Chemical Process Engineer – PLC & Plant Operations

Italmatch Chemicals; Ashtabula (OH); On-site; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage

401(k) with company match

Paid Time Off and Holidays

Company‑paid Life and Disability

Career growth with a global leader

Job summary

Italmatch USA Corporation is seeking a Process Engineer to provide technical expertise and day‑to‑day engineering support for a plant producing HCl and lubricant performance additives. You will design and modify facilities, analyze data, troubleshoot, and identify root causes while leading equipment sizing and process improvements.

The role includes commissioning new equipment and managing production trials.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering or related field.
• 7–10 years of hand‑on process engineering experience at the plant level.
• Experience in capital expenditure projects, plant design, build-out, and optimization of chemical or advanced materials technologies.
• Experience with programming and troubleshooting PLCs; knowledge of instrument controls and valves.
• Proficient with MS Office tools including Word, Excel, Outlook, Project; familiarity with SAP.

Responsibilities

• Leads with a zero-incident mindset and supports site PSM, quality, and security initiatives.
• Responsible for day-to-day troubleshooting associated with production lines.
• Uses engineering principles (thermodynamics, heat and material balances, fluid flow) to troubleshoot problems and design new equipment.
• Performs feasibility studies for technology transfers and new product introduction.
• Evaluates current equipment capabilities, capital requirements, and health, safety, and environmental issues.
• Analyzes production data to establish in‑control processes and reduce variation.
• Investigates out-of-specification material and batches; identifies root causes and implements corrective actions.
• Prepares flow diagrams, P&IDs, and equipment/control specifications.
• Develops process engineering calculations and standards (relief valve sizing, line sizing, margins).
• Develops and owns key process philosophies (relief/blowdown, maintenance isolation, emergency isolation, operation, controls, sparing, training).
• Develops, modifies, and troubleshoots PLC programs to control industrial processes and equipment.
• Manages small capital projects from justification to startup and performance reporting.
• Assists with installation, commissioning, and start-up of new equipment.
• Leads process hazard analysis and safety startup reviews.

Skills

Process engineering

Troubleshooting

Root cause analysis

MS Office

English fluency

Education

Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering

Tools

PLC programming

SAP

Job description

Italmatch USA Corporation is seeking a Process Engineer to provide technical expertise and day‑to‑day engineering support for a plant producing HCl and lubricant performance additives. You will design and modify facilities, analyze data, troubleshoot, and identify root causes while leading equipment sizing and process improvements.

The role includes commissioning new equipment and managing production trials.