Chemical Process Engineer - Integrated Water Management

DHI; Odessa (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

DHI is seeking a Chemical Process Engineer - Integrated Water Management in Texas to provide technical expertise in water treatment, process design, and field execution. You will develop safe, cost-effective water-treatment solutions meeting customer specs and regulatory standards while supporting ongoing improvement initiatives.

The role emphasizes analyzing sources of water, optimizing chemical programs, and collaborating with customers and internal teams to ensure reliable performance and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering or related discipline.
• Knowledge of chemical process engineering and water treatment principles.
• Laboratory experience in water analysis or treatment development.
• Field experience in oil and gas, produced-water operations, or industrial water treatment.
• Ability to interpret laboratory and operating data and develop practical recommendations.
• Understanding of chemical-handling and process-safety requirements.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, documentation, and customer communication skills.
• Ability to work and travel in oilfield and industrial environments.

Responsibilities

• Analyze produced, recycled, source, and groundwater to determine treatment requirements.
• Develop treatment strategies based on water chemistry and finished-water specs.
• Establish operating parameters for flow, dosing, retention times, and treatment performance.
• Oversee laboratory and field testing of water sources and treatment systems.
• Support SOPs, PHAs, startup safety reviews, and continuous-improvement projects.
• Lead or support process design of pumps, tanks, and filtration systems.
• Train operators and technicians on chemistry and process controls.
• Prepare and review treatment, water-quality, and cost reports.

Skills

Analytical skills

Troubleshooting

Documentation

Customer communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering

Job description

CHEMICAL PROCESS ENGINEER - INTEGRATED WATER MANAGEMENT

Job Type: Full-Time

SUMMARY

The Chemical Process Engineer - Integrated Water Management provides technical expertise in chemical process engineering, produced-water treatment, water chemistry, process design and optimization, field execution, and customer support.

The position develops safe, reliable, and cost-effective water-treatment solutions that meet customer specifications, regulatory requirements, and DHI performance standards. Applications may include produced-water recycling, frac-quality water, industrial water treatment, and beneficial reuse.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Analyze produced, recycled, source, and groundwater to determine treatment requirements.
• Develop treatment strategies based on water chemistry, operating conditions, intended use, and finished-water specifications.
• Evaluate compatibility when blending water from different formations, operators, or facilities.
• Identify scaling, corrosion, precipitation, solids, bacterial activity, and chemical incompatibilities.
• Establish chemical programs, dosage rates, injection locations, retention times, process controls, and monitoring requirements.
• Evaluate compatibility between treated water and customer frac chemical programs.
• Develop water, chemical, contaminant, and solids mass balances.
• Oversee laboratory and field testing of water sources and treatment systems.
• Interpret analytical data and convert findings into process and field recommendations.
• Conduct bench-scale and compatibility testing before process changes or introduction of new water sources.
• Evaluate and optimize scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, biocides, oxidizers, coagulants, flocculants, pH adjustment, disinfection, clarification, and solids-control chemicals.
• Evaluate chemical reactions and hazards associated with mixing water, chemicals, and process streams.
• Review Safety Data Sheets, chemical specifications, and reaction data before approving new chemicals.
• Support SOPs, JSAs, Process Hazard Analyses, startup safety reviews, Management of Change, and emergency-response procedures.
• Participate in incident investigations, root-cause analyses, and corrective actions.
• Design and optimize treatment processes involving chemical injection, clarification, solids separation, filtration, flotation, polishing, membranes, and discharge systems.
• Establish operating parameters for flow, pressure, chemical dosing, retention time, capacity, and treatment performance.
• Support system commissioning, startup, tuning, and steady-state operation.
• Troubleshoot process upsets, equipment failures, chemistry issues, flow disruptions, and water-quality deviations.
• Evaluate filtration, reverse osmosis, desalination, oxidation, disinfection, and other produced-water treatment technologies.
• Compare treatment alternatives based on performance, cost, chemical use, waste generation, reliability, and field maintainability.
• Support process design and operation of pumps, tanks, chemical systems, DAF units, filters, membranes, piping, and instrumentation.
• Evaluate materials of construction for compatibility with water chemistry, chemicals, and operating conditions.
• Ensure systems meet customer specifications, reuse requirements, permits, regulations, and DHI standards.
• Track uptime, treatment efficiency, water recovery, water quality, chemical use, cost per barrel, and system reliability.
• Improve process performance while reducing chemical consumption, waste, and operating costs.
• Lead or support 5S, DMAIC, SOP updates, and continuous-improvement projects.
• Evaluate chemical vendors and validate recommendations through laboratory and field testing.
• Serve as a technical representative during customer meetings and site visits.
• Support technical scopes, bid packages, system sizing, cost modeling, and treatment-job estimates.
• Train operators and technicians on chemistry, treatment processes, chemical safety, sampling, process controls, and equipment operation.
• Prepare and review treatment, water-quality, chemical-usage, downtime, cost, and customer reports.
• Maintain laboratory results, treatment logs, chemical records, approvals, daily reports, and billing documentation.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

Performance will be measured by:

• Achievement of customer water-quality objectives.
• Safe execution of chemical treatment programs.
• Treatment-system reliability and uptime.
• Process efficiency, water recovery, and consistent performance.
• Effective control of chemical use and treatment cost.
• Accurate testing, documentation, and reporting.
• Resolution of process, equipment, and chemistry issues.
• Successful validation of chemicals and treatment technologies.
• Strong communication with customers and internal teams.
• Development of repeatable processes, SOPs, and technical standards.

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Chemistry, or a related discipline.
• Knowledge of chemical process engineering, water chemistry, compatibility, and treatment principles.
• Laboratory experience involving water analysis, chemical testing, or treatment development.
• Field experience in oil and gas, produced-water operations, or industrial water treatment.
• Knowledge of chemical treatment, clarification, filtration, flotation, solids separation, and membrane processes.
• Ability to interpret laboratory and operating data and develop practical recommendations.
• Understanding of chemical-handling and process-safety requirements.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, documentation, and customer communication skills.
• Ability to work and travel in oilfield and industrial environments.

Preferred:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering.
• Five or more years of relevant engineering or water-treatment experience.
• Experience with Permian Basin produced-water chemistry.
• Experience with water recycling, blending, compatibility studies, and high-TDS water.
• Experience designing and optimizing chemical treatment programs.
• Experience with advanced filtration, membranes, desalination, or beneficial reuse.
• Ability to interpret P&IDs, process flow diagrams, and equipment layouts.
• Six Sigma or Lean certification is a plus.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK SCHEDULE

The employee must be able to wear required PPE and work around active oilfield and industrial treatment equipment. Regular visits to customer locations, laboratories, treatment facilities, and field sites are required. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities.

This full-time position generally requires at least 40 hours per week. Additional, after-hours, weekend, or overnight work may be necessary for projects, system startups, field operations, and customer needs. Regular travel is required.

SAFETY

The Chemical Process Engineer - Integrated Water Management must demonstrate leadership and personal accountability for safety. The employee must comply with DHI, customer, and regulatory requirements and immediately report unsafe conditions, chemical releases, incidents, process deviations, and treatment hazards.