Senior Chemical Process Engineer

Canrig Drilling Technology Ltd.; Tomball (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Hexegen seeks a Senior Chemical Process Engineer to drive Hexite™ technology from pilot scale to full commercial production at our Tomball, TX site. You will lead the completion and integration of process designs, optimize operations for yield and purity, and ensure scalable manufacturing with strong safety practices.

Ideal candidates have 7–12 years in process engineering for chemicals or advanced materials, a BS in Chemical Engineering, and hands-on experience with reactor systems, Aspen

Qualifications

• 7–12 years of process engineering experience in chemicals, advanced materials, or advanced manufacturing; hands-on experience tuning production systems for commercial readiness.
• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering required; advanced degree welcome but not required.
• Hands-on experience with reactor systems and surrounding unit operations; turning pilot designs into running production lines.
• Strong knowledge of process safety; PHA/HAZOP participation or leadership and OSHA PSM where applicable.
• Fluency with process simulation tools and P&ID development.

Responsibilities

• Lead completion of process engineering designs and ensure systems are production-ready.
• Define process configurations, equipment specs, and system requirements for reactor integrations.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to translate designs into manufacturing solutions.
• Evaluate pilot-scale operations to improve yield, throughput, and product quality.
• Apply data-driven optimization and continuous improvement to support reliable production.
• Translate pilot performance to commercial-scale requirements and validate mass/energy balances.

Skills

Process engineering

Reactor systems

HAZOP/PHA

Aspen Plus/ChemCAD

P&ID development

English fluency

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering

Tools

Aspen Plus

ChemCAD

Job description

Nabors is a leading provider of advanced technology for the energy industry. With operations in about 20 countries, Nabors has established a global network of people, technology and equipment to deploy solutions that deliver safe, efficient and responsible hydrocarbon production. By leveraging its core competencies, particularly in drilling, engineering, automation, data science and manufacturing, Nabors aims to innovate the future of energy and enable the transition to a lower carbon world.

About Hexegen

Hexegen is a Texas-based advanced materials company and a subsidiary of Nabors Industries. We are commercializing the Hexite™ platform — a proprietary process for producing high-purity, graphene-class nanomaterials at scale. For twenty years, graphene and graphene-class materials have been chemistry's most over-promised category. The properties are extraordinary — strength, conductivity, surface area no other material approaches — but the field has stalled on a recurring set of problems: processes that don't scale, products that aren't pure, feedstocks that aren't economic, and chemistries you can't tune to a specific application. Hexite™ solves all four. The reaction is scalable. The product is high-purity. The inputs are common and inexpensive. And the process is controllable enough that we can engineer the molecule itself for the application at hand. That tunability is what unlocks the full breadth of the market. Hexite™ materials target thermoplastics, construction, energy storage, automotive, aviation, defense, and medical applications, with hydrogen technologies on the roadmap.

The Opportunity

Hexegen's pilot facility manufactures high-quality Hexite™ at scale today. The chemistry works, and much of the production system that will follow has already been designed. The next chapter is engineering: fine-tuning that system, completing the work around it, and bringing it to commercial readiness so that Hexegen can supply Hexite™ to global customers across every market that wants it.

As a Senior Chemical Process Engineer, you will play a critical role in advancing Hexegen's proprietary Hexite™ technology from pilot-scale production to commercial readiness. You will lead the completion, integration, and optimization of chemical processing systems, applying hands‑on engineering expertise to improve production performance, ensure process safety, and establish scalable manufacturing capabilities.

With a proven pilot process and much of the production system already designed, this opportunity offers the ability to directly influence how Hexegen transitions to commercial production. Your work will shape the reliability, efficiency, and product consistency of a technology positioned to serve multiple global markets, with opportunities to expand your technical leadership as the company grows.

Process Engineering & System Integration

• Lead the completion of process engineering designs, resolving outstanding technical requirements and advancing existing systems toward production readiness.
• Define process configurations, equipment specifications, and supporting system requirements to ensure effective integration of reactor systems and associated unit operations.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external engineering partners to translate process designs into executable manufacturing solutions.

Process Optimization & Continuous Improvement

• Evaluate and optimise pilot‑scale operations to improve yield, throughput, process efficiency, and product consistency.
• Identify process limitations, troubleshoot technical challenges, and implement practical engineering improvements.
• Apply process data, engineering analysis, and continuous improvement methodologies to support reliable and repeatable production.

Process Scale‑Up & Commercialization

• Translate pilot‑scale operating performance into commercial‑scale process and equipment requirements.
• Develop and validate mass and energy balances, equipment sizing, and process design parameters.
• Apply engineering judgment to maintain critical process characteristics, product purity, and performance as production capacity increases.

Process Safety, Quality & Controls

• Lead or support Process Hazard Analyses (PHA), HAZOP studies, relief system design, and process safety documentation.
• Develop process safety information and evaluate safety requirements for new or modified equipment.
• Establish process control and in‑line quality strategies to maintain product purity and batch‑to‑batch consistency.

Project Execution & Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Partner with the Plant Manager, internal technical teams, vendors, fabricators, and engineering partners to advance process engineering initiatives.
• Provide technical support throughout equipment specification, procurement, commissioning, and start‑up.
• Communicate engineering requirements, technical risks, and recommended solutions to stakeholders.
• Contribute to the development of engineering capabilities and mentor junior process engineers as the organization expands.

Required

• 7–12 years of process engineering experience in chemicals, advanced materials, specialty chemicals, or advanced manufacturing — with demonstrated hands‑on experience fine‑tuning a complex production system and engineering it to commercial readiness. That track record matters more to us than any other credential.
• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering required. An advanced degree is welcome but not required — we weight production‑floor experience over academic credentials.
• Hands‑on experience with reactor systems and the surrounding unit operations — completing engineering work, specifying equipment, integrating systems, and turning a partial or pilot‑scale design into a running production line.
• Strong working knowledge of process safety: HAZOP/PHA participation or leadership, relief design, and OSHA PSM where applicable.
• Fluency with process simulation tools (Aspen Plus, ChemCAD, or equivalent) and P&ID development.
• Experience with specialty materials, nanomaterials, carbon materials, CVD, or fine powders is a significant plus.
• A bias toward action, pragmatic problem‑solving, and the judgment to know when to engineer for elegance and when to engineer for getting it built.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; fluent in English.

Preferred

• Prior experience in a start‑up or scale‑up environment where the equipment, the process, and the team are being built in parallel.
• Lean / Six Sigma exposure — useful but not required.

Location & Working Conditions

On‑site role at Hexegen's facility, 13823 Humble Road, Tomball, TX 77375.

The role involves standard plant working conditions, including extended periods of walking and standing, occasional bending or climbing, and lifting up to 50 lbs. Some domestic travel is required for visits to vendors, fabricators, and partner facilities.