Air Separation Unit Specialist

INEOS Belgium; Ashtabula (OH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary with annual bonus

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

INEOS Pigments in Ashtabula, Ohio is seeking an ASU Specialist to lead day‑to‑day cryogenic Air Separation Unit operations, ensuring product purity and safe, reliable plant performance. You will troubleshoot, develop procedures, train operators, and oversee maintenance strategy in a Safety Critical role.

Join a state‑of‑the‑art facility with a strong safety culture and opportunities to influence uptime, energy efficiency, and process improvements through RCFA, FMEA, and HAZOP participation.

Qualifications

• Must have direct ASU experience.
• Degree in engineering with 5–8 years ASU experience, or non‑degree with 15–20 years hands‑on ASU experience.
• Strong knowledge of cryogenic distillation systems and purification beds and turbo-expanders.
• Experience with rotating equipment (pumps, compressors).
• Familiarity with DCS and P&IDs, electrical schematics, and thermodynamic charts.
• Six Sigma training a plus.
• Experience with RCFA, FMEA is desired.
• Knowledge of Process Safety Management and ISO systems.
• Proficiency with SAP and Microsoft Office and strong communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Adhere to safety and life-saving rules across operations and maintenance.
• Troubleshoot complex process fluctuations and manage safe recoveries during unplanned shutdowns.
• Maximize plant reliability by tuning flow rates, temperatures, and pressures.
• Lead derime, startups, shutdowns, and load changes.
• Develop and maintain operating procedures and best practices.
• Lead operator training and knowledge transfer.
• Define maintenance strategies for ASU equipment.
• Identify reliability improvements and analyze plant data to prevent failures.
• Support outages and turnarounds planning/execution.
• Participate in RCFA, FMEA, and HAZOPs.

Skills

ASU experience

Troubleshooting

Communication

Problem solving

Safety culture

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical)

High school diploma / technical training (ASU expert)

Tools

DCS

P&IDs

Electrical schematics

Thermodynamic flow charts

SAP

Microsoft Office

Job description

At INEOS Pigments, we value the contribution of our people in making us one of the largest producers of titanium dioxide in North America. Providing numerous products and services to industries around the globe, from coatings to plastics to paper and other end‑uses, we invest in employee development and offer a wide range of career opportunities, offering everyone the chance to broaden their experience and build a professionally rewarding career.

The Air Separation Unit (ASU) Specialist provides day‑to‑day technical leadership for a cryogenic Air Separation Unit. This role integrates operations support including guaranteeing product purity (Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Argon), process troubleshooting, procedure development, training, and maintenance strategy oversight to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable plant performance. It is classified as a Safety Critical role.

Key activities

• Adhere to INEOS Pigments’ 20 principles of process and Behavioral Safety and Life Saving Rules
• Troubleshoot complex, non‑routine system process fluctuations and manage swift, safe recovery actions during unplanned shutdowns
• Maximize plant reliability and efficiency by continuously fine‑tuning process variables such as flow rates, temperatures, and pressures.
• Support and lead derime and cool‑down, startups, shutdowns, and load changes
• Optimize plant performance, energy efficiency, and product recovery
• Develop and maintain operating procedures and best practices
• Lead operator training, qualification, and knowledge transfer
• Standardize startup/shutdown and upset recovery procedures
• Define maintenance strategies for critical ASU equipment (pumps, centrifugal compressors, expanders, product purification units, cryogenic distillation columns, valves)
• Identify and implement reliability and efficiency improvements
• Analyze plant data and trends to prevent failures and optimize performance
• Support debottlenecking and capacity improvements
• Support planning and execution of outages and turnarounds
• Lead or participate in RCFA, FMEA, and reliability improvement initiatives
• Partner with maintenance teams to prioritize work and improve equipment performance
• Ensure adherence to all safety, environmental, and PSM requirements
• Participate in HAZOPs, audits, and risk assessments
• Reinforce a strong safety culture across operations and maintenance
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Must have direct Air Separation Unit (ASU) experience
• Either:
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, or related) with 5–8 years of ASU experience, OR
• Non‑degreed (High school diploma / technical training) ASU expert with 15–20 years hands‑on experience
• Strong knowledge and deep expertise in the mechanics of cryogenic distillation systems, molecular sieve purification beds, and turbo-expanders.
• Experience with rotating equipment (pumps, compressors)
• Familiarity with Distributed Control Systems (DCS)
• Demonstrated troubleshooting and problem‑solving ability
• Fluent capability to interpret complex Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs), electrical schematics and thermodynamic flow charts
• Be able to use analytical processes (appraise a situation, develop supporting plans, make decisions, generate innovative ideas, analyze and troubleshoot operational problems); Six Sigma training a plus
• Experience with reliability tools (RCFA, FMEA) is desired
• Working knowledge of chemical/industrial equipment function, design, and regulatory requirements and Process Safety Management and ISO systems and procedures
• Functionality with various computer programs, specifically Microsoft Office Suite and SAP
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with all levels of employees

Schedule / Hours

This is a salaried, exempt position with typical work hours of 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., M – F. Flexible Schedule: the ability to work on a 9/80 work schedule.

Location

Ashtabula, Ohio

About the Site

Our Ashtabula, Ohio Complex, consisting of two plants just south of Lake Erie, is a state‑of‑the‑art manufacturing complex with leading technology and more than 45 years of manufacturing excellence.

Benefits

• Competitive salary with an annual bonus
• Comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, medical, dental, vision, short‑term disability, long‑term disability with a buy‑up option, basic life & AD&D insurance with a buy‑up option for self and dependents, 401(k) with company match