Boutarfa Nacer

Instrumentation, control and automation technician with over 19 years of experience in industrial maintenance, troubleshooting, and commissioning of automated equipment and industrial processes. Expertise in instrumentation, programmable logic controllers (PLC), DCS systems, and continuous production equipment operating 24/7. Versatile in electrical, instrumentation, pneumatic and hydraulic disciplines, recognized for diagnosing and resolving technical problems, reducing downtime and improving equipment reliability.

Experience in preventive and corrective maintenance, root cause analysis (RCA), and rigorous application of occupational health and safety (OHS) standards.

Instrumentation and Control Technician - SONATRACH – Groupe pétrolier et gazier - Algérie

(2006-09)

Progressive career development through several roles: instrumentation technician, qualified instrumentation technician, senior instrumentation technician, and most recently an internal instrumentation engineering function.

• Perform preventive and corrective maintenance 24/7 on instrumentation, automation and control systems at production facilities.
• Diagnose and resolve electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic and mechatronic faults to minimize production downtime.
• Install, configure, calibrate, verify and replace field instruments (sensors, transmitters, analyzers and control valves).
• Perform diagnostics, troubleshooting and modification of Allen-Bradley and Siemens PLC programs, as well as DCS, SCADA and HMI systems.
• Carry out loop checks, commissioning, FAT/SAT testing and startup operations.
• Write technical reports, update maintenance documentation and use CMMS for tracking interventions.
• Monitor spare parts inventory and manage obsolescence.
• Collaborate with production, mechanical and electrical teams to improve facility reliability.
• Operational availability optimization: Reduction of unplanned downtime through root cause analysis (RCA) and targeted deployment of preventive and corrective maintenance plans.
• Maintenance engineering: Development of detailed technical specifications for modification, upgrade, spare parts obsolescence management and continuous improvement projects for control and instrumentation systems.
• OHS compliance and audits: Active contribution to safety inspections and technical audits, ensuring strict application of OHS standards and lockout/tagout procedures for an incident-free work environment.
• Planned shutdown coordination: Successfully supervised multidisciplinary teams and subcontractors (up to 20 workers) during major maintenance shutdowns and restarts, ensuring compliance with schedules and safety requirements.

Engineering Degree in Automation - Industrial Automation - Institut Algérien du Pétrole (2019 - 2022)

Advanced Technician Diploma in Instrumentation - Instrumentation - Institut Algérien du Pétrole (1999 - 2002)

Secondary School Diploma - Natural and Life Sciences - Lycée Ahmed Medeghri, Annaba (1995 - 1999)