Senior Production Engineer

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 - What you will do in this role

Dow’s Consumer Solutions Elizabethtown production facility in Elizabethtown, KY, has an opening for a Senior Production Engineer.  The Elizabethtown Site is the largest Consumer Solutions Finishing site in the US and is a global supplier of silicones in the advanced construction market as well as automotive and electronics sectors.

The Senior Production Engineer role is vital to deliver safe, stable & reliable operation of the Facilities/Utilities & Logistics Areas by utilizing & applying process knowledge & technical expertise to optimize plant operations, quickly resolve plant problems, and enable safe & reliable operation of key site infrastructure assets to support the production of quality products.  Focus will be on collaborating with partners within Operations, Maintenance, Logistics, R&D, EH&S and the Tech Center to identify & implement innovative and sustainable solutions that will enable the Facilities/Utilities & Logistics Areas to continuously improve upon strong historical performance.   The position offers a unique opportunity for an engineer to perform a range of work assignments within the plant, site & business and develop both technical & leadership skills.

Responsibilities - Duties, projects, tasks, and activities you would be responsible for in this role

• Possess strong sense of ownership and are accountable for the success and failure of their assigned unit.
• Show courageous leadership by coaching, asking questions, and intervening when needed. Challenge status quo and past norms to make the operation more effective and safer.
• Role model the professionalism and behaviors expected in the plant because their actions or lack of actions affect the culture.
• Learn and apply continuous improvement, value creation, and financial acumen skills to accelerate profitability and low-cost service of the facility.
• Understand customer needs and drive high levels of quality, responsiveness, and reliability for the customer.
• Know how much money the plant makes per day, the margins generated from the plant’s production slate, and actively work to maximize total margin.
• Know the total cost (raw material, conversion cost, etc.) of production for the plant(s) he/she operates and continuously works to improve the cost position and EBITDA generation.
• Set up metrics and management systems to drive optimization of plant value/EBITDA by all of operations (operators, TA, maintenance, etc.).
• Earn respect and trust of operations team because of their great problem-solving skills and technical expertise.
• Elevate and appropriately apply knowledge of their plant and technology – study historical data, convene with Tech Center or other SMEs, etc.
• Ensures Most Effective Technology (MET) is understood and utilized, and that process automation is used as a tool to optimize plant performance.
• Utilizes defined MET and challenges/escalates MET application and assumptions when better solutions arise.
• Partner with the experts to perform advanced troubleshooting and improve operating discipline. 
• Diagnose and document root causes of asset utilization losses in the facility.
• Understand why specific procedure steps and precautions are needed and keep a strong field presence to reinforce the importance.
• Conducts daily review of logbook and alarm history to better understand the plant operation and stay engaged with daily activities.
• Maintains, owns, and reviews daily Key Process Indicators (KPI)/ trends to ensure optimum performance.
• Responds urgently to plant issues and emergencies.  Acts as a unit technical expert during unplanned events and drives implementation of effective corrective and preventative actions.