Plant Chemistry Technician

NAES; Sherman (TX); On-site; USD 73,000 - 114,000; Full time

Job summary

NAES seeks a Plant Chemistry Technician in Sherman, TX to manage plant chemistry programs, oversee water/steam-cycle chemistry, and ensure regulatory compliance. You will work with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Environmental, and vendors to optimize reliability and minimize chemical costs.

The role requires a Bachelor's in a relevant field and 5+ years of power-generation chemistry or water treatment experience, with strong analytical and communication skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science, Biology, or a related scientific or engineering discipline.
• 5+ years of power-generation chemistry or water treatment experience; combined-cycle exposure preferred.
• Strong knowledge of HRSG water/steam-cycle chemistry and corrosion/scale control.
• Experience with reverse osmosis, demineralized-water, wastewater, and ZLD systems.
• Ability to analyze data, troubleshoot, and document technical actions; safety-focused.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage plant chemistry programs per OEM guidance and permits.
• Oversee condensate, feedwater, HRSG, steam, and cooling-water chemistry to control corrosion.
• Monitor RO, demineralized-water, cooling-water, and ZLD systems and treatment effectiveness.
• Establish chemistry control limits, sampling frequencies, and response procedures.
• Support startups, outages, and equipment layup through chemistry monitoring.
• Coordinate chemical management incl. procurement, inventory, labeling, and SDS.
• Maintain records and provide training on sampling, testing, and chemical handling.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

CMMS

Laboratory systems

DCS trending tools

Job description

The Rayburn Energy Station 1, located in Sherman, TX, is a 750 MW natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant. The facility features two Siemens SGT6-5000F combustion turbine generators, each paired with a dedicated Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) to produce steam and improve overall plant efficiency.

Opportunity Summary

The Plant Chemistry Technician supports the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of Rayburn Energy Station 1 (RES 1) by managing plant chemistry, water-treatment, wastewater, and environmental programs. This position oversees water/steam-cycle chemistry, cooling-water treatment, reverse osmosis and demineralized-water systems, Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) chemistry, chemical treatment, laboratory analysis, and online monitoring. The Plant Chemistry Technician works closely with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Environmental, vendors, and OEM representatives to identify chemistry-related risks, optimize system performance, and maintain regulatory compliance.

Your scope of responsibility as Plant Chemistry Technician will include the following primary functions:

• Develop and manage plant chemistry programs in accordance with OEM guidance, industry practices, environmental permits, and plant procedures.
• Provide technical oversight of condensate, feedwater, HRSG, steam, cooling-water, and chemical-treatment programs to control corrosion, scaling, deposition, and equipment damage.
• Monitor and optimize reverse osmosis, demineralized-water, cooling-water, and ZLD systems, including water quality, chemical usage, membrane performance, and treatment effectiveness.
• Establish and maintain chemistry control limits, action levels, sampling frequencies, laboratory methods, alarm limits, and response procedures.
• Collect and analyze water, steam, wastewater, chemical, and other process samples using approved laboratory methods.
• Operate, calibrate, and troubleshoot laboratory and online analytical equipment, including pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, silica, sodium, and related instrumentation.
• Analyze chemistry and process data to identify adverse trends, treatment deficiencies, equipment risks, and opportunities to improve reliability, water usage, chemical consumption, and operating cost.
• Investigate chemistry-related issues involving corrosion, scaling, fouling, contamination, water-treatment upsets, equipment damage, or abnormal operating conditions and support corrective actions and root‑cause analysis.
• Support startups, shutdowns, outages, and equipment layup through chemistry monitoring, flushing, preservation, sampling, inspection, and treatment planning.
• Coordinate chemical management including procurement, inventory, storage, labeling, compatibility, transfer practices, spill response, and SDS requirements.
• Support environmental compliance through sampling, monitoring, data review, recordkeeping, and technical assistance related to water, wastewater, and chemical programs.
• Maintain accurate records and reports covering chemistry results, equipment calibrations, chemical usage, inventories, procedures, vendor activities, and regulatory requirements.
• Provide technical guidance and training to Operations and other plant personnel on sampling, testing, chemical handling, water treatment, and response to abnormal chemistry conditions.
• Collaborate with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Environmental, Safety, contractors, chemical suppliers, laboratories, vendors, and OEM representatives to support safe and reliable plant operation.
• Performs other duties and special projects as assigned by the Operations Manager.

NAES Safe

Safety is a core value at NAES, and as a condition of employment, all employees are expected to remain mentally alert and work safely at all times. Employees must also adhere to all safety warnings and posted signs while on company property. Additionally, they are required to follow all NAES safety rules and procedures. Adherence to these safety responsibilities is one of the key factors in the evaluation of each employee’s performance.

Working Relationships

The Plant Chemistry Technician reports to the Operations Manager and works closely with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Environmental, Safety, and administrative personnel and routinely coordinates with treatment-chemical suppliers, laboratories, contractors, OEM representatives, and regulatory or Owner representatives as applicable.

Physical Requirements And Working Conditions

Physical requirements include standing and walking for extended periods, climbing stairs and ladders, accessing elevated platforms and process areas, collecting samples, and lifting or carrying laboratory equipment, chemical containers, and other materials up to 50 pounds.

Work may be performed in laboratory, operating-plant, water-treatment, wastewater/ZLD, chemical-storage, and outdoor environments, with potential exposure to industrial noise, extreme temperatures, steam, high-pressure systems, rotating equipment, electrical hazards, treatment chemicals, laboratory reagents, and fumes. Duties may also require entering confined spaces or accessing elevated equipment when properly trained and authorized.

Some duties require protective equipment, including hard hats, safety glasses or chemical goggles, face shields, hearing protection, chemical-resistant gloves or clothing, flame-resistant clothing (FRC), respirators, fall protection, and other task-specific PPE. Respirator fit testing may be required. Strict smoking restrictions apply in and around the facility.

Fitness for Duty

All personnel will participate in the Fitness for Duty Program, which includes a post-offer physical examination, drug screening, and post-employment random drug screening.

Work Schedule

The Plant Chemistry Technician works a standard Monday to Friday day-shift schedule. This position will require extended hours, flexible shifts, weekends, and holidays as needed to support plant operations and business needs and may also require callout availability. Depending on the position, on-call status may or may not apply.

Compensation

This position offers a base pay rate ranging from $35 to $55 per hour, along with eligibility for an annual performance bonus.

Technical Experience And Chemistry Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science, Biology, or a related scientific or engineering discipline is preferred. Equivalent combinations of technical education and relevant experience may be considered.
• Five or more years of relevant experience in power-generation chemistry, industrial water treatment, laboratory operations, wastewater treatment, or a related field is preferred; combined-cycle experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of HRSG water/steam-cycle chemistry, cooling-water treatment, corrosion and scale control, chemical-feed systems, sampling practices, and interpretation of analytical data.
• Hands‑on understanding of reverse osmosis, demineralized-water, wastewater, and ZLD systems, including pretreatment, membrane performance, chemical cleaning, preservation, and troubleshooting.
• Demonstrated ability to perform laboratory analyses and safely operate, calibrate, and troubleshoot laboratory and online analytical equipment.
• Working familiarity with environmental compliance requirements involving wastewater, chemical management, sampling, monitoring, and regulatory recordkeeping.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and the ability to use plant historians, CMMS, laboratory systems, DCS trending tools, and other technical applications.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and communication skills with the ability to evaluate chemistry trends, troubleshoot abnormal conditions, recommend corrective actions, prepare technical documentation, and provide training.
• Commitment to safe chemical handling practices, including proper storage, compatibility, transfer, and spill response for laboratory reagents and industrial treatment chemicals.
• Must possess a valid, unrestricted U.S. driver’s license and ensure it remains in good standing at all times.

About NAES

NAES Corporation is a leading provider of operations, maintenance, and engineering services for energy facilities. We serve clients across the power generation, oil and gas, and renewable energy sectors throughout North America and internationally, supporting the full life cycle of power generation and other industrial facilities.

NAES is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Employment decisions are based on merit and qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, military status, USERRA‑protected status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.