Senior Operations Performance Engineer

Dow; La Porte (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Dow is looking for a Senior Operations Performance Engineer at the Bayport Operations site in La Porte, TX. You will optimize plant operations, analyze KPIs, and lead improvement projects across batch processes, logistics, and utilities to deliver safe, reliable, and cost-effective production.

The role requires broad technical knowledge, problem-solving leadership, and a proactive approach to driving performance and safety in a large-scale chemical operation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering is required.
• Chemical Engineering is preferred for deeper process knowledge.
• Ability to work in shifts and on-call rotation as needed.

Responsibilities

• Understand chemistries, equipment, and processing tech in area of responsibility.
• Evaluate production losses and deviation data.
• Analyze operational and logistics data to validate results and identify improvements.
• Prioritize corrective actions to close performance gaps (utilization, uptime, quality).
• Understand mass and energy balance and relate losses to value.
• Identify and implement PSTP/GTP-aligned improvements delivering value.
• Lead capital and non-capital projects using defined processes.
• Provide leadership during maintenance, start-up, and project handover.
• Coordinate with maintenance, process experts to drive repairs and improvements.
• Support EHS and Process Safety culture and IM reporting.
• Champion maintenance best practices and root-cause problem solving.
• Contribute to shutdown scope for availability and equipment reliability.

Skills

Troubleshooting

Project Management

Leadership & Communication

Collaboration

Plant Operations

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Chemical Engineering (preferred)

Job description

At Dow, we believe in putting people first and we’re passionate about delivering integrity, respect and safety to our customers, our employees and the planet. Our people are at the heart of our solutions. They reflect the communities we live in and the world where we do business. Their diversity is our strength. We’re a community of relentless problem solvers that offers the daily opportunity to contribute with your perspective, transform industries and shape the future. Our purpose is simple - to deliver a sustainable future for the world through science and collaboration. If you’re looking for a challenge and meaningful role, you’re in the right place.

About you and this role

Dow has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Operations Performance Engineer at our Bayport Operations site in La Porte, TX! Bayport Specialty Monomers is a standalone site that operates within the Houston Hub structure and provides critical raw materials to downstream Coatings facilities. The engineer in this position will have the opportunity to support one of several different batch reaction processes as well as logistics and utilities operations. This role requires broadened conceptual and working knowledge and experience in job discipline to perform a range of work assignments. In this role, you will serve as a vital resource for Operations by applying technical skills to optimize plant operations, resolve plant problems, and enable safe and efficient production of low cost, quality products.

Responsibilities

• Strong understanding of chemistries, equipment, and processing technology in area of responsibility.
• Evaluates, categorizes production losses and deviation data.
• Analyze operational and logistics data (KPIs, asset utilization, trends) to validate results, diagnose gaps, and identify improvements.
• Determines and prioritizes corrective actions to close Operational Performance Gaps (utilization, yield, uptime, quality, operating discipline losses, reliability opportunities).
• Ability to understand mass and energy balance for assets and correlate losses to value.
• Identify, prioritize, and implement improvement opportunities aligned with Plant Specific Improvement Plans (PSTP), Global Technology Plans (GTP), and business objectives that also deliver value or required performance.
• Lead and support capital and non-capital projects (expense and continuous improvement) using defined project and improvement work processes.
• Provide leadership during plant maintenance, unplanned events, commissioning, start-up, and project handover to Operations.
• Partners with maintenance, OTEC, process expertise and others to identify and drive temporary and permanent equipment repairs and improvements.
• Support and drive EHS and Process Safety culture, Compliance, and necessary IM reporting.
• Champion effective maintenance practices, process safety, operating discipline, and root cause problem solving in support of cost-effective Operations.
• Provides input to shut down scope for availability and equipment reliability opportunities that cannot be addressed during normal operations.

Required Qualifications

• A minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Engineering.
• A minimum of 4 years of relevant working experience.
• Ability to work outside of normal business hours, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and participate in an on-call rotation as business needs require, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• A minimum requirement for this U.S. based position is the ability to work legally in the United States.
• No visa sponsorship/support is available for this position, including for any type of U.S. permanent residency (green card) process.

Preferred Qualifications

• Chemical Engineering degree discipline.

Physical Demands

• Willing and able to meet the physical demands of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation:
• Wear safety equipment, such as earplugs, goggles, and steel-toed shoes.
• Wear and use respirators.
• Perform frequent bending, reaching, and lifting.
• Work in tight or closed-in spaces.
• Climb stairs/ladders and work high off the ground.
• Stand or walk for extended periods of time.
• This role does involve elevated work greater than or equal to four feet above the ground.
• Must be able to use harnesses with a total weight capacity of 300lbs.

Skills

• Troubleshooting– Ability to identify and resolve plant and pipeline issues.
• Project Management– Experience with scoping and leading maintenance, shutdowns, and start-ups.
• Leadership & Communication–Ability to guide teams, collaborate across functions, and influence decisions.
• Collaboration – Works effectively across teams and functions to foster strong relationships, align priorities, and achieve common goals through open communication, mutual respect, and teamwork.
• Plant Operations – Knowledge of plant operations, manufacturing processes, and operational workflows to support safe, efficient, and reliable production.

Additional notes

This position does not offer relocation assistance.

Benefits – What Dow offers you

We invest in you. Dow invests in total rewards programs to help you manage all aspects of you: your pay, your health, your life, your future, and your career. You bring your background, talent, and perspective to work every day. Dow rewards that commitment by investing in your total wellbeing. Here are just a few highlights of what you would be offered as a Dow employee:

• Equitable and market-competitive base pay and bonus opportunity across our global markets, along with locally relevant incentives.
• Benefits and programs to support your physical, mental, financial, and social well-being, to help you get the care you need...when you need it.
• Competitive retirement program that may include company-provided benefits, savings opportunities, financial planning, and educational resources to help you achieve your long term financial-goals.
• Employee stock purchase programs (availability varies depending on location).
• Student Debt Retirement Savings Match Program (U.S. only).
• Dow will take the value of monthly student debt payments and apply them as if they are contributions to the Employees' Savings Plan (401(k)), helping employees reach the Company match.
• Robust medical and life insurance packages that offer a variety of coverage options to meet your individual needs.
• Travel insurance is also available in certain countries/locations.
• Opportunities to learn and grow through training and mentoring, work experiences, community involvement and team building.
• Workplace culture empowering role-based flexibility to maximize personal productivity and balance personal needs.
• Competitive yearly vacation allowance.
• Paid time off for new parents (birthing and non-birthing, including adoptive and foster parents).
• Paid time off to care for family members who are sick or injured.
• Paid time off to support volunteering and Employee Resource Group's (ERG) participation.
• Wellbeing Portal for all Dow employees, our one-stop shop to promote wellbeing, empowering employees to take ownership of their entire wellbeing journey.
• On-site fitness facilities to help stay healthy and active (availability varies depending on location).

Additionally, some of our locations might offer: Transportation allowance (availability varies depending on location) Meal subsidiaries/vouchers (availability varies depending on location) Carbon-neutral transportation incentives e.g. bike to work (availability varies depending on location)

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) is one of the world’s leading materials science companies, serving customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Our global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation, leading business positions and commitment to sustainability enable us to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. We operate manufacturing sites in 30 countries and employ approximately 36,000 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $43 billion in 2024. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. Learn more about us and our ambition to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world by visiting www.dow.com. As part of our dedication to inclusion, Dow is committed to equal opportunities in employment. We encourage every employee to bring their whole self to work each day to not only deliver more value, but also have a more fulfilling career. Further information regarding Dow's equal opportunities is available on www.dow.com. Dow is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and is committed to providing opportunities without regard for race, color, religion, sex, including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity, national origin, age, disability and genetic information, including family medical history. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may call us at 1-833-My Dow HR (833-693-6947) and select option 8. Dow is a company of more than 36,500 global innovators, believers and solutions providers. We are a diverse community marked by respect, integrity, and a desire to make the world a better place. A career at Dow is an invitation to explore, create, and make valuable contributions to human progress.