Senior Production & Improvement Engineer | Pilot Plant

At Dow, we believe in putting people first and we’re passionate about delivering integrity, respect and safety to our customers, our employees and the planet.  

Our people are at the heart of our solutions. They reflect the communities we live in and the world where we do business. Their diversity is our strength. We’re a community of relentless problem solvers that offers the daily opportunity to contribute with your perspective, transform industries and shape the future. Our purpose is simple - to deliver a sustainable future for the world through science and collaboration. If you’re looking for a challenge and meaningful role, you’re in the right place. 

About you and this role

We are looking for a Senior Production & Improvement Engineer to be located in Freeport, TX. You will be responsible for our Polyurethanes Market Development Plant.

The Polyurethanes Market Development Plant (MDP) plays a key role in the development, scale up and initial production of new products for several businesses. This involves the development and optimization of new product recipes, production steps, and associated requirements.  The Market Development Plant also functions as the larger scale testing facility for new process technology developments for later implementation at full scale. 

We operate at the scale between R&D and manufacturing.  Our team is small, agile, and talented, and in a unique position working with multiple functions within Dow, such as research and development, tech service, operations, or engineering.  The future of the polyols business comes through us, and this provides an opportunity to use and develop a wide variety of skills and play a vital role in the development and commercialization of new products for the future of Dow.

This role serves as a vital resource for R&D by applying in-depth conceptual and practical knowledge to optimize pilot plant operations, resolve problems, and enable safe and efficient production of materials. Impacts a range of customer, operational, and project activities within own discipline.

In this role, you will require in-depth conceptual and working knowledge of your discipline or functional area. You will need to understand your discipline's best practices and how they relate to others. You may need to lead small projects with manageable risks and resource requirements as well as serve as a resource for less experienced colleagues. You should also be able to explain difficult or sensitive information and work to build consensus with others.

It is your responsibility to analyze and resolve complex problems, examine information from multiple sources, and use judgement to evaluate established and new solutions. Your performance impacts a range of customer, operational, project, or service activities within your own team and other related teams and requires that you work within established guidelines and policies.

Responsibilities

• Elevates and appropriately applies knowledge of the pilot plant and technology referencing historical data and conferring with Research and Technology Center or other subject matter experts (SMEs)
• Ensures Most Effective Technology (MET) is understood and utilized and that process automation is used as a tool to optimize plant performance, and impacts a range of operational activities
• Utilizes defined MET and challenges/escalates MET application and assumptions when better solutions arise
• Partners with experts to perform advanced troubleshooting and improve and document operating discipline
• Diagnoses and documents root causes of asset utilization losses in the facility.
• Understands why specific procedure steps and precautions are needed and keeps a strong field presence to reinforce the importance
• Maintains and reviews daily Key Process Indicators (KPI)/ trends to ensure optimum performance
• Responds urgently to pilot plant issues and emergencies
• Acts as a unit technical expert during unplanned events and drives implementation of effective corrective and preventative actions
• Ensures compliance with plant operating permits and understands site integration and provides input to optimize the overall system

Qualifications

• A minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or other related field required.
• At least 2 years' experience required, preferably in a manufacturing environment.
• A minimum requirement for this U.S. based position is the ability to work legally in the United States. No visa