Senior Instrumentation Engineer

Senior Instrumentation Engineer - Saudi Arabia

About Saudi Gold Refinery

Saudi Gold Refinery (SGR) is a Saudi mining and precious-metals company specialized in the refining of gold and precious metals, bullion production, and value-added precious-metal services. Operating within the Kingdom's mining value chain, SGR is aligned to the Vision 2030 mining pillar and to the regulatory framework set by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM) and applicable Saudi and international standards. We produce responsibly sourced, traceable, and certified bullion, operate to LBMA Good Delivery and ISO-aligned quality standards, and invest in the people, processes, and controls behind every bar we produce.

Role Overview

Saudi Gold Refinery (SGR) is seeking a Senior Instrumentation Engineer in Saudi Arabia to lead the reliability and compliance of process control systems across our gold refining and CIL plant operations. This role ensures the precision of measurement instruments critical to LBMA-grade bullion production and assay laboratory accuracy. The engineer will drive maintenance excellence and technical integrity in alignment with Saudi industrial standards and Vision 2030 mining objectives.

The Senior Instrumentation Engineer will report directly to the Engineering & Projects Manager and will play a key role in optimizing plant automation and safety instrumented systems. This position impacts operational continuity by minimizing downtime and ensuring strict adherence to metrology and HSE regulations.

Key Responsibilities

The following responsibilities define the core accountabilities for this position.

Instrumentation Maintenance Strategy

The role develops and executes comprehensive preventive and predictive maintenance plans for all field instruments, control valves, and analytical sensors to ensure high availability.

Control System Optimization

The engineer configures and troubleshoots DCS and PLC logic to maintain stable process parameters for acid digestion, electrolytic refining, and utility systems.

Metrology and Calibration

The position manages the annual calibration program for critical measurement devices, ensuring traceability to international standards and compliance with ISO 17025 requirements.

Project Commissioning

The engineer leads the installation, loop checking, and commissioning of instrumentation for capital projects, ensuring alignment with design specifications and safety standards.

Safety Instrumented Systems

The role verifies the functional integrity of emergency shutdown systems and participates in HAZOP studies to maintain required safety integrity levels.

Technical Troubleshooting

The engineer performs root cause analysis on complex instrument failures and implements corrective actions to prevent recurrence and improve reliability.

Contractor Supervision

The position supervises external contractors during maintenance shutdowns and project executions, ensuring compliance with SGR HSE and quality standards.

Spare Parts Management

The engineer manages the critical spare parts inventory for instrumentation, optimizing stock levels to balance cost efficiency with operational readiness.

Regulatory Compliance

The role ensures all instrumentation installations and practices adhere to SASO regulations, Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources guidelines, and internal policies.

Team Leadership

The engineer provides technical mentorship to junior engineers and technicians, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• The candidate holds a Bachelor's degree in Instrumentation, Electrical, or Control Systems Engineering from an accredited institution.
• The candidate possesses a minimum of 12 years of relevant experience in instrumentation engineering within heavy industry sectors.
• The candidate demonstrates expert knowledge of DCS, PLC, and SIS platforms from major vendors such as Siemens, Honeywell, or Yokogawa.
• The candidate has proven experience in managing calibration programs and maintaining metrology traceability in industrial settings.
• The candidate exhibits strong proficiency in interpreting P&IDs, loop diagrams, and instrumentation datasheets.
• The candidate understands hazardous area classifications and intrinsic safety requirements for chemical processing environments.
• The candidate shows ability to lead technical teams and manage contractor performance in a 24/7 operational context.
• The candidate communicates technical information effectively to cross-functional stakeholders including operations and HSE.

Preferred / Nice-to-have

• The candidate has prior experience in precious metals refining, hydrometallurgy, or mining processing plants.
• The candidate holds a Master's degree in Industrial Automation or Control Systems Engineering.
• The candidate possesses familiarity with Saudi Standards Organization (SASO) regulations for industrial instrumentation.
• The candidate has experience with IIoT technologies and predictive maintenance analytics platforms.
• The candidate holds ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP) or TÜV Functional Safety Engineer certification.

Success Metrics

• The engineer achieves a 95% completion rate for scheduled preventive maintenance activities within the first year.
• The role reduces instrumentation-related unplanned downtime by 15% against the previous year's baseline.
• The position ensures 100% compliance with calibration schedules for all instruments affecting product quality and accounting.
• The engineer successfully commissions instrumentation for assigned capital projects without recordable safety incidents.
• The role reduces mean time to repair (MTTR) for critical instrument failures by 10% through improved diagnostics.
• The engineer closes all action items from the annual safety instrumented system audit within the specified timeframe.
• The position maintains instrumentation spare parts inventory accuracy above 98% through regular audits.

Equal Opportunity Statement:

Saudi Gold Refinery welcomes applications from all qualified candidates. Hiring decisions are made based on role requirements, skills, experience, and alignment with Saudization and Vision 2030 priorities.