Process Control Technologist

Synthomer; Pennsylvania; On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car or car allowance

Healthcare benefits

LTIP for senior positions

Parental leave and family support

Learning & development programs

Job summary

Synthomer is a leading provider of high-performance polymers and ingredients with a global footprint, including innovation centers in North America. We seek a Process Control Engineer who will maintain and optimize our process control systems across batch and continuous operations.

The role requires a bachelor's degree in engineering and at least five years in manufacturing, with hands-on experience in DCS/PLC/SCADA environments. Travel is limited and regulatory compliance is important.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Chemical, Electrical, Controls, or equivalent).
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in manufacturing or with an integrator; new graduates welcome for process controls roles.
• Practical experience with continuous/batch programming and automation system technologies (DCS, PLC, SCADA, OPC/DA, APC, RTO).
• Knowledge of health, safety, and environmental regulations is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Day-to-day maintenance, troubleshooting and programming of process control systems across batch and continuous processes.
• Lead and support E&I Technicians during installation and troubleshooting activities.
• Act as SME for control system improvement projects including migrations across sites.
• Collaborate with operations and process engineering to resolve control issues and improve processes.
• Provide after-hours on-call support as needed.
• Assist with safety assessments, alarm management, and automation standards.

Skills

Process control

DCS/PLC/SCADA

OPC DA/UA

Automation standards

Troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

Emerson DeltaV

Allen-Bradley

Foxboro

Job description

Synthomer is a leading supplier of high-performance, highly specialised polymers and ingredients that play vital roles in key sectors such as coatings, construction, adhesives, and health and protection – growing markets that serve billions of end users worldwide. Headquartered in London, UK and publicly listed there since 1971, we employ c.3,900 employees across our 5 innovation centres of excellence and more than 29 manufacturing sites across Europe, North America and Asia. Around 20% of our sales volumes are from new and patent protected products. At our innovation centres of excellence in the UK, Germany, China, Malaysia and Ohio, USA we collaborate closely with our customers to develop new products and enhance existing ones tailored to their needs, with an increasing range of sustainability benefits. Since 2021, we have been proud holders of the London Stock Exchange Green Economy Mark, which recognises green technology businesses making a significant contribution to a more sustainable, low-carbon economy.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

• Day-to-day maintenance, troubleshooting and programming of current process control. Operations includes batch and continuous processes along with supporting utilities and ancillary facilities. The site operates on several types of automation platforms from legacy (Allen Bradley, Foxboro and Modicon) to state of the art (Emerson DeltaV).
• Direct and support E&I Technicians and Mechanics during equipment installation and troubleshooting scenarios
• Act as Subject Matter Expert for Control System Improvement Projects including platform migrations at the plant and potentially other sites
• Understand process control issues and develop solutions to enhance process with operations and process engineering
• Provide after-hours call-in duty as needed
• Collaborate with production and maintenance staff to ensure plant operations are smooth and reliable
• Travel associated with this position would be ≤5%.
• Provide input on small projects, large capital expenditures, safety assessments, automation standards, and alarm management
• Maintenance of OT servers and OT switches, updating patches and anti-virus
• Communication protocol knowledge/understanding (OPC DA/UA, Modbus/Modbus+, Serial RS 232/485, TCP/RTU, Prosoft)
• OS migrations experience a plus
• Self-motivator who takes ownership and eagerly tackles large challenges

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, preferably in Chemical, Electrical, Controls, or equivalent work experience.

Experience

• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in a manufacturing environment or with an integrator is preferred; however, new graduates interested in process controls in a manufacturing environment are also welcome to apply.
• Practical/applied experience with continuous/batch programming, automation system process control technologies (DCS, PLC, SCADA, OPC, DA, APC, RTO, etc.)
• Experience with Emerson, Rockwell, and Foxboro products is a plus
• Knowledge of S88, ISA84, and ISA18.2 is also a plus
• Knowledge of health, safety, and environmental regulations

Qualification Criteria

• Be legally authorized to be employed in the United States
• Have a valid driver’s license with no restrictions
• Possess excellent listening, verbal and written communication skills
• Possess good organizations skills
• Be an effective team player and interact well with others
• Effectively and efficiently establish priorities and accomplish multiple tasks simultaneously
• Must pass background check, physical, and drug screen

Global Benefits Overview

• Competitive, market-aligned compensation
• Discretionary global bonus scheme
• Discretionary Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) – for senior positions
• Company car or car allowance – varies by region and role
• Healthcare – tailored to regional locations
• Parental leave and family support – maternity, paternity, adoption (aligned with regional policies)
• Working options – flexibility where it matters, based on role and business needs
• Learning & development opportunities – training, online platforms, buddy/mentorship programs, Internal Synthomer University with L&D offers
• Wellbeing support – employee assistance program (EAP), mental health resources, wellbeing initiatives
• Retirement / pension contributions – plans vary by country
• Culture of Inclusion – where everyone can thrive
• Performance culture, global reward & recognition programmes