What does a process control engineer do?
In the manufacturing industry, a process control engineer specializes in planning and executing quality control processes in a company, ensuring that every equipment is working safely and efficiently. Their responsibilities revolve around monitoring and inspecting systems and machinery, coordinating with various department staff, devising strategies to improve processes, and recommending solutions for optimal services. A process control engineer may also respond to inquiries and concerns, resolving issues promptly. Furthermore, there are instances when a process control engineer must produce progress reports, presentations, and assessments.
Process control engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real process control engineer resumes:
- Design a PID controller to manage temperature and flow disturbances.
- Obtain referrals, track hospitalized patients, interface with manage care intermediaries/medical personnel.
- Design PLC base process control systems for hazardous locations waste gas destruction thermal oxidizers used in natural gas processing facilities.
- Create 3D model designs for new projects using solidworks.
- Validate process to ensure products meet GMP and GAMP standards.
- Participate in HAZOP and LOPA meetings to assure all relate comments are properly note.
- Provide software solutions to meet financial, environmental, safety, and FDA objectives.
- Provide purchasing analysis of trends, KPI's, and metrics to executive management.
- Develop operator graphics - HMI and control system modifications for process control and reporting systems.
- Experience with Allen-Bradley PLC-5, PLC-2, SLC-150, SLC-500, Siemens and Mitsubishi controllers.
- Advise programming team on code architecture and assist with J2EE and JAVA code logic design.
- Participate and sit on multiple committees that vary from continuous healthcare improvement to customer service.
- Program various equipment including VFD's (Allen-Bradley, Schneider, Siemens, etc .).
- Perform as-is, could-be, and should-be workflow mapping events and document results in Microsoft Visio.
- Perform thorough (FMEA) analysis of internal electrical failure modes in an effort to provide data for front-end process improvement.
Process control engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Process Control Engineers are proficient in PLC, HMI, and Control Systems. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Listening skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Process Control Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- PLC, 10%
Designed PLC based process control systems for hazardous locations waste gas destruction thermal oxidizers used in natural gas processing facilities.
- HMI, 7%
Developed HMI graphics, consolidating large amounts of information into intuitive displays.
- Control Systems, 5%
Specified, designed and implemented distributed process control systems for compounding and pellet extrusion, powder handling, and hydrogen/chlorine production.
- Troubleshoot, 5%
Conducted investigations and analyses to support engineering and to troubleshoot customer issues.
- Allen-Bradley, 4%
Program various equipment including VFD's (Allen-Bradley, Schneider, Siemens, etc.).
- DCS, 4%
Specified, designed, and developed integrated safety shutdown system & operator interface and successfully performed DCS factory acceptance tests.
"plc," "hmi," and "control systems" are among the most common skills that process control engineers use at work. You can find even more process control engineer responsibilities below, including:
Creativity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a process control engineer to have is creativity. Their role and responsibilities require that "industrial engineers use creativity and ingenuity to design new production processes in many kinds of settings in order to reduce the use of material resources, time, or labor while accomplishing the same goal." Process control engineers often use creativity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "designed and installed a plc-based process management system providing scada and full automation of plant operations and inventory control. "
Listening skills. Another essential skill to perform process control engineer duties is listening skills. Process control engineers responsibilities require that "these engineers often operate in teams, but they also must solicit feedback from customers, vendors, and production staff." Process control engineers also use listening skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "communicated to overall process community current health of line metrics and drove continuous improvement actions with individual process sectors. "
Math skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of process control engineers is math skills. This skill is critical to many everyday process control engineer duties, as "industrial engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "monitor critical sort statistics and plc controls via hmi and scada software. "
Speaking skills. For certain process control engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "speaking skills." The day-to-day duties of a process control engineer rely on this skill, as "industrial engineers sometimes have to explain their instructions to production staff or technicians before they can make written instructions available." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what process control engineers do: "developed and presented swiss and conventional cnc machinist training programs for existing employees and new hires. "
Writing skills. A commonly-found skill in process control engineer job descriptions, "writing skills" is essential to what process control engineers do. Process control engineer responsibilities rely on this skill because "industrial engineers must prepare documentation for other engineers or scientists, or for future reference." You can also see how process control engineer duties rely on writing skills in this resume example: "assisted in writing functional description of dcs system. "
Problem-solving skills. While "problem-solving skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to process control engineer responsibilities. Much of what a process control engineer does relies on this skill, seeing as "in designing facilities for manufacturing and processes for providing services, these engineers deal with several issues at once, from workers’ safety to quality assurance." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of process control engineers: "developed engineering solutions process to repeat failures and other problems that adversely affected plant operations. "
The three companies that hire the most process control engineers are:
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Compare different process control engineers
Process control engineer vs. Manufacturing engineer
Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for handling and developing an efficient manufacturing system or procedure that will help a company produce up to standard products while in adherence to the policies, regulations, and expected cost and schedule. Furthermore, Manufacturing Engineers must also monitor quality control, identify or detect errors, provide and suggest improvements, oversee the procurement of materials involved in the production, and coordinate with various teams or departments within the company to ensure the effectiveness of innovations or new developments.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between process control engineers and manufacturing engineer. For instance, process control engineer responsibilities require skills such as "hmi," "control systems," "allen-bradley," and "dcs." Whereas a manufacturing engineer is skilled in "cad," "solidworks," "process control," and "product design." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Manufacturing engineers really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $81,429. Comparatively, process control engineers tend to make the most money in the energy industry with an average salary of $94,626.manufacturing engineers tend to reach similar levels of education than process control engineers. In fact, manufacturing engineers are 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Process control engineer vs. Engineer
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, process control engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "hmi," "allen-bradley," "dcs," and "control strategies." Meanwhile, an engineer has duties that require skills in areas such as "python," "cloud," "c++," and "c #." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Engineers may earn a higher salary than process control engineers, but engineers earn the most pay in the automotive industry with an average salary of $97,672. On the other hand, process control engineers receive higher pay in the energy industry, where they earn an average salary of $94,626.In general, engineers achieve similar levels of education than process control engineers. They're 4.4% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Process control engineer vs. Quality engineer
A quality engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a process control engineer is likely to be skilled in "plc," "hmi," "control systems," and "troubleshoot," while a typical quality engineer is skilled in "quality standards," "quality system," "process control," and "supplier quality."
Quality engineers earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $84,890. Process control engineers earn the highest pay from the energy industry, with an average salary of $94,626.When it comes to education, quality engineers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to process control engineers. In fact, they're 4.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Process control engineer vs. Co-operations engineer
A Co-Operations Engineer ensures that operations-related activities are performed in compliance with company standards and regulations. They optimize the overall efficiency of business.
Types of process control engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
