Texas, United States of America
Job Family Group:
Discipline Engineering
Worker Type:
Regular
Posting Start Date:
October 28, 2026
Business Unit:
Downstream and Renewables
Experience Level:
Experienced Professionals
Job Description:
What’s the role
Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with a mission to power progress by providing more and cleaner energy solutions. At Shell Technology Center Houston (STCH), we focus on innovation, research, and technology development to deliver differentiated technology solutions that create competitive advantage for Shell today and for the future.
The Electrical & Automation Specialist will serve as the subject matter expert for electrical power systems, instrumentation, and control systems at Shell Technology Center Houston. This role provides technical support, troubleshooting leadership, reliability improvements, and field quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) for new and existing facilities while ensuring compliance with industry standards, Shell DEP's, and regulatory requirements.
The Electrical & Automation Specialist will work closely with maintenance, operations, I&E technicians, project engineering, contractors, and external vendors to maintain safe, reliable, and compliant operation of electrical and control system assets. The role will also provide technical oversight of engineering design packages, commissioning activities, SIS maintenance programs, and gas detection system lifecycle management.
What you’ll be doing
Technical Expertise & Troubleshooting
Lead advanced troubleshooting of LV and MV electrical systems including motors, switchgear, MCCs, VFDs, UPS systems, power transformers, and protective relays.
Provide technical support for instrumentation and control systems including process instruments, analyzers, PLC-based systems, networked control devices, and associated field equipment.
Support troubleshooting and performance improvement of Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) and fixed gas detection systems.
Perform root cause analysis (RCA) for electrical, instrumentation, and control system failures; develop corrective and preventive actions.
Provide SME support for electrical safety issues, arc-flash studies, protection coordination, and control system reliability concerns.
Mentor technicians and contractors in troubleshooting methods, maintenance best practices, and safe work practices.
Reliability & Maintenance
Develop and optimize preventive and predictive maintenance strategies for electrical, instrumentation, SIS, and gas detection assets.
Manage and track SIS proof testing, inspection schedules, corrective actions, and documentation to ensure lifecycle compliance.
Manage and track maintenance, calibration, testing, and reliability activities for fixed gas detection systems.
Support condition monitoring programs including infrared thermography, motor testing, insulation resistance testing, instrument diagnostics, and system health monitoring.
Review maintenance, testing, proof-test, and inspection reports to identify reliability risks and improvement opportunities.
Support development of reliability improvement plans and maintenance strategies for critical electrical and control system assets.
Projects, QA/QC & Engineering Support
Serve as the field QA/QC representative for electrical, instrumentation, and control system scope during project execution.
Review engineering design packages, electrical drawings, control narratives, loop diagrams, SIS documentation, P&IDs, vendor documentation, and technical specifications for compliance with facility requirements and applicable standards.
Provide electrical and instrumentation engineering input for capital and expense projects from design through commissioning and startup.
Participate in factory acceptance tests (FAT), site acceptance tests (SAT), commissioning activities, and system turnover processes.
Lead or support project commissioning, functional testing, acceptance testing, and…