Plant Performance & Optimization Engineer

Dow Chemical; Madisonville (TN); On-site; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Base pay + bonus

Wellbeing programs

Retirement plan

Employee discounts

Stock purchase program

Student debt match

Job summary

Dow's Emulsions/Polymers production facility in Knoxville, TN has an opening for an Operations Performance Engineer. You will drive EH&S excellence, reliability, efficiency, and cost reduction while partnering with Operations, Maintenance, and EH&S to optimize plant performance.

This role offers broad exposure across technical and operational areas at a smaller site, with opportunities to develop leadership and technical skills while ensuring safe, reliable production of quality products.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering by January 2027 (Chemical or Mechanical preferred).
• Military experience at or above U.S. E5 or Canadian Petty Officer 2nd Class/Sergeant may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Previous chemical production facility experience preferred.
• US work authorization required; no visa sponsorship available.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with operations to apply problem-solving and technical expertise.
• Leverage historical data and SME input to optimize plant performance.
• Ensure Most Effective Technology (MET) is understood and used; apply process automation as a tool.
• Challenge MET assumptions when better solutions arise.
• Lead troubleshooting with experts to improve operating discipline.
• Diagnose root causes of asset utilization losses and address them.
• Maintain strong field presence to reinforce procedures and precautions.
• Review daily logbook and alarm history to understand operations.
• Maintain daily KPI trends for optimal performance.
• Respond urgently to plant issues and emergencies.
• Provide leadership during unplanned events and drive corrective actions.
• Support Raw Material Efficiency improvements (yield, waste).
• Ensure compliance with operating permits and site integration.
• Support on-call rotation when required.

Skills

Process Optimization

Technical Expertise

Problem-Solving Skills

Collaboration and Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Military experience equivalent

Job description

Dow's Emulsions/Polymers production facility in Knoxville, TN has an opening for an Operations Performance Engineer. You will drive EH&S excellence, reliability, efficiency, and cost reduction while partnering with Operations, Maintenance, and EH&S to optimize plant performance.

This role offers broad exposure across technical and operational areas at a smaller site, with opportunities to develop leadership and technical skills while ensuring safe, reliable production of quality products.