Controls & Startup Engineer
Job Summary
Seven Seas Water Group
SSWG operates two businesses within the water infrastructure space. Seven Seas Water which provides water treatment and desalination for governmental hospitality and industrial customers in United States Latin America and the Caribbean and the AUC Group () which provides decentralized water and wastewater treatment plants for industrial and municipal customers in the United States.
EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization focused on active ownership strategies. With a Nordic heritage and a global mindset EQT has a track record of more than three decades of developing companies across multiple geographies sectors and strategies. EQT has investment strategies covering all phases of a business development from start-up to maturity. EQT has EUR 273 billion in total assets under management (EUR 141 billion in fee-generating assets under management) as of 30 June 2025 within two business segments Private Capital and Real Assets.
With its roots in the Wallenberg familys entrepreneurial mindset and philosophy of long-term ownership EQT is guided by a set of strong values and a distinct corporate culture. EQT manages and advises funds and vehicles that invest across the world with the mission to future-proof companies generate attractive returns and make a positive impact with everything EQT does.
The EQT AB Group comprises EQT AB (publ) and its direct and indirect subsidiaries which include general partners and fund managers of EQT funds as well as entities advising EQT funds. EQT has offices in more than 25 countries across Europe Asia and the Americas and has more than 1900 employees.
Seven Seas Water Group is a portfolio company of EQT AB (together with its subsidiaries EQT) a purpose-driven global investment organization that partners with companies worldwide through its Private Capital and Real Assets strategies. Founded in 1994 EQT is a leading active ownership firm that has more than EUR 273 billion in total assets under management across nearly 50 active funds. EQT is committed to investing behind essential infrastructure partnering with established platforms that deliver sustainable mission critical services aligned with global needs for resource efficiency.
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The Role:
This is a high-travel field engineering role expect up to 75% travel to project sites and operating plants in the United States the Caribbean and Latin America often for consecutive weeks at a time. The role is fully remote when not traveling; however candidates must reside in the Eastern or Central time zone and within reasonable proximity to a major airport to support site schedules and travel logistics.
The Controls & Startup Engineer is the hands-on automation lead in the field for the commissioning startup and ongoing support of Seven Seas Waters water treatment and desalination plants. This is not a troubleshoot-only position: the successful candidate writes modifies and commissions PLC and HMI code authoring new routines restructuring logic and building operator screens in addition to diagnosing and resolving electrical controls instrumentation and network issues on live plants.
The ideal candidate is a jack-of-all-trades field engineer: comfortable going online with a running PLC one hour and pulling wire diagrams landing terminations or configuring a managed switch the next. Experience in seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) or brackish water reverse osmosis (BWRO) desalination is a plus but not required.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:
PLC programming: Program modify commission and troubleshoot Allen-Bradley Logix PLC systems using Studio 5000 including authoring new routines Add-On Instructions and device logic not limited to online monitoring or forcing.
HMI/SCADA: Develop modify and commission FactoryTalk View SE/ME applications including displays alarms and tag structures; support Wonderware/AVEVA and other legacy HMI platforms encountered in the installed fleet.
Startup and commissioning: Lead the electrical and controls portions of plant startups: point-to-point I/O checkout loop checks instrument calibration verification motor bumps VFD configuration and tuning (Allen-Bradley PowerFlex Square D Altivar) interlock and permissive verification and functional testing through wet commissioning and performance testing.
Industrial networking: Configure and troubleshoot plant control networks EtherNet/IP Modbus TCP managed switches VLANs firewalls and remote-access/VPN connections supporting Seven Seas remote monitoring of plants.
Panel modifications: Perform and supervise field modifications to industrial control panels: adding I/O rewiring circuits replacing components and redlining schematics maintaining compliance with UL 508A practices and NFPA 70 (NEC).
Electrical maintenance: Safely maintain troubleshoot and repair plant electrical equipment (480 V and below) including MCCs VFDs motor circuits distribution panels and control power systems in accordance with NFPA 70E electrically safe work practices arc flash requirements and lockout/tagout procedures.
Troubleshooting: Diagnose electrical controls instrumentation and communication failures on operating plants on-site and remotely and implement corrective actions that prevent recurrence.
Documentation: Redline drawings in the field and return accurate as-built markups (schematics loop diagrams panel layouts network diagrams) to the engineering office; document work performed in service reports.
Remote support: Provide remote troubleshooting support to plant operations teams and participate in an informal on-call rotation for critical plant issues.
Operator training: Train plant operators and technicians on control system operation alarm response and safe equipment usage.
Contractor coordination: Work directly with electrical contractors OEM service technicians and customer personnel during installation and startup; coordinate and supervise contractor work scopes in the field.
Continuous improvement: Feed field lessons learned back to the engineering team including suggested design and standards improvements.
Other related duties may be assigned as required.
Required Qualifications:
Hands-on PLC programming: Demonstrated ability to write PLC programs from scratch candidates should be prepared to walk through programs they have personally authored including program structure I/O handling and sequence logic.
5 years of industrial controls experience in field service commissioning startup or plant support roles.
Experience with Allen-Bradley Logix platforms (Studio 5000 / RSLogix 5000) and FactoryTalk View or equivalent depth on Siemens/Schneider platforms with willingness to become the in-house Allen-Bradley expert.
Working knowledge of industrial networking: EtherNet/IP Modbus TCP IP addressing managed switches and secure remote access.
Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics P&IDs loop diagrams and panel layouts and to redline them accurately.
Experience safely working on energized and de-energized industrial electrical equipment (480 V and below) under NFPA 70E and lockout/tagout programs.
Strong instrumentation fundamentals: 420 mA loops transmitters control valves and analytical instruments.
Travel: Willing and able to travel up to 75% including international travel to the Caribbean and Latin America for consecutive weeks; valid U.S. passport (or ability to obtain one) and ability to qualify for corporate travel.
Location: Must reside in the U.S. Eastern or Central time zone within reasonable proximity to a major airport.
Self-directed and resourceful able to represent the company alone on a remote site make sound field decisions and know when to phone home.
Strong communication skills with operators contractors customers and engineers at all levels.
Preferred Qualifications:
Water or wastewater treatment experience; SWRO/BWRO desalination experience a strong plus.
Startup or field service background with an OEM systems integrator or startup-stage company comfort wearing multiple hats in lean fast-moving project environments.
VFD configuration and drive tuning experience (Allen-Bradley PowerFlex Square D Altivar).
UL 508A panel design or modification experience.
Supervisory experience coordinating electricians or electrical contractors in the field.
OSHA 30 NFPA 70E training or equivalent electrical safety certifications.
Spanish as a second language.
Education/Experience:
Bachelors or Associates degree in Electrical Engineering Controls/Automation or a related technical field preferred; equivalent technical training and directly related field experience will be considered.
5 years of directly related industrial controls and field experience required. Water industry experience preferred.
How to Apply
We recognize that our people are our strength and the diverse talents they bring to our global workforce are directly linked to our success. We are an equal opportunity employer and place a high value on diversity and inclusion at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute including race religion color national origin gender sexual orientation gender identity gender expression age marital or veteran status pregnancy or disability or any other basis protected under applicable accordance with applicable law we make reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees religious practices and beliefs as well as any mental health or physical disability needs.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veterans. Applicant will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.
Required Experience:
IC
About Company
We are the original provider of Water-as-a-ServiceĀ® projects, bringing water and wastewater treatment to communities and businesses without upfront capital.