Operations Engineer

Pilot Chemical Company; MIDDLETOWN (OH); On-site; USD 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Pilot Chemical Company in Middletown, OH, seeks an Operations Engineer to join the plant production leadership team. The role coordinates with the production planner and operations, supports operators to execute the production plan, and guides root‑cause analysis for improvements.

Required are a BS in Chemical/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering and 3–5 years in chemical plant or refinery operations, plus strong communication and teamwork. DeltaV/DCS experience and mentoring are preferred.

Qualifications

• BS in Chemical, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering.
• 3–5 years of industrial experience in chemical plant or refinery operations.
• Experience diagnosing chemical process and equipment issues, with leadership abilities.
• Some experience in project execution.
• Experience with Chemithon or similar sulfunation/sulfation systems.
• Proven verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience working with operators and maintenance technicians.
• Demonstrated continuous improvement
• Ability to diagnose and resolve plant issues while balancing short- and long-term needs.
• Must pass regular chemical dependency tests due to safety-sensitivity.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with the production planner to align production needs with current plant capability.
• Assist plant operators in delivering the production plan.
• Diagnose process and equipment issues with operators and coach them.
• Define and implement the production work‑process throughout the plant organization.
• Execute work safely and environmentally responsibly.
• Review production and lost opportunity data to drive efficiency improvements.
• Apply root‑cause analysis on critical issues and implement fixes.
• Collaborate with maintenance on reliability issues and resolutions.
• Represent operations on project execution teams.
• This is a Safety‑Sensitive position.

Skills

Field analysis

Root-cause analysis

Leadership

Project execution

Continuous improvement

Team collaboration

Safety compliance

Process optimization

Education

B.S. in Chemical Engineering

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

B.S. in Electrical Engineering

Tools

DeltaV CDS

MS Office

Process control systems

Job description

OPERATIONS ENGINEER

Role Summary

This position is a member of the plant production leadership team. It ensures good coordination between the production planner and the operations group, works with operators to help execute the production plan, identifies and closes any gaps between the plan and current production, and coaches/mentors operators. The role also represents operations on capital projects, ensuring the operational perspective is included in project plans.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with the production planner to ensure coordination between production needs and current plant capability.
• Assist plant operators in delivering the production plan.
• Diagnose process and equipment issues with operators and coach them on the diagnostic approach.
• Define and implement the production work‑process throughout the plant organization.
• Execute work safely and in an environmentally responsible manner.
• Review production and lost opportunity data with process engineers to develop and implement solutions that improve plant efficiency.
• Measures include lost opportunity, availability, and utilization.
• Utilize root‑cause analysis on critical issues and implement appropriate fixes.
• Collaborate with the maintenance team on maintenance/reliability issues and resolution paths.
• Serve as the operations representative on the project execution team.
• This is a Safety‑Sensitive position. The employee is directly responsible for their own safety or the safety of others, and the role may include tasks that could affect the safety and health of the employee or others.

Competencies

Required

• Minimum of a BS in Chemical, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering.
• At least 3–5 years of industrial experience in a chemical plant or refinery operations.
• Demonstrated field experience in analyzing and determining corrective actions for chemical process and equipment issues, including leadership abilities.
• Some experience in project execution.
• Experience with Chemithon or similar sulfunation and sulfation systems.
• Proven verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience working with operators and maintenance technicians.
• Proven team player with good peer and subordinate relationship skills.
• Demonstrated ability in continuous improvement.
• Ability to diagnose and resolve plant issues in both team and individual settings, prioritize multiple concurrent tasks, and balance short‑ and long‑term plant needs.
• Proven hands‑on skills that include measuring and improving process performance and leading, instructing, and training others on those improvements.
• Competency in process design and optimization.
• Must take and pass regular chemical dependency tests due to the safety‑sensitive nature of the job.

Recommended

• Advanced courses in engineering and seminars on diagnosis/troubleshooting and root‑cause analysis.
• Ability to prioritize work based on business contribution.
• Training and experience in project management.
• Experience with Distributive Control Systems (DCS); preferably Delta V and ideally including programming experience.
• Good personal computer skills, preferably experience with MS Office.
• Training in organization and time management.