SCADA, HMI & DCS Engineer Jobs
Build the supervisory systems, operator screens and distributed control systems that operators use to run plants and utilities.
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SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) and HMI engineers build the software layer operators look at: the screens, alarms, trends and historians that sit on top of PLCs and field devices. In large continuous processes -- chemicals, oil and gas, power, pharmaceuticals -- the same work is done on a distributed control system (DCS), where control and supervision come from one vendor platform.
The role is closer to software and networking than most controls work: tag databases, communication drivers, databases and reporting, and increasingly IT/OT networking and cybersecurity. Utilities, water and wastewater, energy and process industries are the biggest employers.
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SCADA, HMI & DCS Engineer Jobs: Common Questions
What does a SCADA engineer do?
A SCADA engineer builds and maintains the supervisory system that operators use to monitor and control a plant or utility: operator screens, alarms, trends, historians and the communication links to PLCs and field devices. On a DCS the same engineer also configures the control strategies themselves.
Are SCADA engineers in demand?
ControlsCompass lists 75 open SCADA, HMI & DCS Engineer jobs right now from 5 employers; 4 of those jobs are in the US. The most come from Siemens, ABB and Emerson. The count updates daily as new postings come in and closed ones drop off.
Which SCADA and DCS platforms are most in demand?
51% of open SCADA, HMI & DCS Engineer postings name a specific PLC, SCADA, DCS or robot brand. The most asked for: WinCC (21), Siemens S7 (14), TIA Portal (7) and Allen-Bradley (6). The rest ask for controls experience in general. See the most in-demand brands across all controls jobs on the brand demand page.
How much do SCADA engineers make?
Few open SCADA, HMI & DCS Engineer postings on ControlsCompass state pay right now (most are outside the US or from employers that don't publish ranges), so there isn't a reliable median yet. Pay varies with location, experience and shift or travel premiums; each job page shows the range when the employer states one.
Is SCADA difficult to learn?
SCADA is approachable if you already understand PLCs and industrial networks: building screens and tags is learnable in weeks, and platforms like Ignition offer free training. The harder parts are design judgment -- alarm management, network architecture, security and performance at scale -- which come with project experience.
Numbers are calculated from the open jobs on ControlsCompass and update daily.