Senior Ovation DCS Programmer / Control Systems Engineer

Job Description

Hazen and Sawyer is seeking an experienced Senior Ovation DCS Programmer / Control Systems Engineer to support the design, implementation, commissioning, and long-term support of Emerson Ovation Distributed Control Systems for water and wastewater treatment facilities. This role is a senior technical position responsible for hands‑on system programming, configuration, troubleshooting, and optimization, with direct involvement in plant operations, startup, and lifecycle support. The successful candidate will serve as a technical lead, supporting project delivery while mentoring junior staff and collaborating closely with operations, engineering, and project management teams.

This position can be based at any Hazen location; however, our preference is for it to be based in Virginia or the Washington, D.C. area.

Why Hazen and Sawyer:

• Founded in 1951 by the son of Allen Hazen (developer of the Hazen-Williams equation), we are an employee‑owned company with a singular focus on "all things water."


• Our work includes planning, design, and oversight of construction of environmental infrastructure – for water, wastewater, and stormwater management.


• We foster a work environment low on bureaucracy and high in creativity.


• We recruit talented professionals, provide them with challenging, interesting, and creative assignments, and furnish them with the tools they need to succeed.


• We currently have over 2,400 employees in 70+ offices throughout the United States, Latin America, Canada, and the UK.


• A flexible hybrid work schedule supports today's busy professionals.

Key Responsibilities:

Ovation DCS Engineering & Programming

• Configure, program, test, and commission Emerson Ovation DCS systems.


• Develop and maintain control logic, operator graphics, alarm configurations, and system databases.


• Perform system upgrades, migrations, and expansions on legacy and current Ovation platforms.


• Support control optimization, tuning, and modernization initiatives.

Water & Wastewater Process Integration

• Implement and support control strategies for treatment and conveyance processes including pumping, filtration, chemical feed, disinfection, sludge handling, and distribution systems.


• Troubleshoot process and control system issues and implement corrective actions.

Testing, Commissioning & Support

• Lead and support FAT, SAT, and on‑site commissioning activities.


• Provide operational troubleshooting and post‑startup support.


• Develop and maintain system documentation, including control narratives, I/O lists, and architecture diagrams.


• Support changing management and configuration control procedures.

Cybersecurity & Compliance

• Implement OT cybersecurity best practices consistent with ISA/IEC 62443 and utility standards.


• Support redundancy, backup, disaster recovery, and system resiliency planning.

Technical Leadership & Mentorship

• Serve as a technical lead on Ovation‑related projects.


• Mentor junior engineers and programmers.


• Coordinate with operations staff, project managers, vendors, and system integrators.

Work Setting:

• Hybrid Preferred (3 days in office; 2 days remote)

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Automation, Computer Science, or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.


• 10+ years of experience in control systems or automation.


• Demonstrated hands‑on experience with Emerson Ovation DCS systems.


• Experience supporting water or wastewater treatment facilities strongly preferred.


• Experience with FAT, SAT, and field commissioning.