Technical Laboratory Positions

The Department of Control & Instrumentation Engineering at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) invites applications for laboratory technical positions in the following specializations:

1. Process Control
2. Instrumentation & Measurement
3. Mechatronics
4. Industrial Automation

Successful candidates will support teaching and research by preparing experiments, maintaining laboratory equipment, troubleshooting technical problems, and helping faculty and students use laboratory facilities safely and effectively.

General qualifications: (applicable to all positions)

• Bachelor’s degree or technical diploma in a relevant discipline, as specified for each position.
• Minimum of two years of relevant experience working in a scientific research laboratory.
• Practical experience operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting equipment relevant to the selected specialization.
• Ability to read technical manuals, engineering drawings, and relevant circuit diagrams.
• Certified training in laboratory or occupational health and safety relevant to the position.
• Strong problem-solving, organizational, communication, and teamwork skills.
• Ability to prepare technical records and reports and use Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to communicate technical instructions clearly in English.

Common responsibilities:

• Prepare, assemble, and test laboratory setups before teaching sessions and research activities.
• Assist faculty and students during approved experiments and equipment demonstrations.
• Perform routine inspections, preventive maintenance, and equipment performance checks.
• Diagnose faults, complete repairs within authorized competence, and coordinate specialist servicing when required.
• Maintain equipment inventories, maintenance records, calibration schedules, and supplies.
• Support the preparation and revision of laboratory manuals and standard operating procedures.
• Record experimental measurements and assist with data processing and technical reporting.
• Support risk assessments, explain safe operating procedures, and report hazards or incidents.
• Apply approved equipment isolation procedures before maintenance and maintain clean, organized work areas.

Laboratory Technician — Process Control

Role purpose

Support experiments involving the measurement and control of process variables, including temperature, pressure, flow, and liquid level.

Relevant qualifications

Bachelor’s degree or technical diploma in Control & Instrumentation Engineering, Instrumentation Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering with relevant control experience, or a closely related discipline.

Required technical skills

• Practical understanding of feedback control and proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controllers.
• Experience with process-control trainers, sensors, transmitters, pumps, and control valves.
• Ability to read piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs) and control-loop drawings.
• Ability to check instrument signals, including 4–20 mA loops, and identify wiring or scaling faults.
• Ability to distinguish process, sensor, actuator, and controller faults.

Position-specific responsibilities

• Prepare and operate process-control experiments and verify equipment readiness.
• Check instrument ranges, controller settings, valve operation, and process connections.
• Support PID tuning and experiments involving setpoint changes and disturbances.
• Identify and report leaks, unstable operation, faulty measurements, and equipment deterioration.
• Maintain experiment settings and restore approved configurations after use.
• Follow safe procedures for hot surfaces, liquids, pressure, and any chemicals used.

Preferred experience

Distributed control systems (DCS), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), MATLAB/Simulink, and cascade or feedforward control.

Laboratory Technician — Instrumentation & Measurement

Role purpose

Support accurate measurement, sensor testing, signal conditioning, and calibration activities for teaching and research.

Relevant qualifications

Bachelor’s degree or technical diploma in Instrumentation Engineering, Control & Instrumentation Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.

Required technical skills

• Experience with sensors and transducers for temperature, pressure, flow, displacement, force, or strain.
• Ability to use digital multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, signal generators, and suitable calibration instruments.
• Understanding of signal conditioning, bridge circuits, grounding, shielding, and electrical noise.
• Understanding of measurement range, accuracy, repeatability, uncertainty, and calibration traceability.
• Practical experience with data acquisition hardware and software.

Position-specific responsibilities

• Prepare sensor, transducer, measurement, and signal-conditioning experiments.
• Check, calibrate, and verify instruments using approved procedures and suitable reference equipment.
• Record calibration results and identify equipment requiring adjustment, repair, or external calibration.
• Troubleshoot sensor wiring, signal noise, grounding problems, and data acquisition faults.
• Maintain calibration labels, instrument histories, and reference-equipment records.
• Assist students with correct measurement methods and interpretation of experimental data.

Preferred experience

LabVIEW, MATLAB, strain-gauge measurements, smart transmitters, and HART communication.

Laboratory Technician — Mechatronics

Role purpose

Support laboratory systems that combine mechanical components, electronics, sensors, actuators, and computer control.

Relevant qualifications

Bachelor’s degree or technical diploma in Mechatronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Control & Instrumentation Engineering, or a closely related discipline with relevant practical experience.

Required technical skills

• Ability to assemble and troubleshoot electromechanical systems.
• Experience with motors, motor drivers, encoders, switches, and position sensors.
• Understanding of mechanical alignment, couplings, bearings, and motion-transmission components.
• Experience interfacing sensors and actuators with microcontrollers or embedded controllers.
• Ability to read mechanical drawings and electrical schematics and use workshop tools safely.

Position-specific responsibilities

• Assemble, inspect, and maintain mechatronic experimental setups.
• Diagnose mechanical, electrical, and embedded-control faults.
• Check motor operation, encoder feedback, travel limits, and mechanical alignment.
• Assist with building and testing student and faculty prototypes.
• Support basic controller programming and hardware integration.
• Inspect guards, emergency stops, and moving mechanisms before operation.
• Maintain pneumatic components where these form part of the laboratory equipment.

Preferred experience

Computer-aided design (CAD), 3D printing, robotics, pneumatic systems, and programming in C/C++, Python, or MATLAB.

Laboratory Technician — Industrial Automation

Role purpose

Support programmable controllers, operator interfaces, industrial networks, and automated training systems.

Relevant qualifications

Bachelor’s degree or technical diploma in Automation Engineering, Control & Instrumentation Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, or a closely related discipline.

Required technical skills

• Practical experience programming and troubleshooting programmable logic controllers (PLCs).
• Understanding of ladder logic, input/output addressing, timers, counters, and sequential control.
• Experience with human–machine interfaces (HMIs) and basic SCADA functions.
• Ability to troubleshoot control-panel wiring, relays, contactors, sensors, and actuators.
• Understanding of industrial communication and basic network diagnostics.
• Familiarity with motor starters and variable-frequency drives (VFDs).

Position-specific responsibilities

• Prepare, configure, and maintain PLC-based training stations.
• Develop and troubleshoot demonstration programs under faculty direction.
• Configure HMI displays, alarms, trends, and equipment communication.
• Check field wiring, input/output signals, and connections between controllers and devices.
• Support experiments involving automated sequences, conveyors, motors, and pneumatic actuators.
• Maintain backups of controller programs, HMI projects, and equipment configurations.
• Check emergency stops and protective interlocks using approved procedures and report defects before use.

Preferred experience

Siemens TIA Portal, Rockwell Studio 5000, or equivalent platforms; industrial protocols such as PROFINET, Modbus TCP, or EtherNet/IP; and basic industrial cybersecurity awareness.

Application information

Applicants should identify their preferred specialization and submit a CV, qualification documents, evidence of relevant experience, and applicable training certificates.

Application link: [To be added]
Application deadline: [To be confirmed]