Senior Instrument & Control Engineer

Job Title	Senior Instrument & Control Engineer	Work Schedule	Equal Rotation (4/4)
Department	Projects & Engineering	Work Location	HKN Hamrin Operations
Reports to	Engineering Manager	Start Date	TBC
Subordinates		Application Deadline	November 16, 2026
Employment Type	Consultant	Other details	NA
About Us: HKN Hamrin Ltd. is a privately held, independent oil and gas company operating in the Republic of Iraq. The Hamrin Block is comprised of 535 km2 and contains one producing field. The Hamrin field produces oil primarily from the Tertiary (Miocene) reservoirs — the Jeribe and Euphrates formations — with the Dhiban formation as a secondary reservoir. At HKN, our strength lies in our highly experienced, diverse team, whose professionals bring insights from working across 80+ countries. We are committed to building a culture deeply rooted in our Core Values, which include Integrity, Respect, Commitment, Excellence, and Teamwork.

Position Summary:

The Senior Instrument & Control Engineer provides technical assurance for the instrumentation, control, and safety systems of HKN Syria’s brownfield, sour hydrocarbon operating assets, leading the generation of safety-related recommendations that align with the company’s risk acceptance criteria and enhance business value.

The role supports the design of facilities from an instrumentation and control perspective – including specification and optimisation of field instrumentation, control valves, analysers, fire and gas detection, DCS / PLC / SCADA systems, and safety instrumented systems (ESD / SIS), as well as the definition of design criteria and bulk material requirements for sour (H2S-containing) service.

A strategic thinker, the Senior Instrument & Control Engineer is responsible for aligning operations, engineering, maintenance, and project objectives with HKN’s business needs, working across disciplines to deliver safe, compliant, and value-adding instrumentation and control solutions in a demanding field environment.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

Design and Engineering

• Establish the requirements for design deliverables relating to instrumentation and control equipment, and develop I&C specifications and design basis documentation, including cause & effect diagrams, instrument datasheets, loop diagrams, and control philosophies.
• Ensure compliance with relevant industry codes, standards, and safety regulations (e.g. IEC 61508 / 61511, ISA, API RP 14C, API 670, IEC 60079), including instrument materials selection for sour service (NACE / ISO 15156).
• Review design deliverables and follow up on comments, ensuring they are incorporated in accordance with the appropriate design standards and codes.
• Specify, size, and review control valves, relief and shutdown valve actuation, flow, level, pressure, and temperature instrumentation, analysers, and metering systems (including fiscal / allocation metering where applicable).
• Design, layout, and specify DCS, PLC, RTU, and SCADA systems, including control system architecture, communications, and integration with third-party packages and telecoms.
• Contribute to the Management of Change (MoC) process through engineering reviews and variation order proposals relating to instrumentation and control systems.
• Participate in peer assists, peer reviews, value-improving process workshops, and end-of-stage Technical Assurance System reviews as required.
• Ensure the timely delivery of Engineering and Maintenance Team deliverables.

Project Management

• Ensure project standards and functional specifications for instrumentation and control equipment are suitable, subjecting any exceptions or deviations from company / corporate standards to formal risk assessment and dispensation.
• Contribute to project risk workshops and follow up on engineering-related risk response actions.
• Monitor progress of I&C equipment and design deliverables, and propose corrective actions in the event of potential schedule overrun.
• Participate in the procurement process (ITT / requisition packages), evaluating technical submissions and producing the final Technical Bid Evaluation report.
• Review and approve key design deliverables issued by EPC contractors and control system vendors.
• Ensure instrumentation and control engineering, installation, loop checking, and commissioning are carried out safely and in compliance with the scope of work, approved standards, and project specifications.
• Manage project timelines, budgets, and resources, and prepare and present technical and progress reports to support management decision-making.

Technical Leadership

• Act as technical authority for the safety instrumented systems lifecycle, including SIL determination and verification, proof testing strategy, and management of bypasses, overrides, and inhibits.
• Provide technical support to Operations and Maintenance on control system performance, alarm management, instrument reliability, and troubleshooting of operational faults, developing practical and sustainable solutions.
• Provide active input to the Permit-to-Work system and to isolation, bypass, and loop-override programmes when requested by Operations.
• Liaise with Operations to develop the Operations Assurance Plan, including plans for readiness, handover, and commissioning, and act as Approver of the same.
• Assist with the development of operating, maintenance, and training manuals for I&C equipment, ensuring quality and timely delivery.
• Participate in and author incident reports on plant-wide control or safety system issues as required.
• Provide direction and encourage a continuous professional development programme for instrumentation and control engineering trainees.

HSE / Safety

• Participate in HAZIDs, HAZOPs, LOPA / SIL workshops, and other HSSE-related reviews.
• Demonstrate visible leadership and commitment to excellent HSSE performance in support of the Engineering, Maintenance, and Project Managers’ accountabilities.
• Ensure fire and gas detection, H2S detection, and emergency shutdown systems are designed, maintained, and tested to meet the safety requirements of sour service operations.
• Ensure hazardous area compliance of instrumentation and control equipment, and support control system cyber security measures (e.g. IEC 62443).
• Provide active input to the Permit-to-Work system when requested by Operations and discipline technical personnel.

Quality Assurance

• Undertake inspections of equipment at various manufacturing stages, including attending Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) and Site Acceptance Tests (SAT) as the client representative.
• Establish the process for applying criticality ratings to procured items relative to the degree of inspection required.
• Review loop check, functional test, and calibration records, and SIS validation packages for compliance with project specifications and applicable codes.
• Assist with third-party design verification and carry out design audits on in-house deliverables and contractor submissions.
• Implement and monitor best practices for design and engineering processes.

Innovation and Improvement

• Stay current with industry trends, technologies, and advancements.
• Identify and implement improvements to design processes and methodologies, including automation, remote monitoring, and instrument reliability optimisation.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Degree or equivalent in Instrumentation & Control, Electronics, or Automation Engineering; a Master’s degree, professional membership / accreditation (e.g. IET, ISA), or functional safety certification (e.g. TÜV / CFSE) is an advantage.
• Minimum 15 years of instrumentation and control engineering experience in the upstream oil and gas industry or similar heavy industry.
• No less than 5 years in a Lead I&C Engineer role covering DCS / PLC / SCADA and safety instrumented systems in onshore oil and gas facilities.
• Strong working knowledge of IEC 61508 / 61511, ISA, API RP 14C, IEC 60079, and NACE / ISO 15156, with demonstrated experience in SIL determination and verification.
• Proficiency with control system and instrument engineering software (e.g. DCS / PLC configuration tools, SIL verification and instrument database tools), including model setup and interpretation of results.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience implementing I&C designs in the field, with strong interpersonal skills for interfacing with field technicians to develop pragmatic solutions during project execution.
• Experience troubleshooting operational faults and working with field personnel to develop and implement practical solutions.
• Brownfield experience working within operational facilities is essential; sour service (H2S) experience and previous project experience in the Middle East are strongly preferred.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to travel to site as required, with an acceptable level of mobility and fitness to carry essential safety equipment (e.g. escape sets).
• Demonstrated commitment to HSSE standards and safe working practices in field environments.