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What does a senior instrumentation engineer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Galen Duree
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Senior instrumentation engineer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior instrumentation engineer resumes:

  • Lead support of PLC base control systems.
  • Manage and perform verification activities to insure device meet all safety and EMC requirements.
  • Project involve reprogramming PLC codes to capture abnormal and alarming situation causing excessive line downtime.
  • Perform system design/validation; ensure conformity to UL requirements.
  • Revise PCB design and manufacturing data to support water purification equipment.
  • Contact manufacturers of controllers, valves, and transmitters for latest development of components and mechanical equipment.
  • Prepare cost estimates and justification for additions and modifications to the refinery in support of business planning and financial analysis.
  • Create loop sheets and PLC/DCS I/O assignments.
  • Create specifications and test procedures for permanent magnet generators, rectifiers, power transformers and distribution panels.

Senior instrumentation engineer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 9% of Senior Instrumentation Engineers are proficient in Data Acquisition, PLC, and Capital Projects. They’re also known for soft skills such as Concentration, Initiative, and Math skills.

We break down the percentage of Senior Instrumentation Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Data Acquisition, 9%

    Represent the Instrumentation Data Acquisition & Processing Division by attending planning meetings, design reviews, and airworthiness committee meetings.

  • PLC, 8%

    Experienced of Siemens AC/DC drives, Siemens PLC, Diesel Generator and Electrical Crane.

  • Capital Projects, 6%

    Led electrical and instrumentation installation portions of capital projects.

  • CAD, 5%

    Supervised and mentored junior engineers and CAD operators.

  • Technical Support, 5%

    Provided technical support for group's Engineers, technicians and I&C maintenance personnel.

  • Engineering Design, 5%

    Performed primary instrument engineering design for large capital facility projects for petroleum storage and pipeline facilities.

"data acquisition," "plc," and "capital projects" are among the most common skills that senior instrumentation engineers use at work. You can find even more senior instrumentation engineer responsibilities below, including:

Concentration. One of the key soft skills for a senior instrumentation engineer to have is concentration. You can see how this relates to what senior instrumentation engineers do because "electrical and electronics engineers design and develop complex electrical systems and electronic components and products." Additionally, a senior instrumentation engineer resume shows how senior instrumentation engineers use concentration: "designed system monitor systems using abb plc's and including data concentration and climatecontrols. "

Initiative. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling senior instrumentation engineer duties is initiative. The role rewards competence in this skill because "electrical and electronics engineers must apply their knowledge to new tasks in every project they undertake." According to a senior instrumentation engineer resume, here's how senior instrumentation engineers can utilize initiative in their job responsibilities: "presented preliminary and critical design reviews to executives and nasa providing procedural review for the creation of performance improvement initiatives. "

Math skills. This is an important skill for senior instrumentation engineers to perform their duties. For an example of how senior instrumentation engineer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "electrical and electronics engineers must use the principles of calculus and other advanced math in order to analyze, design, and troubleshoot equipment." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a senior instrumentation engineer: "performed battery runtime measurements and used mathcad and excel to analyze and plot the data. ".

Speaking skills. For certain senior instrumentation engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "speaking skills." The day-to-day duties of a senior instrumentation engineer rely on this skill, as "electrical and electronics engineers work closely with other engineers and technicians." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what senior instrumentation engineers do: "presented preliminary and critical design reviews of product. "

Writing skills. Another crucial skill for a senior instrumentation engineer to carry out their responsibilities is "writing skills." A big part of what senior instrumentation engineers relies on this skill, since "electrical and electronics engineers develop technical publications related to equipment they develop, including maintenance manuals, operation manuals, parts lists, product proposals, and design methods documents." How this skill relates to senior instrumentation engineer duties can be seen in an example from a senior instrumentation engineer resume snippet: "performed engineering design changes through a regulated structured process compliant with the fda which involved a high level of technical writing. "

See the full list of senior instrumentation engineer skills

Choose from 10+ customizable senior instrumentation engineer resume templates

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Senior Instrumentation Engineer Resume
Senior Instrumentation Engineer Resume
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Senior Instrumentation Engineer Resume
Senior Instrumentation Engineer Resume
Senior Instrumentation Engineer Resume
Senior Instrumentation Engineer Resume
Senior Instrumentation Engineer Resume
Senior Instrumentation Engineer Resume
Senior Instrumentation Engineer Resume
Senior Instrumentation Engineer Resume
Senior Instrumentation Engineer Resume
Senior Instrumentation Engineer Resume
Senior Instrumentation Engineer Resume
Senior Instrumentation Engineer Resume
Senior Instrumentation Engineer Resume

Compare different senior instrumentation engineers

Senior instrumentation engineer vs. Electrical designer

An electrical designer designs and develops electrical circuit and system layouts for electric power distribution. The responsibilities of an electrical designer include assembling electrical panels and leading a team of document control personnel in-charged to identify and organize facility maintenance drawings. The position requires good initiative, writing, speaking, and mathematical skills to accomplish such responsibilities. The job's education requirements include possessing a college degree in electrical engineering, design, or a related field.

We looked at the average senior instrumentation engineer salary and compared it with the wages of an electrical designer. Generally speaking, electrical designers are paid $26,371 lower than senior instrumentation engineers per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between senior instrumentation engineers and electrical designers are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like plc, engineering design, and dcs.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a senior instrumentation engineer are more likely to require skills like "data acquisition," "capital projects," "cad," and "technical support." On the other hand, a job as an electrical designer requires skills like "revit," "electrical design," "autocad electrical," and "ul." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Electrical designers really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $72,768. Comparatively, senior instrumentation engineers tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $98,644.On average, electrical designers reach similar levels of education than senior instrumentation engineers. Electrical designers are 4.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Senior instrumentation 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.

Engineer positions earn higher pay than senior instrumentation engineer roles. They earn a $776 higher salary than senior instrumentation engineers per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Senior instrumentation engineers and engineers both require similar skills like "plc," "cad," and "technical support" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, senior instrumentation engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "data acquisition," "capital projects," "engineering design," and "control valves." 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 earn a higher average salary than senior instrumentation engineers. But engineers earn the highest pay in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $97,672. Additionally, senior instrumentation engineers earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $98,644 annually.In general, engineers achieve similar levels of education than senior instrumentation engineers. They're 3.6% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior instrumentation engineers in the next 3-5 years?

Dr. Galen Duree

Head of the Department of Physics and Optical Engineering and Professor, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

People with knowledge, even introductory experience, in quantum effects, quantum computing, optics in general (communication, measurements, imaging, illumination, detection), material science and engineering, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, will be in high demand.

Senior instrumentation engineer vs. Electrical engineer internship

The electrical engineer internship offers tasks to undergraduate engineering students related to electrical systems analysis and branch circuiting, site investigations, lighting calculations, and design drawings by complementing theoretical knowledge with practical duties on the job to gain experience and increase marketability. Through the internship, the undergraduate engineering students may develop professional aptitude, strengthen their character, and may increase their confidence in their work as it prepares them for what to expect in their field.

On average, electrical engineer interns earn lower salaries than senior instrumentation engineers, with a $27,903 difference per year.senior instrumentation engineers and electrical engineer interns both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "data acquisition," "plc," and "cad," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, senior instrumentation engineers are more likely to have skills like "capital projects," "technical support," "engineering design," and "control valves." But a electrical engineer internship is more likely to have skills like "c++," "c #," "analog," and "revit."

Electrical engineer interns earn the highest salary when working in the hospitality industry, where they receive an average salary of $66,132. Comparatively, senior instrumentation engineers have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $98,644.Most electrical engineer interns achieve a similar degree level compared to senior instrumentation engineers. For example, they're 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Senior instrumentation engineer vs. Field engineer

A field engineer's role will vary on the industry or line of work involved. However, the primary responsibility will mostly revolve around handling equipment and machinery, ensuring that they function effectively and safely. It is also the task of a field engineer to oversee the workflow and workforce, giving directions and recommendations when necessary. Furthermore, a field engineer must develop strategies and plans to improve the site's efficiency, produce progress reports, and coordinate with other workers.

Field engineers tend to earn a lower pay than senior instrumentation engineers by an average of $19,427 per year.While both senior instrumentation engineers and field engineers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like data acquisition, plc, and cad, the two careers vary in some skills.While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "capital projects," "engineering design," "control valves," and "dcs" are skills that commonly show up on senior instrumentation engineer resumes. On the other hand, field engineers use skills like customer service, customer satisfaction, project management, and azure on their resumes.In general, field engineers earn the most working in the energy industry, with an average salary of $83,650. The highest-paying industry for a senior instrumentation engineer is the manufacturing industry.In general, field engineers hold similar degree levels compared to senior instrumentation engineers. Field engineers are 2.2% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of senior instrumentation engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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