Automation Specialist III
Location: Carlsbad, NM
Duration: 6 months initially (with possibility of extension / becoming permanent)
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Automation Specialist III to support upstream onshore oil and gas producing operations in a highly technical automation environment.
Role Context
This position sits within an international oil and gas exploration and production environment, supporting automation, control systems, and field instrumentation across production facilities.
About the Role
The Automation Specialist III will play a key role in maintaining, troubleshooting, and improving automation and electrical equipment, helping to ensure reliable control system performance and operational continuity.
Key Responsibilities
- Install, program, calibrate, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair automation equipment
- Support upstream onshore oil and gas producing operations with on-site automation expertise
- Act as a technical resource for facility control systems and field instrumentation including level, pressure, flow, vibration, and other instruments
- Maintain PLC programming practices, standards, and MOC procedures
- Use engineering design documents to commission control systems, validate control loops, confirm control logic functionality, configure end devices, and test alarms
- Identify problem areas with instrumentation and control systems to determine improvement opportunities
- Troubleshoot control networks across well sites, well pads, tank batteries, saltwater disposal, and compressor stations
Required Experience & Qualifications
- Minimum 7 years of automation experience
- Minimum 5 years in oil and gas
- Strong expertise in well RTU design, programming, and troubleshooting
- Advanced knowledge of analog and discrete instrumentation and communication protocols (serial and Ethernet)
- Advanced PLC programming knowledge (Function Block, Ladder Logic, Structured Text)
- Experience with local HMI operator interfaces
- Proficiency in MS Office and Windows Operating Systems
Work Requirements
- Ability to work 12-hour shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays
- Participation in an on-call rotation
- Ability to travel to different locations as needed
- Ability to work under air (fit test required) and operate aerial manlift platforms
About Airswift
Airswift is an international workforce solutions provider within the energy, process, and infrastructure industries, delivering critical talent across complex projects worldwide.