAD around here. Join your peers for a chili cookoff or homebrew tasting… get an opportunity to dunk the CEO during our annual Community Caring Campaign. Take advantage of charitable PTO to volunteer for organizations you're passionate about. At VAA, we're committed to building community from within and making a difference in the communities where we live and work.
Your career. Your talents. Your network.
Apply today!
An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer
VAA is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, national origin, familial status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, public assistance status or any other status protected by applicable law.
