An instrumentation engineer is someone who does the designing, monitoring, controlling and construction of various instruments used in industrial functions. This person is typically responsible for system efficiency as measured by the instruments they build or design. Instrumentation engineers are often in the leadership role and may assign jobs to drafters and other engineers on a lower level.
This type of job is normally thought of as being at the senior level, requiring an engineering degree and specialization in the area which includes the use of CAD tools and, in all likelihood, design of graphs. At times, instrumentation engineers will be required to make cost estimates and present their plans to their company or directly to interested clients.
Because the use of an instrumentation engineer is somewhat need-based, the work may follow an irregular schedule, which may include some weekends. Beyond the irregular schedule, a person in this position must have excellent computer skills, be rational and logical, be able to easily communicate his or her ideas and plans and have very good vision.
A person who works as an instrumentation engineer often needs to be able to work independently and use his or her own judgment. Instrumentation engineers will also need to keep abreast of current advances and uses of various types of instruments that their clients may need, as well as the types of materials that may make a process more efficient or less costly. The use and understanding of wiring diagrams is often required, along with the use of a wide variety of calculations, so anyone interested in an instrumentation engineer position should be particularly savvy with numbers.
Instrumentation Engineer Tasks
- Inspects design projects to ensure conformance with test requirements and specifications.
- Provide testability analysis and recommendation for project requirements.
- Supervises and trains project staff as needed.
- Develop test requirements, specifications and systems, validation plans, reports and test procedures.