FOAK Methane-to-Methanol Operations Lead — Startup

Emvolon; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and dental insurance

Paid time off

Equity: restricted stock units

Job summary

Emvolon is seeking a Senior Process Operations Engineer in Houston, TX to lead the commissioning, startup, and ongoing performance of a first-of-a-kind methane-to-methanol system. This role requires hands-on ownership from commissioning through first-year operations and continuous improvement.

You will drive startup/shutdown procedures, RAT execution, and data-driven optimization while coordinating with R&D, engineering, and business development to translate learnings into design improvements

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemical Engineering or closely related discipline.
• 5-10 years of process or operations engineering experience, including plant startup and commissioning.
• Hands-on experience operating or commissioning new process systems without established precedents.
• Strong background in gas processing, reactor-based systems, or methanol/syngas operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead plant commissioning and startup activities on-site during first gas introduction, ramp-up, and performance optimization.
• Develop and continuously improve startup, shutdown, and steady-state operating procedures for the full system and subsystems.
• Drive RAT execution with defined entry criteria, data collection, and real-time troubleshooting.
• Monitor plant performance against design basis and lead corrective actions for underperformance.
• Lead planned maintenance shutdowns, PSSRs, and post-startup operational reviews.
• Coordinate with R&D, engineering, and business development to translate learnings into design improvements.
• Maintain the operating knowledge base with logs, reports, and procedural revisions.

Skills

Startup experience

Process optimization

DCS/PLC knowledge

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Chemical Engineering

Tools

Aspen or equivalent

Job description

Emvolon is seeking a Senior Process Operations Engineer in Houston, TX to lead the commissioning, startup, and ongoing performance of a first-of-a-kind methane-to-methanol system. This role requires hands-on ownership from commissioning through first-year operations and continuous improvement.

You will drive startup/shutdown procedures, RAT execution, and data-driven optimization while coordinating with R&D, engineering, and business development to translate learnings into design improvements