Senior Electrical & Instrumentation (E&I) Engineer

Our client is a globally celebrated, premier multinational enterprise and market leader in specialized industrial chemical products. Operating advanced, highly automated continuous processing facilities across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, their Malaysian manufacturing operations serve as a vital production engine for regional and global export markets. To ensure peak electrical reliability, automation efficiency, and infrastructure expansion at their flagship manufacturing plant, they are seeking a hands-on, highly competent Senior Electrical & Instrumentation (E&I) Engineer.

The Senior Electrical & Instrumentation (E&I) Engineer serves as the technical authority and operational anchor for all electrical, instrumentation, automation, and control systems across the processing facility. Reporting directly to the Head of Engineering, this role is responsible for driving plant availability, equipment OEE, energy optimization, and continuous improvement while directly supervising a dedicated technical team of 5 personnel (1 Electrical Coordinator and 4 Electricians). This is a high-visibility, hands-on leadership role bridging daily preventive/corrective maintenance with capital projects (CAPEX) and plant digitalization.

1. Team Leadership & Technical Supervision (~5 Technical Staff)

• Workforce Direction: Lead, coach, and supervise the E&I maintenance team (1 Electrical Coordinator and 4 Electricians), driving safe work practices, technical capability building, and effective manpower utilization.
  

• Contractor Governance: Manage third-party electrical contractors, automation vendors, and specialized service providers to guarantee work quality, adherence to site safety, and timely delivery within budget.
  

2. Asset Reliability, Maintenance & Hands-On Troubleshooting

• System Availability: Ensure maximum uptime and reliability of plant electrical distribution networks, instrumentation, PLCs, SCADA, and process control loops through structured preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programs.
  

• Root Cause Analysis (RCA): Personally lead hands-on troubleshooting and structured RCA investigations for complex electrical breakdowns, PLC logic faults, or instrument failures to eliminate repeat downtime.
  

• SOP & Strategy Development: Formulate, refine, and enforce E&I maintenance SOPs, calibration routines, and preventive maintenance (PM) schedules.
  

3. Power Distribution, Automation & Digitalization

• Power Infrastructure Governance: Oversee high-reliability plant electrical infrastructure, including LV/MV switchgears, transformers, Motor Control Centers (MCCs), Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs), soft starters, emergency generators, and plant utility networks.
  

• Automation Upgrades: Maintain, program, and optimize plant automation systems (specifically Allen-Bradley and Mitsubishi PLCs, HMIs, SCADA platforms, and industrial networking protocols such as Modbus and EtherNet/IP).
  

• Instrumentation & Control: Direct the sizing, installation, calibration, and loop-tuning of field instruments, control valves, actuators, positioners, and PID process control loops.
  

4. Project Execution, CAPEX & Budgetary Control

• CAPEX Delivery: Lead E&I capital expenditure (CAPEX) initiatives from initial conceptual layout and design reviews to equipment procurement, installation, Testing & Commissioning (T&C), and operational handover.
  

• Financial Management: Prepare and manage the annual E&I maintenance OPEX budget, cost-containment initiatives, and spare parts inventory for critical electrical and control components.
  

• Plant Shutdown Execution: Lead electrical engineering execution during scheduled plant turnarounds, debottlenecking projects, line modifications, and new equipment integration.
  

5. Statutory Compliance, Safety & Energy Optimization

• Regulatory Governance: Ensure complete compliance with Malaysian statutory electrical regulations, Energy Commission guidelines, corporate safety policies, Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), and Permit to Work (PTW) protocols.
  

• Sustainability & Energy Management: Identify and execute energy-efficiency, power quality, and sustainability projects to reduce plant energy consumption and carbon footprint.
  

• Documentation Maintenance: Maintain meticulous engineering records, Single Line Diagrams (SLDs), calibration logs, PLC code backups, and asset lifecycle histories.
  

Education & Technical Mastery

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering (Power / Instrumentation), Mechatronics, or a related discipline from a recognized university.
  

• Technical Proficiency: Deep working knowledge of LV/MV electrical power distribution systems, transformers, switchgears, VFDs, and motor control circuits.
  

• Automation & Instrumentation: Practical proficiency with PLC programming/troubleshooting (Allen-Bradley, Mitsubishi), SCADA/HMI interfaces, industrial networking (EtherNet/IP, Modbus), and field instrumentation calibration.
  

Experience & Attributes

• Professional Background: Minimum of 5 to 6 years of progressive E&I maintenance or process engineering experience within a chemical, polymer, oleochemical, petrochemical, or continuous process manufacturing environment.
  

• Hands-on Leadership: Demonstrated capability to lead, coach, and deploy technicians and electricians on the floor while maintaining a hands-on approach to complex technical diagnostics.
  

• Problem-Solving Skills: Structured analytical mindset with proven experience executing Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and failure mode mitigation.
  

• Operational Flexibility: Willingness to support emergency breakdowns, planned shutdowns, or project commissionings during extended hours or weekends when operational needs arise.