Job Detail

The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) AG is a joint venture company established with the purpose of planning, developing and building the TAP natural gas pipeline. TAP’s shareholding is comprised of BP (20%), SNAM (20%), SOCAR (20%), Fluxys (19%), Enagás (16%) and Axpo (5%).

The Automation and Control Specialist shall be the Operations Technical Authority responsible for the timely development and implementation of general Functional Safety, Plant Protection and Automation and Control strategies; ensuring that supporting processes and systems are established to manage and optimise production, reliability and availability.

Reporting directly to the Technical and Asset Integrity Manager, the Automation and Control Specialist is accountable for providing operations technical assurance for the pre-commissioning, commissioning and operation of all the Company’s Functional Safety, Plant Protection, Automation and Control systems required for the Pipeline Receiving Terminal, Compressor Stations, Block Valve Stations, Transmission Pipeline and Back up Control Room.

The Automation and Control Specialist shall be the focal point of the long-term service agreements for the Supervisory Control, Data Acquisition, and Communications systems and actively manage the contracts on behalf of the business.

The Automation and Control Specialist will support the in-country direct and contracted resources in addressing technical issues, improving performance, providing technical guidance and direction and lead failure investigations. The Automation and Control Specialist shall engage with external parties including shareholders, equipment & service providers, industry technical bodies, and engineering specialists as required to drive continuous improvement.

The Automation and Control Specialist shall ensure fitness of all Automation and Control systems to maintain design intent over the full life cycle to enable safe operations at all times contributing to the operational efficiency and effectiveness of the business including participation in the project hand over assurance processes

Responsibilities and Tasks

• Assuring that all Functional Safety, Plant Protection, Data Acquisition, Automation and Control activities during the pre-commissioning, commissioning and operations readiness phases through to steady state operations and beyond meet company requirements


• Develop, implement and manage the key quality and integrity processes required to ensure that the Functional Safety, Plant Protection, Data Acquisition, Automation and Control systems are maintained and operated safely and meet the company’s production availability and throughput targets.


• Develop the Company Safety Instrumented maintenance and testing strategy.


• Contribute to the identification of Safety Critical Elements, the definition of Performance Standards, the preparation of Written Schemes of Examination and Testing (WSoET) and Written Schemes of Verification (WSoV)


• Contribute to the hierarchy and taxonomy of Functional Safety, Plant Protection, Data Acquisition, Automation and Control equipment in the Maintenance Master Equipment List. Sign off maintenance strategies.


• Review project documentation including PFDs, P&IDs, operating Philosophy. ESD and Blowdown Philosophy, HAZIDs, HAZOPs, SIL Reports, Safety Requirements Specification, general equipment specifications, Cause and effects. Ensure full and adequate documentation is received prior to entering operations


• Oversee the development of Operations phase Safety Instrumented Function test procedures. Ensure that test procedures are validated, achievable and accurately reflected in site procedures and work instructions


• Participate in Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Site Acceptance Tests (SAT) as required


• Review the EPC Contractor’s site pre-commissioning, commissioning and testing procedures ensuring that they fulfil the Project’s quality and performance needs. In accordance with the project schedule, inspect, verify and witness Contractor and Vendor activities as necessary. Highlight any areas of concern


• Support the definition of annual and multi-year inspection, testing and maintenance plans for the Safety Instrumented. Automation and Control systems.


• Assure that all function testing, inspection and maintenance is carried out in a timely manner and in line with expected quality standards and outputs are accurately recorded in the company’s work management and integrity IT Systems.


• Audit the quality of contractor technical work


• Support the development and award of long term service agreements. Provisionally assume the role of Company Contract Owner and provide oversight to the country teams in the management of the contract


• Participate in HAZIDs, HAZOPs, SIL reviews, SIL Verification, operational risk assessments, safety case revisions and other studies as required. Carry out PTI and shutdown sensitivity reviews


• Work closely with asset O&M engineers, instrumentation and control technicians and control systems manufacturer to maximise equipment reliability and availability


• Work closely with the Corporate and Country Maintenance Teams to define Shutdown Scope to optimise functional testing and maintenance of production impacting safety and protective devices and minimise down time


• Technical reviewer and authoriser for safety critical deferrals for Functional Safety, Plant Protection, Data Acquisition, Automation and Control equipment


• Develop a set of Automation and Control KPIs to be incorporated in the Company Asset Integrity Scorecard to be provided monthly and annually to the Operations Leadership Team.


• Contribute to the asset warehousing, inventory, sparing, and logistics strategies.


• Technical reviewer and authoriser in management of change activities, ensuring that the equipment within technical remit is not compromised by physical, procedural or organisational changes.


• Support in country teams in technical matters, provide guidance, coaching and where required support the Company Competence Management System (TAP CMS)


• As focal point for Functional Safety; disseminates lessons learned, knowledge and best practice from industry sources. Keep up to date to industry developments, emerging new technologies and opportunities to improve equipment performance, initiate improvement programs


• Actively verify the quality of data acquisition and the interpretation of data relating to the automated plant control and protection equipment


• Lead, or provide technical support, for incident and failure investigation. Drive small internal or external teams to address and rectify technical issues


• Review and Sign off the scopes of work for specific Functional Safety, Plant Protection, Data Acquisition, Automation and Control activities to be conducted by specialists or external vendors as required. Prepare technical specifications and data sheets.


• Actively participate in the HSSE Risk Management Process including Risk Register Management


• Participate in peer assists, peer reviews. HSEQ reviews and value improvement activities


• Support other TAP technical authorities in their area of responsibility.


• NB: The listing of main responsibilities and tasks is not necessarily exhaustive and may be changed at management discretion to reflect the needs of TAP Pipeline Operations

Expert Know -how

Demonstrable understanding of expectation of contribution at Principal Engineer Level

Experience in the execution stage of a major green-field onshore/offshore hydrocarbon processing facility, gas transmission pipeline, turbo-compressor installation,

Knowledge of Ethernet networking and field bus systems

Automation and Control Systems Engineering

Functional Safety Systems including Emergency Shut Down, Fire and Gas Detection and High Integrity Pressure Protection Systems (HIPPS)

Fiscal Metering, Gas Quality and Measurement

Control and Automation

Cyber Security

Plant Simulation

Pipeline Operations

Language Skills

Minimum English B2 level – written and spoken (Common European Framework of Reference)

Native tongue (fluent-written and spoken)

To apply, please first open a candidate profile on our e-recruiting page and then use the online application form. Application sent by e-mail or in paper format cannot be considered.