Senior Process Engineer

ENG Bauen Ltd.; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision coverage

Life and disability insurance

401(k)

Paid time off

Employee assistance programme

Career-development opportunities

Job summary

ENG Bauen Ltd. in Houston seeks a Senior Process Engineer to lead the transfer of proprietary biomass-to-syngas technology to a China-based project partner. You will ensure process design, engineering standards and operating knowledge translate into safe, reliable plant performance across borders.

Based in Houston, you will coordinate the U.S. tech team with the China partner, conduct HAZOP and related reviews, support commissioning and startup, and travel internationally up to 50% as project

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering required or a master’s degree with substantial experience.
• Professional fluency in Mandarin and English, with technical writing ability.
• Strong experience in heat and material balances, process integration, PFD/P&ID development.
• Experience supporting process technology deployment, including licensing and startup.
• Familiarity with EPC workflows and field support in multi-discipline teams.
• Ability to facilitate technical workshops and communicate with senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead transfer of process design packages, standards, operating philosophies and training materials.
• Review English/Chinese deliverables, identify gaps and track corrective actions.
• Oversee engineering localisation to Chinese standards and conventions.
• Review H&MBs, process models, PFDs, P&IDs, equipment lists and control strategies.
• Coordinate with mechanical, piping, instrumentation and electrical teams and vendors.
• Support vendor qualification and factory acceptance testing.
• Lead or participate in HAZOP, operability, constructability and safety reviews.
• Maintain revision control and design input documentation.
• Provide site support for pre-commissioning, commissioning, startup and troubleshooting.
• Communicate risks, milestones and decisions to project managers and leadership.

Skills

Chemical engineering

Bilingual English/Mandarin

Process design

Technical communication

Project coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering

Master's degree in chemical engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

Bluebeam

Job description

Senior Process Engineer - Technology Transfer

ENG Bauen is seeking a Senior Process Engineer to take a central technical role in the deployment of proprietary biomass-to-syngas technology on a project in China.

Based in Houston, you will connect the U.S. technology team with a China-based project partner, ensuring that process design, engineering standards and operating knowledge translate into safe, reliable plant performance. The remit extends from process design and engineering localisation through commissioning, startup and performance testing.

This is an opportunity for an experienced process engineer who wants meaningful responsibility for how a technology is engineered, transferred and operated internationally.

Renewable Syngas & Gasification | Houston, Texas | Permanent

ENG Bauen and our relationship with the business

ENG Bauen supports complex energy and industrial projects by building specialist engineering and project delivery teams across Europe and North America.

Having supported our client's previous project from concept through FEED and preparation for FID, we are now supporting this appointment within its technology deployment activities. Our established relationship provides continuity and an understanding of the business’s engineering environment and delivery priorities.

Our client develops proprietary gasification technology that converts sustainably sourced biomass into renewable synthesis gas for the production of low-carbon fuels and chemicals. It provides the engineering, technical know-how and support required to develop, construct and operate projects using its technology.

The role

Reporting to the Process Engineering Manager, you will act as the primary technical interface between the U.S. engineering team and a China-based partner working with engineering organisations, EPC contractors, equipment suppliers and plant personnel.

You will safeguard the technology’s design intent and intellectual property throughout the transfer process, combining detailed process engineering with technical oversight, knowledge transfer and practical site support.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading the transfer of process design packages, engineering standards, operating philosophies, procedures and training materials.
• Reviewing engineering deliverables in English and Chinese, identifying technical gaps and tracking corrective actions against the licensor’s requirements.
• Overseeing engineering localisation, including translation, unit conversion and adaptation to applicable Chinese engineering standards and conventions.
• Reviewing heat and material balances, process models, design criteria, PFDs, P&IDs, equipment sizing and selection, equipment and instrument data sheets, hydraulic analyses, line lists, control-valve sizing, and flare and relief calculations.
• Defining process requirements for equipment and systems, reviewing vendor documentation, and coordinating with mechanical, piping, instrumentation and controls, and electrical engineering teams.
• Supporting vendor qualification and factory acceptance testing.
• Leading and participating in technical, operability, constructability and process safety reviews, including HAZOP and related hazard analyses.
• Maintaining disciplined peer checks, revision control and documentation of design inputs.
• Resolving technical issues across the China-based partner, EPC contractors, suppliers and operating teams while maintaining safety, quality, schedule and design integrity.
• Providing site support for pre-commissioning, commissioning, startup, operator training, performance testing and troubleshooting.
• Communicating technical risks, milestones and recommended decisions to project managers and senior leadership.
• Improving process design methods, calculation tools, knowledge-transfer systems and lessons learned.

Your background

You will bring senior process engineering capability and the confidence to challenge technical decisions, explain complex concepts and influence delivery across organisational and cultural boundaries.

• A bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering with at least 10 years of relevant experience, or a master’s degree in chemical engineering with at least eight years of relevant experience.
• Professional fluency in Mandarin Chinese and English, including written and spoken technical engineering communication.
• Strong process engineering experience covering heat and material balances, process integration, PFD/P&ID development, equipment specification, hydraulics, relief systems and process controls.
• Experience supporting process technology development, engineering or deployment, with exposure to design, commissioning and startup, operational improvement, technology transfer or licensing.
• Familiarity with EPC delivery and multidisciplinary engineering workflows, including vendor reviews, engineering package development and field support.
• The ability to facilitate technical workshops, train engineers and operators, and communicate clearly with clients and senior stakeholders.
• Willingness to work primarily from the Houston office and travel internationally up to 50%, including extended assignments in China as project requirements dictate.
• Existing authorisation to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.

Particularly relevant experience includes:

• Fluidised-bed systems, solids handling, biomass conversion or gasification.
• Steam methane reforming, oxy-combustion, carbon capture, methanation or fuels synthesis.
• Thermal integration and syngas-based process technologies.
• Process design package development and technology licensing.
• Technical oversight of licensed process implementations, including interfaces with licensees, EPC contractors and operating companies.
• International technology transfer, intellectual-property protection and engineering localisation.
• Plant commissioning, startup, performance testing and operational troubleshooting.

Experience using AutoCAD, Bluebeam or comparable tools to review and redline P&IDs would be advantageous, as would additional training in HAZOP, HAZID, process controls, project management or plant operations.

What the opportunity offers

You will retain technical involvement across the project lifecycle, seeing how engineering decisions translate into equipment, operating procedures and plant performance.

The position offers exposure to proprietary renewable process technology, international project delivery and the practical challenges of transferring engineering knowledge between technology providers and local delivery teams.

The package includes competitive compensation, discretionary annual incentives, health, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, a 401(k), paid time off, an employee assistance programme and career-development opportunities.