Instrument technician jobs in the UK
An instrument technician installs, calibrates, tests and repairs the sensors, transmitters, valves and control loops that measure and control a process. Adverts often call the same job a C&I technician. The live UK jobs are below, from process plants such as water, energy and pharmaceuticals, with offshore roles where they are open.
184 jobs live right now. Free to browse and free to apply; we never charge candidates, and we never promise a job.
The role
What a instrument technician does, and what is on this page
An instrument technician looks after the field devices of a process plant: pressure, temperature, flow and level transmitters, control valves and the loops that connect them to the control system. C&I (control and instrumentation) and E&I (electrical and instrumentation) technician are common names for the same work.
Adverts usually ask for an instrumentation or electrical apprenticeship or an ONC or HNC, and experience with calibration and loop checks. The list below also includes C&I engineers, because many employers use the two titles for one job.
Offshore instrument technician jobs
Offshore roles in oil, gas and wind usually need an offshore medical and survival training before you travel, and many work on a rota. The advert should say which certificates it asks for. Offshore jobs appear in the list above whenever they are on the board.
184 jobs: instrument technician
29 of these are from a licensed visa sponsor or say sponsorship is offered. A licence does not mean a particular job is sponsored: ask the employer. How the tags work.
Electrical Controls and Instrumentation Engineer, SEDAMYL UK LIMITED, Selby, North Yorkshire
- Licensed visa sponsor. This employer is on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors. That does not mean this job is sponsored. Ask the employer.
Senior Commissioning Engineer (Instrumentation), Millbank Holdings, Pamber Heath, Tadley, £114,400 a year
Instrument Commissioning Engineer, Scantec, Reading, Berkshire
Instrument Control Automation Technician (Control and Instrumentation Technician), Pertemps Thames Water, London, UK, £47,000 a year
Instrument Maintenance Technician, South West Water, Ringswell Park, Exeter, £45,761 a year
Senior Electrical & Instrumentation Technician, Eci-Partners, UK, £54,000 a year
Instrument Maintenance Technician, South West Water, Ringswell Park, Exeter
Lead Control & Instrumentation Technician, Mac Recruit Group, UK
- Agency. This advert was placed by a recruitment agency, not by the employer.
Lead Control & Instrumentation Technician, Mac Recruit Group, UK
- Agency. This advert was placed by a recruitment agency, not by the employer.
Senior C&I Engineer - Data Processing and Control Systems (DPCS), Rolls-Royce SMR, UK, Up to £59 a year
- Licensed visa sponsor. This employer is on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors. That does not mean this job is sponsored. Ask the employer.
Senior Manager - C&I Protection Systems, Rolls-Royce SMR, UK, Up to £646 a year
- Licensed visa sponsor. This employer is on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors. That does not mean this job is sponsored. Ask the employer.
Instrument Maintenance Technician, South West Water, Exeter, Devon, £37,441 to £45,761 a year
Electrical, Controls and Instrumentation Engineer, ASTUTE Technical Recruitment Ltd, London, UK, £53,000 to £60,000 a year
- Agency. This advert was placed by a recruitment agency, not by the employer.
Senior Manager - Process C&I & Data Processing & Control Systems (DPCS), Rolls-Royce SMR, UK, Up to £5 a year
- Licensed visa sponsor. This employer is on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors. That does not mean this job is sponsored. Ask the employer.
Lead C&I Engineer (GBE-N / CEZ), Rolls-Royce SMR, UK, Up to £5 a year
- Licensed visa sponsor. This employer is on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors. That does not mean this job is sponsored. Ask the employer.
Senior C&I Engineer - Data Processing and Control Systems (DPCS), Rolls-Royce SMR Limited, Manchester, Greater Manchester, £50,600 to £66,465 a year
- Licensed visa sponsor. This employer is on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors. That does not mean this job is sponsored. Ask the employer.
Electrical & Instrument Engineer, Russell Taylor Group Ltd, UK
Lead Control & Instrumentation Technician, Mac Recruit Group, Glasgow, Scotland
- Agency. This advert was placed by a recruitment agency, not by the employer.
Electrical & Instrument Engineer, Russell Taylor Group Ltd, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
Instrumentation Controls Engineer, Technical Placements, UK, £19 a year
Maintenance Technician – Electrical & Instrumentation (E&I), Fujifilm Biotechnologies, Billingham, County Durham
Electrical & Instrument Engineer, Russell Taylor, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
Electrical & Instrument Engineer (Electrically Biased Maintenance), Russell Taylor, UK
Electrical & Instrument Engineer, NMS Recruit Ltd t/a Russell Taylor Group, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, £60,000 to £65,000 a year
- Agency. This advert was placed by a recruitment agency, not by the employer.
Where the instrument technician jobs are
- Manchester (10)
- Ellesmere Port (7)
- London (5)
- Glasgow (4)
- Leeds (4)
- Stowmarket (4)
- Abingdon (3)
- Cambridge (3)
- Chester (3)
- Plymouth (3)
Places named in today's adverts. A city link opens all automation and maintenance jobs within about 25 miles.
Employers hiring
- Rolls-Royce SMR (10)
- Morson Edge (8)
- REC-REVOLUTION LTD (6)
- M Group (5)
- Pertemps Thames Water (5)
- Russell Taylor Group Ltd (5)
- Amentum (4)
- Certain Advantage (4)
Employers with the most live jobs here, not counting recruitment agencies. 47 of the 184 adverts were placed by agencies.
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Checked 28 October 2026
Pay and demand, with sources and dates
Half of manufacturers say skills shortages are their biggest barrier to growth, and 99% say access to skills will shape their growth plans.
Make UK, The Shape of British Industry (opens in a new tab), 9 March 2026
The electrical workforce is down 26% since 2018, and 36% of science, engineering and production technicians are 55 or over.
Royal Academy of Engineering, response to the Migration Advisory Committee shortage list review (opens in a new tab), 18 May 2026
FAQ
Questions people ask
What does an instrument technician do?
An instrument technician installs, calibrates, tests and repairs sensors, transmitters, control valves and the loops that connect them to a control system. Loop checking, calibration records and fault finding on live plant are the day-to-day work.
What qualifications do instrument technicians need?
Adverts commonly ask for an instrumentation or electrical apprenticeship, or an ONC or HNC, plus experience with calibration and loop checks. Some sites ask for competence in hazardous areas. Requirements vary, so read each advert.
C&I technician or E&I technician: is it the same job?
Often, but not always. C&I means control and instrumentation, and E&I means electrical and instrumentation. Some employers use E&I for a mostly electrical job and C&I for a mostly instrument job. Read the duties.
How is instrumentation different from PLC work?
Instrumentation covers the field devices and the signal loops. PLC and DCS work covers the logic that reads them and drives the plant. Many engineers learn both over time, which is why the controls engineer page is next to this one.
Can an instrument technician get a Skilled Worker visa?
5224 calibration and precision instrument technicians is a medium-skilled occupation that is not on the Temporary Shortage List. A medium-skilled job qualifies only if it is on that list or the Immigration Salary List. A sponsor licence is not a promise of sponsorship for this job, and whether a particular job qualifies depends on its duties, its occupation code and its pay, which the employer and the Home Office decide. You should never pay an employer or agent for a job or for sponsorship. This is not immigration advice (rules checked 28 October 2026).
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