Automation SME Manager

Automation SME Manager

Job Description

Department: Engineering

Job Status: Full-Time

FLSA Status: Salary-Exempt

Reports To: Director of Engineering

Location: Houston, TX (Channelview Area)

Amount of Travel Required: Varies

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Positions Supervised: Automation SMEs

AIP Level: 5

POSITION SUMMARY: The Automation SME Manager leads and manages a multidisciplinary team of Subject Matter Experts supporting advanced power generation technologies, automation, digital infrastructure, telemetry, and power station electrical systems. This role provides technical leadership across multiple product lines and serves as the organization's center of expertise for complex system integration, technical problem solving, technology development, and engineering standardization. The position works across Product Engineering, Electrical, Controls, Mechanical, Project Engineering, Product Service, Remote Operations, and Field Operations to ensure specialist knowledge is effectively deployed throughout the full product lifecycle, and provides strategic direction for automation, connectivity, data acquisition, system integration, and advanced monitoring technologies to improve the reliability, scalability, and performance of the company's power generation portfolio.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: (The following duties and responsibilities are all essential job functions, as defined by the ADA, except for those that begin with the word "may")

- Provide leadership, direction, and technical oversight for a multidisciplinary SME team supporting power generation, automation, telemetry, digital infrastructure, power station generators, protection, and associated technologies.

- Establish and maintain SME ownership across critical technologies and systems, ensuring clearly defined technical authorities and appropriate specialist coverage across all product lines.

- Serve as the senior technical escalation point for complex engineering, integration, commissioning, and operational issues requiring multidisciplinary expertise.

- Provide technical leadership for gas turbine and power generation systems, including controls, automation, generator systems, protection, power management, instrumentation, and balance of plant interfaces.

- Lead the development and standardization of automation architectures, control philosophies, communication protocols, system interfaces, and integration requirements across power generation products.

- Provide technical direction for telemetry and digital infrastructure, including data acquisition, industrial networking, edge computing, communication architectures, remote connectivity, and integration with enterprise and cloud based platforms.

- Drive the development and implementation of advanced monitoring, analytics, and predictive technologies utilizing high resolution telemetry and operational data.

- Support the development and deployment of AI driven predictive analytics, condition monitoring, anomaly detection, and asset performance technologies.

- Provide technical oversight of power station generator systems, including excitation, synchronization, protection, monitoring, and integration with turbine controls and Power Management Systems (PMS).

- Lead complex Root Cause Analysis (RCA) activities and coordinate multidisciplinary technical resources to identify failure mechanisms and implement effective corrective and preventative actions.

- Establish engineering standards, technical specifications, design philosophies, best practices, and reusable architectures within SME areas of responsibility.

- Evaluate emerging technologies, platforms, vendors, and engineering solutions and provide recommendations for adoption across current and future product lines.

- Support new product development through concept development, design reviews, technical risk assessments, system architecture definition, testing, validation, and commissioning.

- Collaborate with Product Engineering, Electrical, Controls, Mechanical, Project Engineering, Product Service Engineering, Remote Operations, Manufacturing, and Field Operations to resolve complex technical challenges.

- Ensure lessons learned, field performance data, and operational feedback are incorporated into engineering standards and future product development.

- Develop, mentor, and grow SME capabilities within the organization while ensuring specialist technical knowledge is documented, standardized, and effectively transferred across engineering teams.

- Promote a culture of technical excellence, innovation, engineering ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement across the organization.

- Perform other related duties as assigned to assist with successful operations and business continuity.

Qualifications

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

- Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for sponsorship.

- Must be at least 18 years of age or older.

- Daily overtime required and in person, predictable attendance in Channelview, TX.

- Successfully passes all applicable general pre employment testing including but not limited to: background check, pre employment drug screening, pre employment fit tests, pre employment aptitude and/or competency assessment(s)..

- Valid U.S. Driver's License required. Most employment is contingent upon meeting company driving standards, including 3 year U.S. driving history and an acceptable Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) in accordance with Company policy.

- Proficiency in spoken English language.

- Ability to travel based on business needs.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE LEVEL

Required

- Ten or more years of progressive experience in power generation, automation, controls, electrical systems, digital infrastructure, product engineering, or related heavy industrial environments.

- Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams or subject matter experts across multiple engineering disciplines and specialized technologies.

- An equivalent combination of education, specialized training, and relevant professional experience will be considered in lieu of a formal degree.

Preferred

- Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Controls, Automation, Mechanical, or Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

- Working knowledge of power generation systems, including gas turbine packages (LM2500, LM6000, LM9000), reciprocating engines, generator systems (excitation/AVR, synchronization, protection, and PMS integration), and balance of plant technologies.

- Experience with industrial automation and turbine control platforms, including Woodward GAP/Micronet, GE Mark VIe/Proficy, Siemens S7, Allen Bradley ControlLogix/RSLogix, SEL protective relays, or equivalent technologies.

- Knowledge of instrumentation and data acquisition systems, including sensors, transducers, vibration monitoring, I/O architectures, signal conditioning, and high speed data acquisition.

- Experience with telemetry, industrial digital infrastructure, and communication protocols, including industrial Ethernet, edge computing, remote connectivity, historians, OT/cloud integration, Modbus TCP/RTU, OPC UA, Ethernet/IP, PROFINET, and DNP3.

- Experience utilizing operational and telemetric data for condition monitoring, diagnostics, predictive maintenance, and fleet reliability improvement, including familiarity with advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI based asset performance technologies.

- Experience supporting the full engineering lifecycle, including concept development, system architecture, detailed design, FAT, commissioning, field troubleshooting, sustaining engineering, and RCA.

- Knowledge of GE and other gas turbine related controls programs.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, COMPETENCIES, AND ABILITIES

- Attend, participate in, and successfully complete scheduled New Hire Safety training and annual recertification.

- Set team priorities, delegate effectively, and manage workload distribution to meet operational and project deadlines.

- Coach, mentor, and develop team members across varying experience levels.

- Manage cross functional communication, ensuring alignment between engineering, operations, and field service teams.

- Drive a culture of accountability, professionalism, and continuous improvement within the team.

- Interpret and technically review electrical, controls, instrumentation, network architecture, P&ID, and system integration drawings and documentation.

- Demonstrate strong technical leadership, communication, problem solving, and decision making skills with the ability to translate complex technical subjects for SMEs, engineering teams, operations, customers, and senior leadership.

- Remain knowledgeable of and compliant with Active Learner, Paycom, KPA, and other company mandated systems.

- Quickly learn and navigate company platforms.

- Efficiently use Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Employees are frequently required to walk, sit, climb, bend, reach, and squat or kneel. The employee works primarily indoors and will be sitting for prolonged periods at a desk while typing on a computer, whether in a home office, corporate office, client office, or jobsite. The employee must be able to access and navigate each department at the organization's facilities. When required to visit a wellsite, the work environment may include exposure to hazardous materials, operating conditions, audio levels up to 85 dB, inclement weather, and extreme temperatures (both hot and cold). Given these conditions, employees visiting a pad site are required to wear company mandated and company issued Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including fire retardant coveralls, safety hat, steel toe boots, safety glasses, ear protection, and impact gloves, and must strictly adhere to all safety policies and procedures. Employees must be able to independently lift 25 lbs.

Work hours may include or includes early morning, late evenings, and weekends, depending on business necessity.

AAP/EEO STATEMENT

The Company is committed to the cause of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants, thus abiding by all applicable state and federal laws. Our practices regarding employment, job promotion, compensation, training, and termination do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, sex, national origin, veteran's status, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. It is expected that all employees, both management and staff, will fully support these nondiscriminatory policies.

*All field and shop employees and potential employees performing or assuming roles that require exposure to industrial activities, including, but not limited to, roles in shop or field operations environments, must be able to effectively communicate and comprehend the English language. This provision does not purport to require employees to always speak only English in the workplace or otherwise prevent employees from speaking non English languages, provided that such employees are able to effectively communicate and comprehend English to satisfy the companys expectations and business objectives.

English comprehension is necessary to ensure employees:

- Understand all health and safety communications.

- Possess a sufficient level of relevant equipment knowledge.

- Comprehend verbal and written communications from the company and other employees.

- Comprehend all operational and safety procedures.

- Understand alerts and emergency notifications, including Responses to Alerts, Warnings and Emergencies.

- Understand the contents of announcements and/or radio communications.

- Are able to effectively and independently communicate with customers, supervisors, and colleagues.

- Are able to prevent workplace accidents and/or injuries through effective communication.

The company has reviewed this job description to ensure essential functions and duties have been included. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills, and abilities.

Last Revised: 08.2026