Industrial Controls Computing Engineer (BE-ICS-CE-2021-57-LD)

At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter – fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern.

Introduction
Would you like to design and develop industrial control systems for one of the world’s most complex technical instruments? We use an original approach based on industrial standards and the latest technologies. Be a part of something bigger; CERN, take part.

We are looking for an engineer with a versatile set of technical IT skills applied to industrial control systems. You should feel comfortable in many domains, working from the command line, ad-hoc scripting, debugging the origins of a program crash as well as C/C++ and Java programming and databases. The ability to understand the behaviour of complex systems as a whole, being able to drill down to details, and quickly acquire and apply necessary knowledge to intervene on operational systems are key skills for this job.

You will join:

• The Beams Department (BE) in charge of the exploitation of the largest accelerator complex and its technical infrastructure.
• The Control Engineering Section within The Industrial Control Systems Group (ICS), whose activities include the engineering and support of control systems and automation technologies for the LHC and the high-energy physics experiments.

You will benefit from:

• The opportunity to broaden your knowledge and experience into new areas and discover a domain where excellence is the key driving factor.
• Specific training and support for professional development to foster your skills and develop your talents.

Functions
As a Computing Engineer in the Beams Department, Industrial Control Systems Group and the Control Engineering Section, you will be in charge, on one hand, of the design, development, commissioning and support of industrial control systems and, on the other, of the active technical support of SCADA applications for a diversity of industrial installations (e.g. HVAC, electrical distribution, gas, industrial machinery, etc.). You will also participate in the design and development of software tools required to accomplish the tasks needed for the mentioned control systems.

Your main tasks will include:

• Integrate a team of engineers in charge of the operational support service of a large number of SCADA applications and control technologies underneath.
• Design of control systems and development of the SCADA layer.
• Design, develop, and test software tools devoted to CI/CD processes, maintenance automation as well as aiming to facilitate the verification and testing phases of control systems.
• Perform the maintenance of control systems and specific software tools as well as provide support to external users. 
• Maintain and improve the documentation of systems developed by the group (including deployment guides and end user documentation) together with other members of the section.
• Participate in the support effort provided by the group (user support and incident response) for the SCADA application services, including the participation to on-call duties.
• Supervision of personnel developing and commissioning the control systems.

Master’s degree or equivalent relevant experience in the field of Computer Science, Industrial informatics or Automation engineering with a strong exposure to software engineering or a related field.

Experience

• Demonstrated experience in software engineering practices in large software projects (e.g. configuration management, user requirements capture, testing and validation, etc.).
• Experience in Object-oriented software design and development in C/C++ and Java.
• Practical experience with scripting languages (python, shell scripting, others).
• Hands-on experience in programming, system configuration, maintenance and troubleshooting operational software systems in large scale distributed systems.
• Experience with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. 
• Experience with modern software development life cycles, CI/CD processes and DevOps practices in production environments.
• Experience in database technology (MySQL, Oracle or similar).
• Experience in computing related to industrial process control would be an advantage.

Technical competencies

• Project management: organization and coordination with external stakeholders of medium/large software-based projects in the field of industrial controls.
• Configuration and implementation of industrial data-acquisition, monitoring and control systems: especially those using SCADA systems.
• Knowledge and application of software life-cycle tools and procedures: integration, build test tools, tracking, quality assurance.
• Development of application software: continuous search for further automation of methods and procedures.
• Re-use, refactoring, integration and porting of existing software: working effectively with legacy code through continuous improvement in the fields of quality assurance (e.g. verification and testing).

Behavioural competencies

• Managing Self: working well autonomously; taking on activities and tasks without prompting.
• Achieving Results: having a structured and organised approach towards work; being able to set priorities and plan tasks with results in mind. Delivering high quality work on time and fulfilling expectations.
• Demonstrating Flexibility: readily accepting new tasks or work/projects. Adapting quickly and resourcefully to shifting priorities and requirements.
• Learning and Sharing Knowledge: sharing knowledge and expertise freely and willingly with others; coaching others to ensure knowledge transfer.
• Communicating Effectively: providing others with timely information. Ensuring that information, procedures and decisions are appropriately documented.

Language skills

Spoken and written English: the ability to draw up technical specifications and to make oral presentations in English. Knowledge of French would be useful, or an undertaking to acquire it rapidly.

Eligibility and closing date
Diversity has been an integral part of CERN’s mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization. Employing a diverse workforce is central to our success. We welcome applications from all Member States and Associate Member States.

This vacancy will be filled as soon as possible, and applications should normally reach us no later than 12 midday 28 June 2021.

Employment conditions
Contract type: Limited duration contract (5 years). Subject to certain conditions, holders of limited-duration contracts may apply for an indefinite position.

These functions require:

• A valid driving licence is required.
• Work during nights, Sundays and official holidays, when required by the needs of the Organization.
• Stand-by duty, when required by the needs of the Organization.

Job grade: 6–7
Job reference: BE-ICS-CE-2021-57-LD
Benchmark Job Title: Computing Engineer