Commissioning Engineer vs Instrumentation & Controls Technician: what energy employers ask for
As of 29 October 2026, Plutarch tracked 569 open Commissioning Engineer postings and 193 open Instrumentation & Controls Technician postings at energy employers.
Skills and tools
Share of the postings we could read in full that name each skill: 372 for Commissioning Engineer, 135 for Instrumentation & Controls Technician.
| Skill or tool | Commissioning Engineer | Instrumentation & Controls Technician |
|---|---|---|
| PLC programming | not listed | 47% |
| DCS | not listed | 24% |
| High or medium voltage | 20% | 20% |
| P&IDs | 11% | 19% |
| SCADA | 17% | 18% |
| Excel | not listed | 16% |
| Lockout / tagout | 13% | 16% |
| SAP | not listed | 14% |
| Battery storage | 13% | not listed |
| Protection and relays | 11% | not listed |
| Power systems / grid | 10% | not listed |
Certificates and licences
A mention is what employers ask for; it does not mean a law requires it.
| Certificate or licence | Commissioning Engineer | Instrumentation & Controls Technician |
|---|---|---|
| Driving licence | not listed | 21% |
Where the postings are
| Country | Commissioning Engineer | Instrumentation & Controls Technician |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 36% | 69% |
| Canada | 5% | 7% |
| United Arab Emirates | 7% | not listed |
| United Kingdom | 7% | 4% |
| India | 5% | not listed |
| Saudi Arabia | not listed | 4% |
| Australia | not listed | 3% |
How many postings state pay
- Commissioning Engineer: 89 of 252 postings whose pay we could read (35%)
- Instrumentation & Controls Technician: 37 of 133 postings whose pay we could read (28%)
Pay levels are not compared here: each role's figures come from different countries and currencies. They are on each role's own page. Pay disclosure tracks local pay-transparency law more closely than employer policy, so the two rates partly reflect where each role is advertised.
“Not listed” means the skill, credential or country is not among those shown on that role's own page, not that no posting names it. This compares what employers ask for in the two roles; it does not count how many people hold those skills or say that one role can do the other.
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