Advanced Process Control Engineer

4526 Marathon Refining Logistics Services LLC; Carson (CA); On-site; USD 123,000 - 212,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

401k matching

Parental leave

Education reimbursement

Annual bonus

Job summary

Marathon Petroleum in Carson, CA seeks an Advanced Process Control Engineer to lead MPC/APC projects across refining units. The role covers concept through sustained operation, including economic justification and optimization, with mentoring responsibilities for fellow engineers.

The position requires deep process knowledge, strong analytics, and willingness to engage in after-hours support, with travel up to 10% and a 9/80 or 4/1 schedule.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering required.
• 10+ years in refining/petrochemical with 4+ years in APC.
• Experience leading APC from concept to operation with economic justification.
• Must wear PPE and pass drug test; access refinery areas.

Responsibilities

• Lead development, commissioning, and sustainment of MPC/APC across units.
• Own end-to-end APC lifecycle, including economic benefit estimation.
• Align APC strategies with refinery objectives and constraints.
• Apply cost-benefit analysis to prioritize APC work.
• Track APC performance, KPIs, and realized benefits.
• Mentor APC/Process Control engineers and promote best practices.

Skills

APC engineering

Multivariable control

Cross-functional

Mentoring

Education

B.S. Chemical Eng.

Tools

Experion TPS/TDC

Job description

Advanced Process Control Engineer

At MPC, we’re committed to being a great place to work – one that welcomes new ideas, encourages diverse perspectives, develops our people, and fosters a collaborative team environment.

The Marathon Los Angeles Refinery is seeking an Advanced Process Control (APC) Engineer who will serve as a technical leader for multivariable predictive control and optimization applications across multiple refining units. This role is accountable for the full APC lifecycle, from opportunity identification and economic justification through design, commissioning, sustainment, and long‑term value realization. The APC Engineer partners closely with Operations, Planning, Economics, and Control Systems teams to ensure control strategies are aligned with refinery business objectives, operational constraints, and safety requirements. The role requires deep process knowledge, strong analytical capability, and the ability to mentor other engineers while driving continuous improvement in APC performance.

The available onsite schedules for the position are 9/80, 5/40 or 4/1. Occasionally after‑hours calls occur and support of TAR as necessary.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development, commissioning, and long‑term sustainment of multivariable predictive control (MPC/APC) applications to optimize unit performance, stability, and profitability.
• Own the end‑to‑end APC project lifecycle, including opportunity identification and prioritization, economic benefit estimation, controller design, model development, commissioning, validation, post‑implementation audits, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with Operations, Planning, and Economics to align APC strategies with refinery business objectives, constraints, and LP signals, translating economic intent into control objectives.
• Apply cost‑benefit analysis (CBA) to prioritize APC work and ensure engineering effort is focused on highest‑value opportunities.
• Track, report, and communicate APC performance metrics, KPIs, and realized economic benefits, maintaining accountability for sustained results.
• Conduct advanced process data analysis and dynamic modeling to identify control performance gaps, root causes, and optimization opportunities.
• Develop and maintain dynamic process models, inferential sensors, and lab‑bias‑corrected estimators to support APC and optimization objectives.
• Design and maintain cross‑unit and plantwide optimization strategies, including coordination of multiple APC controllers.
• Provide technical leadership during APC commissioning, unit startups, shutdowns, turnarounds, and system migrations, ensuring APC readiness and robustness.
• Develop, maintain, and audit APC and control system documentation, including control narratives, design basis documents, MV/CV/DV definitions, system architecture diagrams, and technical reports.
• Partner with Control Systems, OT, and vendors on APC platform upgrades, migrations, and cybersecurity‑aligned system changes.
• Mentor and guide APC and Process Control engineers, serving as a technical authority and promoting best practices in controller design, testing, documentation, and sustainment.
• Provide training and technical guidance to Operations, Engineering, and Technical Services on APC functionality, limitations, and economic intent.
• Stay current with industry trends and emerging APC and optimization technologies, applying lessons learned to drive continuous improvement and measurable business value.

Education, Experience and Skills

Minimum Qualifications

• Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering.
• Must have at least ten (10) total years of Engineering experience within refining, petrochemical, or related industries with at least four (4) years of those years in advanced process control engineering.
• Proven experience leading APC applications from concept through sustained operation, including economic justification and benefit tracking.
• Must be able to wear appropriate PPE in the refinery (respirator), be able to physically perform all tasks in the field and take hair drug test and physical.
• Ability to access areas of the refinery requiring use of stairs and/or ladders to inspect equipment.
• Must have a valid driver’s license. (MPC determines valid status.)
• Must be legally authorized to work in the US without the need for future VISA sponsorship.
• Travel Requirement is 10 % (Training and Seminars).
• Ability to work extended hours, on occasion, including nights and weekends in process operations environment and during periods of inclement weather.
• Ability to maintain on‑call status and respond to emergencies as necessary during off‑hours.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ten (10) or more years of experience in Process Control, with demonstrated responsibility for APC design, commissioning, and sustainment.
• Fifteen (15) or more total years of experience within Controls, Economic & Planning, or Process Engineering.
• Ability to build/develop advanced multi‑variable process control models from inception to commissioning.
• Ability to manage APC related intermediate tags and troubleshoot communications or APC related tuning within Honeywell: Experion & TPS/TDC.
• Relocation may be available.

Benefits

• Access to health, vision, and dental insurance.
• Paid time off.
• 401k matching program.
• Paid parental leave.
• Educational reimbursement.
• Discretionary company‑sponsored annual bonus program.

Learn more about Marathon Petroleum’s benefits at https://mympcbenefits.com/

This position belongs to a family of jobs with increasing responsibility, competency and skill level. Actual position title and pay grade will be based on the selected candidate’s experience and qualifications.

Location and Compensation

Location: Carson, California

Job Requisition ID: 00022417

Pay Min/Max: $122,900.00 - $212,000.00

Salary Grade: 12 - 13

Location Address: 2350 E 223rd St

Additional locations: Education: Bachelors (Required) Employee Group: Full time Employee Subgroup: Regular

Marathon Petroleum offers a total rewards program which includes, but is not limited to, access to health, vision, and dental insurance, paid time off, 401k matching program, paid parental leave, and educational reimbursement.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Marathon Petroleum Company LP is an Equal Opportunity Employer and gives consideration for employment to qualified applicants without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, reproductive health decision‑making, age, mental or physical disability, medical condition or AIDS/HIV status, ancestry, national origin, genetic information, military, veteran status, marital status, citizenship or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process at Marathon Petroleum LP, please contact our Human Resources Department at [e-mail]. Please specify the reasonable accommodation you are requesting, along with the job posting number in which you may be interested. A Human Resources representative will review your request and contact you to discuss a reasonable accommodation.

Marathon Petroleum offers a total rewards program which includes, but is not limited to, access to health, vision, and dental insurance, paid time off, 401k matching program, paid parental leave, and educational reimbursement. Detailed benefit information is available at mympcbenefits.com. The hired candidate will also be eligible for a discretionary company-sponsored annual bonus program.

About Marathon Petroleum Corporation

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) is a leading, integrated, downstream energy company headquartered in Findlay, Ohio. The company operates the nation’s largest refining system. MPC’s marketing system includes branded locations across the United States, including Marathon brand retail outlets. MPC also owns the general partner and majority limited partner interest in MPLX LP, a midstream company that owns and operates gathering, processing, and fractionation assets, as well as crude oil and light product transportation and logistics infrastructure.