Field Service Technician (Instrumentation) at Plains

Job Type:

Plains All American is an industry-leading transportation and midstream provider specializing in transportation, storage, processing and marketing solutions for crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGLs). We own an extensive network of pipeline transportation, terminalling, storage and gathering assets in key crude oil and NGL producing basins and transportation corridors and at major market hubs in the United States and Canada. On average, Plains handles more than 6 million barrels per day of crude oil and NGL in its Transportation segment. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

We are looking for highly-motivated individuals who enjoy working as part of a team in a dynamic and entrepreneurial work environment.

Plains is currently seeking an Electrical Engineer to join the Technical Services team, providing technical subject matter expertise to the operations and projects organizations. #plains

Job Responsibilities:

• Act as subject matter expert (SME) for industrial electrical equipment and installations including motors, motor control, variable frequency drives and power distribution equipment from 480 V to 6.9 kV.
• Provide technical expertise to maintenance and capital expansion projects:
  • Develop electrical engineering project scope.
  • Develop scope of supply and specifications for major electrical equipment. Issue RFQs, perform technical bid evaluations, review and approve vendor drawings, participate in FAT activities and work with vendors to ensure equipment supply meets project schedule requirements.
  • Review third party electrical engineering designs for correctness and compliance with regulations, corporate standards and project requirements.
  • Participate in project site walk-downs and validation and verification activities – FAT, SAT etc.
  • Develop commissioning and start-up plans, arrange vendor and contractor support and provide on-site assistance.
• Provide technical support to operations:
  • Assist with troubleshooting of electrical equipment problems in the field.
  • Provide telephone and on-site support for installation of emergency generators following utility outages and equipment failures.
  • Provide guidance on electrical equipment maintenance, remotely and on-site.
  • Advise on and assist with equipment upgrades, obsolete equipment migration and replacement projects etc.
  • Review electrical system protection and coordination for existing facilities to minimize impact of utility power disturbances and equipment faults on operations.
• Develop and maintain electrical-related corporate initiatives:
  • Work with the Training department to develop training on electrical safety, IR inspections, mobile emergency generators and other initiatives for field personnel.
  • Deliver in-person training on electrical equipment troubleshooting and maintenance and on corporate initiatives to field personnel.
  • Participate in development of company electrical technical standards and specifications.
  • Evaluate and recommend new equipment and services providers.
  • Coordinate data gathering for company-wide arc flash study program by field personnel. Coordinate third parties performing arc flash studies and perform in-house studies where needed.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering with 3 to 5 years’ relevant work experience.
• Knowledgeable in industry codes and standards (NFPA/NEC, IEEE, ANSI, NEMA, API).
• Experience with operating voltage ranges from 480V to 6.9kV.
• Ability to review and diagnose issues remotely using relay software and PI data.
• Experience with industry standard electrical analysis software packages (SKM-PTW preferred).
• Experience with configuring and troubleshooting protection relays (SEL, GE Multilin etc.).
• Experience with performing and evaluating power system studies such as short circuit, coordination, load flow, device evaluation, and arc flash studies.
• Candidate must also have strong written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate with teams and inter-department personnel to troubleshoot issues.
• Demonstrated examples of taking initiative, problem solving, and decision-making.
• Ability to work productively with limited supervision
• Ability to travel to field locations up to 20% of time. 
• Department members will have a heavy workload, with unplanned overtime and changes in work priorities, multiple projects with short turnaround time are common.
• Cleared criminal history (background) check and satisfactory reference checks
• Compliance with the company’s Drug & Alcohol Policy including pre-employment testing
• Valid state driver's license and driving record satisfactory to the company and its insurers 

At Plains, our employees are our most valuable asset. Hard work is rewarded with competitive compensation and a top-tier benefits program designed to keep our employees safe, healthy and happy. We work hard to deliver the best results to our stakeholders and we also respect our employees need for personal and family time, which is reflected in our benefits program.

Salary details estimated by job boards such as Indeed, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn do not represent Plains’ compensation structure. We thank all candidates for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. 

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