Senior or Lead Automation Engineer -Energy Chennai

Ramboll in India

With over 1,000 experts across five offices in India, Ramboll delivers innovative solutions across diverse markets including Buildings, Transport, Planning & Urban Design, Water, Environment & Health, and Energy. Founded in Denmark, Ramboll is a people-first organization committed to creating sustainable impact through collaboration and innovation.

Inviting bright minds

Do you want to push the boundaries of your profession and develop your excellence in an open, collaborative and empowering culture? We work to create a sustainable future and our inspiring projects and innovative solutions aim to set the standard among our peers. You will join a global company that has been growing successfully since its founding in 1945. Together, we lead and leave a positive impact on societies, companies and people around the world.

You will join our Automation and Communication department

As the SCADA or Automation Senior, you are part of an exceptional technical environment with passionate colleagues in Denmark and Chennai. The department is highly experienced and delivers engineering and consultancy services globally within the energy sector for projects around the world.

We are seeking a senior engineer to lead vendor-independent automation solutions across multiple industries—including low‑carbon and green industry projects such as carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) and Power‑to‑X (PtX)—covering the full lifecycle from concept to handover. The role spans Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Distributed Control System (DCS), Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), Operational Technology (OT) networking, and multi-system integration (Electrical, Fire and Gas, Telecom, Power Management) with hands-on exposure to major Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) platforms (e.g., Siemens, ABB, Emerson DeltaV, Yokogawa) while maintaining platform independence. Strong experience with data‑centric delivery using AVEVA Engineering is required

• Technical leadership and delivery
• Lead automation strategy, architecture, and design across all phases: early concept, feasibility, Pre‑Front‑End Engineering Design (Pre‑FEED), Front‑End Engineering Design (FEED), detailed FEED, detailed engineering, Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), integrated Factory Acceptance Test (iFAT), Site Acceptance Test (SAT).
• Produce key specifications and deliverables: User Requirements Specification (URS), Basis of Design (BOD), control philosophy, alarm philosophy aligned to International Society of Automation (ISA) 18.2 and Engineering Equipment and Materials Users Association (EEMUA) 191, Safety Requirements Specification (SRS) for Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS), Functional Design Specification (FDS), Software Design Specification (SDS), Cause and Effect (C&E) matrices, Input/Output (I/O) lists, instrument index, interface specifications, and test plans.
• Develop SCADA/DCS/PLC architectures, OT network topologies, and cybersecurity controls; define Operational Technology/Information Technology (OT/IT) demarcation and data flows.
• Guide technology selection with vendor‑agnostic trade‑off analyses; prepare Requests for Quotation (RFQs), conduct technical bid evaluations, and manage vendor clarifications and deviations.
• Oversee panel and hardware design, I/O allocation, wiring topologies, segregation and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), power and Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) sizing, and hazardous area compliance.

• Multi-system design, interfaces, and integration
• Fire and Gas System (FGS), Emergency Shutdown (ESD):  Fire and Gas mapping, detector layout, voting logic (e.g., one‑out‑of‑two [1oo2], two‑out‑of‑three [2oo3]), shutdown hierarchy, bypass/override management, proof‑testing, and integration with process control and safety systems.
• Electrical and power: integration of Motor Control Centers (MCCs), Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs), soft starters, generator controls, Automatic Transfer Switches (ATS), switchgear, Direct Current (DC) and UPS systems, Electrical Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (eSCADA).
• Power Management System (PMS) and Energy Management System (EMS): load shedding, load sharing, black start, islanding, synchronization, and power quality.
• Substation Automation System (SAS) and protection: Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) and relays, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61850 communications (Manufacturing Message Specification [MMS], Generic Object Oriented Substation Event [GOOSE], and Sampled Values [SV]).
• Smart relays and micro‑PLC devices: local logic, packaged equipment controls, and maintainable documentation.
• Telecom systems: Public Address and General Alarm (PAGA), Closed‑Circuit Television (CCTV), access control, time services via Network Time Protocol (NTP)/Precision Time Protocol (PTP) with Global Positioning System (GPS) clocks, radio (Ultra High Frequency [UHF]/Very High Frequency [VHF]), microwave, fiber, and enterprise voice (Private Automatic Branch Exchange [PABX]/Internet Protocol [IP] telephony); alignment with Network Management Systems (NMS) and Quality of Service (QoS).
• Interfaces and protocols: Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA), Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT), Modbus Transmission Control Protocol (Modbus TCP)/Modbus Remote Terminal Unit (Modbus RTU), EtherNet Industrial Protocol (EtherNet/IP), Process Field Network (PROFINET), Process Field Bus (PROFIBUS), Distributed Network Protocol 3 (DNP3), IEC 60870‑5‑104, IEC 61850.

• Architecture, redundancy, and safety integrity
• High‑availability platforms: controller/server redundancy (hot/warm standby), historian clustering, failover Human–Machine Interface (HMI) servers, redundant I/O and storage.
• Triple Modular Redundant (TMR) and high‑integrity systems: specify, engineer, and test TMR safety platforms and high‑availability DCS/PLC architectures; implement voting logic (e.g., 2oo3, 2oo4).
• Safety Integrity Level (SIL) engineering: lead SIL determination and verification, design Safety Instrumented Functions (SIFs), calculate Average Probability of Failure on Demand (PFDavg), specify proof‑test intervals, align with IEC 61511/IEC 61508.
• Network resilience: segmented Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), demilitarized zones (DMZs), firewalls, and redundancy using Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP), Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP), and High‑availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR).

• Functional safety and cybersecurity
• Apply IEC 61511/IEC 61508 across the safety lifecycle; lead Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP), Hazard Identification (HAZID), Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA), SIL determination/verification, and SRS development.
• Implement IEC 62443 cybersecurity controls; conduct risk assessments, zoning, compliance testing, including verification during FAT/iFAT/SAT.

• Data‑centric and digital delivery (AVEVA Engineering)
• Deliver projects using AVEVA Engineering for data‑centric execution: class libraries, tag governance, specifications, datasheets, and cross‑discipline registers (instruments, I/O, cables, equipment).
• Configure digital thread integrations between AVEVA Engineering, Computer‑Aided Design (CAD) and Computer‑Aided Engineering (CAE) tools (e.g., EPLAN, AutoCAD Electrical), historians (e.g., AVEVA/OSIsoft Plant Information [PI] System), and document control; drive quality through single‑source‑of‑truth.
• Establish model‑based standards, templates, and rules for automatic deliverable generation and change control.

• Client engagement and project management
• Define scope, schedule, budget, resource plans, and risk registers; manage change and ensure Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC).
• Lead design workshops, vendor meetings, and multi‑discipline coordination; mentor junior engineers; perform technical reviews.

Dedicated capabilities for FAT, iFAT, and SAT

• Strategy and planning
• Define verification strategy, acceptance criteria, and traceability from URS/BOD through FDS/SDS to test protocols, including process, safety (SIS/ESD/FGS/HIPPS), electrical/PMS/SAS, telecom, and cybersecurity controls.

• Environment preparation
• Build test environments with virtualized controllers and HMIs, simulators, hardware‑in‑the‑loop, and representative OT networks (VLANs, firewalls, NTP/PTP, RSTP/PRP/HSR).

• Execution
• Lead or witness FAT at vendor facilities, integrated FAT with third‑party packages, and SAT onsite, including:
• FGS/ESD/HIPPS: detector/logic testing, voting, trip propagation, bypass management, cause‑and‑effect validation, proof‑tests.
• Electrical/PMS/SAS: relay schemes, IEC 61850 MMS/GOOSE messaging, load shedding/restoration, synchronization/islanding/black start, MCC/VFD and breaker interlocks.
• Telecom: PAGA priorities, alarm routing, CCTV integration, time synchronization, network failover.
• Control systems: redundancy and failover (controllers/servers/I/O), sequence/batch verification (ISA‑88), alarm management (ISA 18.2), historian/reporting integrity, data quality.

• Safety, cybersecurity, and closure
• Execute proof testing for SIS/ESD/FGS; verify SIL targets; perform cybersecurity hardening checks (IEC 62443); manage non‑conformances and punch lists; produce test records, redlines, as‑built updates, and Operations and Maintenance (O&M) training materials; facilitate client sign‑off.

Green industries and decarbonization domain expertise

• Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS)
• Control and safety for amine‑based and alternative solvent absorbers/strippers, reboilers, solvent reclaiming, carbon dioxide (CO2) compression, dehydration, and pipeline or sequestration interfaces.
• Anti‑surge and performance control for compressors; leak detection and emergency shutdown integration; emissions monitoring and Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) considerations.

• Power‑to‑X (PtX) and hydrogen
• Control strategies for electrolyzers (Proton Exchange Membrane [PEM] and alkaline), Balance of Plant (BOP) systems (deionized water, hydrogen purification, nitrogen purge, cooling), storage and pressure control, and blending.
• Downstream synthesis controls and interlocks: green ammonia (NH3), methanol (MeOH), synthetic fuels including Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and e‑fuels; batch/sequence control (ISA‑88) where applicable.

• Renewable and efficient energy systems
• Integration with renewable generation and microgrids: wind, solar Photovoltaic (PV), Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), heat pumps, district heating/cooling, and waste‑heat recovery; coordination via PMS/EMS and SCADA.

• Safety and compliance for green projects
• Hydrogen and oxygen hazard management, hazardous area classification (e.g., explosive atmospheres [ATEX]), relevant National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and American Petroleum Institute (API) practices; SIL application to hydrogen/oxygen service.
• Sustainability and reporting awareness: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) inputs, greenhouse gas (GHG) data integration to historians/reporting.

Core deliverables by phase

• Early concept and feasibility
• Automation strategy and high‑level architecture spanning SCADA/DCS/PLC, safety (SIS/ESD/FGS/HIPPS), electrical/PMS/SAS, telecom; technology roadmap; brownfield migration assessment; Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimates; risk and opportunity register; decarbonization options screening (CCUS/PtX integration points).

• Pre‑FEED and FEED
• URS/BOD; control, alarm, Fire and Gas, and shutdown philosophies; CCUS/PtX process control concept and interlocks; C&E matrices; SRS for SIS; FDS/SDS; OT network architecture; cybersecurity concept (IEC 62443); I/O lists; interface specifications; Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operating Expenditure (OPEX) inputs; schedule inputs.

• Detailed FEED and detailed engineering
• Detailed hardware design, panel General Arrangement (GA) and wiring, loops and hook‑ups, cable block diagrams and schedules, instru