Company:
INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA
Interested in joining a winning team? A team whose employees are empowered to make a difference?
Job title: Process Engineer, Polymers
Offer Range: $91,260 - $156,300 (commensurate with experience)
Location: Chocolate Bayou Works - Alvin, TX
Organizational Context and Job Purpose
The Olefins & Polymers USA division of INEOS is one of the largest producers of olefins and polyolefins in North America. From its manufacturing locations at Chocolate Bayou and the Battleground Manufacturing Complex, it is a merchant marketer of butadiene, ethylene, polypropylene and high-density polyethylene with annual revenue of over $4b.
The Chocolate Bayou Site is located in Southeastern Texas about 40 miles South of Houston and consists of two Olefins units that produce approximately 4bn pounds/year of ethylene, 2 Polypropylene units that produce approximately 1bn pounds/ year of polypropylene, and the Light Ends storage & transfer facilities at Stratton Ridge.
How the Role Fits In
The Polymer Process Engineer provides disciplined process engineering support for polymer manufacturing operations at Chocolate Bayou Works. The role supports safe, reliable, compliant, and optimized production of consistent, on-spec polymer products by applying standardized engineering methods, sound technical judgment, structured problem solving, and clear documentation. The role works under the direction of the Process Engineering Technical Team Lead and interfaces closely with Operations, Production Engineering, Maintenance, SHE, Reliability and other Technical functions to execute site priorities while maintaining consistent process engineering standards.
Responsibilities and Accountabilities
- Apply standardized process engineering tools, calculations, work practices, and documentation expectations established for the Process Engineering discipline.
- Support Polymer unit priorities through technically sound analysis, clear recommendations, and timely execution of assigned work.
- Maintain strong interfaces with unit teams while preserving independent engineering judgment, technical rigor, and site standards.
- Develop technical capability through mentoring, peer review, stretch assignments, and active participation in discipline governance activities.
Accountability: Process Performance & Analysis
- Monitor Polymer process and product-quality performance trends and identify recurring deviations, constraints, efficiency losses, abnormal patterns, off-spec production, and operating risks that require engineering evaluation.
- Perform process engineering calculations and analyses, including mass and energy balances, reactor and extrusion performance evaluations, hydraulic checks, heat-transfer assessments and process simulations
- Lead and/or support process and asset troubleshooting efforts
- Maintain target operating windows, Safe Operating Limits, critical process parameters, and product-property control ranges; investigate deviations and recommend corrective actions that restore safe operation and on-spec production.
Accountability: Process Safety & Environmental Compliance & Risk Reduction
- Participate in PHAs, HAZOPs, LOPAs, MOCs, risk assessments, incident investigations, audits, and technical reviews with clear documentation of assumptions, risks, recommendations, and approvals.
- Own assigned process-safety, investigation, audit, and Management of Change action items through closure, ensuring technical quality and traceability.
- Provide process engineering input for startups, shutdowns, turnarounds, abnormal operating reviews, and temporary operating conditions when technical risk or operating-limit governance is involved.
- Provide timely process engineering calculations, technical bases, data evaluation, and root-cause support for environmental events, deviations, pellet or powder loss, venting and flaring events, waste generation, and permit compliance needs.
Accountability: Continuous Improvement & Projects
- Identify and support technically justified project improvements that strengthen overall Polymer performance in all areas.
- Provide process engineering support to capital and expense projects by defining process scope, technical basis, product-quality and operability impacts, commissioning and grade-qualification considerations, and performance-verification requirements.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering.
Key skills and competencies
- Demonstrated ability to apply process engineering principles in chemical manufacturing or a comparable continuous-process environment.
- Demonstrated knowledge of process safety management, environmental compliance, engineering calculations, process troubleshooting, and technical documentation.
- Ability to interpret process data, perform engineering calculations, evaluate operating risks, and develop technically sound recommendations.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work effectively across Operations, Production Engineering, Maintenance, SHE, Reliability, Projects, and Technical teams.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities, complete assigned actions, challenge assumptions constructively, and document technical decisions in a clear and auditable manner.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in polypropylene, polyethylene, or other polymer manufacturing operations, including polymerization, extrusion, pelletizing, product-quality control, grade transitions, powder or pellet handling, or similar continuous chemical manufacturing processes.
Our culture is one of honesty and integrity with an emphasis on safety, health and environmental performance. On our team, people are acknowledged for embracing new practices that help create real value for customers.