Electrical and Instrumentation Engineer

Specialized equipment is used in the oil and gas industry to reduce workloads or to do things that humans can’t, like monitoring temperature and pressure to an extremely precise degree. Electrical and Instrumentation Engineers research, design, develop, test and supervise the manufacturing and installation of these controls, components and systems.

What a typical day looks like:

Electrical and Instrumentation Engineers might work in an office, a laboratory, on a production facility floor or all three. Regardless of the location, they combine the principles of automated systems with precise measurements to design and construct better instruments, valves and controls.

An Electrical and Instrumentation Engineer’s main objective is to make the automated systems and processes used in oil and gas facilities and operations efficient, safe and easy to use. They apply hours of research on current and emerging technologies, and then work closely with engineers and clients to design and develop electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products and systems that will improve operations. They use cutting-edge software programs to develop prototypes for testing. Once tests are passed, they develop a formal technical document to be approved by a company manager.

The kinds of problems Electrical and Instrumentation Engineers solve at work:

Each day, Electrical and Instrumentation Engineers are tasked with finding ways to make systems, instruments or products better. They see an update to be made and are involved with developing the solution from design to prototype to testing. They often work with a team to identify problem areas and then draw schematics of solutions.

Skills used most on the job:

Electrical and Instrumentation Engineers need to have a strong understanding of engineering and technology, design, systems and electronics. Since they work closely with other teams and professionals, they also need excellent communication and listening skills. With more experience, they will also require quality control and operational analysis to help them make sound judgments about the best path forward.

Electrical and Instrumentation Engineers are the ones who make equipment more exact, more productive, and/or more efficient. They recalibrate the measurement, they improve efficiency and make systems and processes safer. In short, they make things better.