Control Systems Facility Engineer - Aerodynamics Laboratory (AL)

Your Challenge

Great Minds. One Goal. Canada's Success.

Help bring research to life and drive your career forward with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Canada's largest research and technology organization.

We are looking for a Control Systems Facility Engineer to support electrical systems, instrumentation and data acquisition systems, and controls and automation systems for our Uplands wind tunnel facilities. These facilities are the responsibility of the Uplands Facility Group within the Aerodynamics Laboratory (AL) of the Aerospace Research Centre. The Control Systems Facility Engineer would be someone who shares our core values of Integrity, Excellence, Respect and Creativity. 

You will be expected to use your expertise to design and perform technical work, as well as prepare technical reports, progress reports, work schedules, Gantt charts, operating procedures, maintenance schedules, technical presentations and drawings for internal and external clients. Some administrative work for procurement is to be expected. You will supervise a small team of instrumentation development technologists for the design, development, commissioning, maintenance, and troubleshooting of instrumentation, calibrations; and control systems. Your tasks will be done in a team-centric approach with the Facility Manager, the Uplands Facility Engineering Group, and the Operations Groups.

Key responsibilities:

• Evaluate and support the operation and maintenance of wind tunnel data acquisition, control, and safety interlock systems, while identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and reliability.
• Apply knowledge to design and troubleshoot the digital acquisition and control systems using National Instruments/Labview, PLCs (GE/Emerson, AB, Modicon), and AC/DC motor controllers and drives to control various aspects of wind tunnel operation.
• Develop Human-Machine Interface (HMI) systems to provide operators with intuitive control and monitoring interfaces for the wind tunnel facilities.
• Utilize analog and digital hardware components to interface with sensors, actuators, and other devices within wind tunnel systems.
• Lead facility upgrade projects by designing, developing, and implementing electrical systems, controls, automation solutions, and instrumentation.
• Analysis and design of feedback and feedforward systems containing resonances, significant time delays, noise corruption, rate limiting, dead zone, and hysteresis, among other challenges. Modeling and simulation of dynamic systems using Matlab Simulink and Labview control and simulation toolboxes. Data analysis including signal processing, and statistical analysis using Matlab.

This position is dynamic and offers exposure to a broad range of experimental wind tunnels and their unique capabilities, such as (but not limited to):

• Wind tunnels capable of providing subsonic, transonic and supersonic flows (up to Mach 4.25);
• Laser measurement systems;
• High accuracy motion control systems;
• Vision and image acquisition systems;
• Distributed and real-time data acquisition systems;
• High pressure hydraulic and pneumatic systems;
• High mass flow compressor plant with 8.4 MW (11,250 hp) synchronous motor, 10-stage compressor.

This is an exciting job opportunity if you want to demonstrate your leadership skills in combination with your technical expertise!

Screening Criteria

Applicants must demonstrate within the content of their application that they meet the following screening criteria in order to be given further consideration as candidates:

Education

M.Eng., M.Sc., M.A.Sc. in Electrical, Mechanical, Industrial or Process Engineering. 

A Bachelor’s Degree in a related field combined with relevant experience may also be considered.
 

For information on certificates and diplomas issued abroad, please see Degree equivalency

Experience

• Significant experience in design, implementation and maintenance of electrical systems (including high voltage and high current rectifiers), controls and automation systems, preferably in a research or industrial setting;
• Significant experience in system identification, modelling and simulation of hydraulically and electrically driven servo control systems, analog and digital electronics, SCADA systems, transducers and instrumentation, pneumatic instrumentation and safety related systems;
• Significant experience in the application of technical principles, technologies and best practices in maintenance, analysis and upgrades of instrumentation and advanced controls using at least two (2) of the following:
  • National Instruments PXI and cRIO hardware;
  • GE/Emerson, Modicon, AB PLCs;
  • LabVIEW (real-time, FPGA), Matlab/Simulink, Proficy, TIA, RS Logix, Proworx software;
  • EtherCAT, Profinet, Modbus, OPC UA industrial networking protocols.
• Significant experience in coordinating multiple parallel activities in a facility, laboratory or technical service including client interactions, scheduling of resources and equipment, facility operation, maintenance, training and oversight of laboratory users, purchasing and inventory control;
• Significant experience creating electrical diagrams, system diagrams and electrical wiring diagrams;
• Experience supervising a small team of technical staff. This includes their assignment of tasks, scheduling, optimizing workload distribution, providing guidance and evaluating performance; and working with multidisciplinary groups; and
• Experience with basic compressible flow analysis and compressible flow dynamics from subsonic through supersonic conditions is an asset.

Condition of Employment

 Reliability Status

Language Requirements

English

Information on language requirements and self-assessment tests

Assessment Criteria

Candidates will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

Technical Competencies

• Advanced knowledge of operation and maintenance of industrial equipment including, but not limited to, closed-loop and open-loop control systems, motion systems with multiple degrees of freedom, instrumentation and data acquisition, embedded and real-time systems, analogue and digital processing systems;
• Advance knowledge of instrumentation including, but not limited to A/D converters, strain gauges, load cells, thermocouples and electronic pressure scanning modules, including the required calibration standards and procedures for such measurements;
• Solid knowledge of LabVIEW; Siemens TIA and Programmable Logic Controllers; and advance knowledge of PID (Proportional Integral and Derivative) and Feedforward controls and operating principles with the ability to effectively perform troubleshooting;
• Basic knowledge of project management principles, including use of relevant Microsoft Office programs; and
• Solid knowledge of occupational Health & Safety regulations and legislation (including, but not limited to electrical codes, standards and safety regulations) required to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment, as well as safety techniques and methods used in industrial facilities.

Behavioural Competencies

Competency Profile(s)

For this position, the NRC will evaluate candidates using the following competency profiles: Research; Supervisor; Technology Extension

View all competency profiles

Compensation

This position is classified as a Research Council Officer (RCO), a group that is unique to the NRC. Candidates are remunerated based on their expertise, outcomes and impacts of their previous work experience relative to the requirements of the level. The salary scale for this group is vast, from $62,071 to $175,466 per annum, which permits for employees of all levels from new graduates to world renowned experts to be fairly compensated for their contributions.

NOTE: Please note that the full RO/RCO salary scale has five levels. Salary determination will be based on a review of the candidate’s expertise, outcomes and impacts of their previous work experience relative to the requirements of the level.  As such, the initial salary could be within another level of the RO/RCO salary scale (i.e. above or below the intended level for this position).

NRC employees enjoy a wide-range of competitive benefits including comprehensive health and dental plans, vacation, sick, and other leave entitlements, disability insurance and pension plans.

The NRC Advantage

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is the Government of Canada's largest research organization supporting industrial innovation, the advancement of knowledge and technology development. We collaborate with over 70 colleges, universities and hospitals annually, work with 800 companies on their projects, and provide advice or funding to over 8000 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) each year.

We bring together the brightest minds to deliver tangible impacts on the lives of Canadians and people around the world. And now, we want to partner with you.  Let your expertise and inspirations make an impact by joining the NRC.

At the NRC Employee wellness matters. We offer flexible work schedules as well as part-time work to help employees maintain work-life balance. We are one of the few federal organizations that close our offices during the December holiday season.  We offer professional learning and development opportunities such as conferences, workshops, and a suite of mentorship, award and recognition programs. Diversity enables creativity and innovation. Fostering a diverse, inclusive, welcoming and supportive workplace is important to us, and contributes to a more inclusive Canadian innovation system. We welcome all qualified applicants and encourage you to complete the employment equity self-declaration questions during the job application process. Please let us know of any accommodation measures required to help you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Please note that the information you provide will be treated confidentially. 

Help us solve problems for Canada. Grow your career with us today!

Notes

• Relocation assistance will be determined in accordance with the NRC's directives.
• ​A pre-qualified list may be established for similar positions for a one year period.
• The working conditions are those found in an industrial facility test environment with large compressors, control rooms, with the presence of hazardous materials and situations, including elevated sound levels, and varying temperatures. The applicant is expected to independently work in such environments in a safe manner. 
• A flexible schedule and overtime may be required. 
• Willingness to work shifts during special projects. 
• Willingness to travel, on occasion. 
• This position is being advertised internally and externally simultaneously, however first consideration will be given to internal NRC applicants.
  Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their cover letter how they meet the education and experience factors listed on the poster. Candidates must use the education/experience criteria as a header and then write one or two paragraphs demonstrating how they meet them by providing concrete examples. In addition, the candidate is encouraged to describe in detail when, where and how he/she gained the experience. Failure to provide an appropriate cover letter will result in the rejection of your application. Candidates will not be solicited for incomplete or possible missing information.
• Preference will be given to Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada. Please include citizenship information in your application.
• The incumbent must adhere to safe workplace practices at all times.
• We thank all those who apply, however only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.