Sr, Process Controls Engineer

$120,000 - $140,000/Yr

NPAworldwide - Alvin, TX

Full-time - Senior

Onsite - Alvin, TX

Administrative and Support Services

About the position

The Sr. Process Controls Engineer position offers a challenging environment with ample opportunities for both technical experience and personal development. The role is situated within a tightly integrated chemical manufacturing facility that utilizes both fixed batch and continuous control systems. The primary focus of this position is to achieve measurable improvements in unit performance that align with the business's financial objectives, including optimizing raw material usage, energy consumption, reliability, capacity, and product quality. In this role, the engineer will provide technical support, guidance, and expertise throughout all phases of automation projects. This includes frontend engineering, detailed design, configuration, implementation, startup, commissioning, and ongoing maintenance. The engineer will also support the site’s Process Hazard Analysis and Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA), ensuring that safety and compliance standards are met. A significant aspect of the job involves the active development and support of Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) in accordance with ISA 61511 standards. The engineer will be responsible for applying cutting-edge controls technology to enhance manufacturing processes, thereby providing a competitive advantage. This includes developing and maintaining engineering standards for SIS and process control automation systems. Additionally, the role involves System Life Planning, which encompasses the development and implementation of migration plans from legacy Distributed Control Systems (DCS) to current technologies. Overall, the position is designed for a professional who is eager to lead automation projects, propose enhancements to existing control strategies, and work closely with manufacturing units to define appropriate control applications. The engineer will also be expected to leverage Six Sigma techniques to improve process performance and efficiency, train team members on new process control technologies, and document findings in technical reports.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, implement, and maintain process automation productivity improvement for chemical processes.
• Propose enhancements to existing control strategies.
• Utilize a broad range of automation tools such as advanced regulatory control, model predictive control, and soft sensors to optimize existing processes.
• Collaborate closely with manufacturing units to define appropriate controls applications.
• Develop knowledge of existing processes to identify process control improvement opportunities.
• Work with multi-disciplined teams to design, develop, and implement solutions for manufacturing processes.
• Lead automation projects.
• Develop key performance indicators, track key process parameters, and overall process performance.
• Leverage Six Sigma techniques to improve process performance and efficiency.
• Train and facilitate the transfer of new process control technologies into manufacturing units.
• Document process control findings in technical reports.

Requirements

• Minimum 10 years of experience in chemical, refinery, or energy manufacturing processes.
• Working knowledge of Process Control systems in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience with Process Hazard Analysis and ability to apply Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) to high hazard scenarios.
• Familiarity with the requirements of ISA 61511 and Safety Instrumented Systems.
• Experience with DCS programming and process information management.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in industrial chemical manufacturing processes.
• Prior experience with DeltaV and Provox/Envox is a plus.
• BS in Chemical Engineering or Electrical Engineering Degree with proficiency in Process Control.

Nice-to-haves

• 10 years' experience as a process controls engineer.