Staff Engineer

Eastman Chemical Company; West Columbia (SC); On-site; USD 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Comprehensive medical and dental coverage

Paid vacation and personal days

Growth and development opportunities

Job summary

Eastman Chemical Company is seeking a Staff Engineer for its polymer manufacturing operations in West Columbia, South Carolina. This hands-on role emphasizes safety and production support, where you will lead initiatives to improve quality and operational efficiencies.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemical Engineering and relevant experience. Eastman offers comprehensive benefits that include competitive pay and performance incentives.

Qualifications

• At least 2-3 years relevant professional experience in a chemical manufacturing environment.
• Experience in project management and process troubleshooting a plus.
• Demonstrated ownership and a bias for action.

Responsibilities

• Model safe practices and support safety projects.
• Assist in day-to-day tactical management of SCO operations.
• Develop expertise in polymer process chemistry.
• Assist in maintaining ISO certification for quality.

Skills

Chemical Engineering

Project Management

Process Troubleshooting

Collaboration

Self-Starter

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering

Job description

Staff Engineer

Job Requisition ID: 56803

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive company, Eastman employs approximately 13,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2025 revenue of approximately $8.8 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. For more information, visit www.eastman.com.

Responsibilities

This is a hands- on staff engineer role supporting Eastman’s polymer manufacturing operations located at the South Carolina Operations (SCO) site in Columbia, South Carolina. The site is shared with Alpek Polyesters, LLC, who provides operations and maintenance services for Eastman’s assets. In this role, you’ll work a day-shift schedule with occasional need for after-hours and weekend duty support.

Examples of core responsibilities include:

Safety

• Make safety your priority every day. Role model safe practices, participate in safety audits, support safety projects and incorporate safety into your routine communications with staff and operating personnel.
• Lead &/or assist in incident investigations for incidents in assigned areas.
• Serve as Study Leader for area process hazard analyses (PHA); execute action items stemming from PHA studies.
• Maintain and update Lock-Out/Tag-Out procedures for Eastman asset lines.

Production Support

• Assist Area Manager with day-to-day tactical management of SCO operations, working closely with Eastman and Alpek management and operations.
• Participate in morning area production meetings. Review line status prior to meeting and come prepared to discuss issues and needs for the day.
• Investigate concerns raised by Team Managers or crew members and provide technical assistance as needed.
• Provide input to the Area Manager for items to be included in the daily write-up to communicate process needs and objectives for assigned areas.
• Serve as a back-up to Area Manager for daily operations when the Area Manager is absent.
• Assist in the development and maintenance of a dashboard of performance measures for SCO operations to provide real-time indication of performance versus entitlement and plan.
• Serve as Division Representative on capital/expense projects as needed.
• Assist in development and updating of manufacturing procedures.
• Assist in developing and delivering process-specific training to Alpek operations personnel; ensure a robust training program is in place.
• Maintain Statistical Process Control data; update and maintain citation control strategies.
• Assist with shutdown Lock-Out/Tag-Out/Maintenance planning.
• Identify and execute improvement initiatives for Process Monitoring and Control/Situation Awareness.
• Assist with conducting Asset Criticality Analysis (ACA) on Eastman assets with appropriate follow-up to critical vulnerabilities.

Manufacturing Competence

• Develop expertise on all SCO melt-phase, solid-stating and material transfer/packaging processes.
• Develop a deep understanding of polymer process chemistry.
• Develop expertise on the compatibility of copolyester products to minimize risk of cross contamination.

Quality

• Assist site Quality Manager with production records and monthly closing duties, customer complaint investigations, and initiatives to improve Quality systems to ensure we maintain ISO certification.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering required.
• At least 2-3 years relevant professional experience, preferably in a chemical manufacturing environment, highly preferred.
• Experience in project management and process troubleshooting a plus.
• Able to collaborate with and coordinate multiple work groups.
• Must be a motivated, self-starter and able to proactively identify process improvement opportunities.
• Must exhibit ownership and a bias for action.

Please Note

Eastman will not accept applicants for this offered position who require visa sponsorship, including those whose status is F-1 visa OPT who subsequently would require ongoing visa sponsorship.

Benefits

Your total rewards go far beyond a competitive salary. When you join Eastman, you gain access to an exceptional suite of programmes designed to protect your health, grow your wealth, and fuel your career.

Compensation & Incentives

• Base pay plus performance-based incentive opportunities that let you share in our success.

Health & Wellness

• Comprehensive medical, prescription-drug, and dental coverage paired with a Health Savings Account option to help you save tax-free dollars for care today or in the future.
• A robust menu of voluntary benefits— including vision, optional life, critical-illness protection, and more—so you can tailor coverage to fit your life.
• Holistic wellness support: financial-planning tools, family-building assistance (adoption, pregnancy, and fertility resources), parental leave, and confidential Employee Assistance Program counselling.

Retirement & Financial Strategies

• 401(k) with a company match—plus an additional annual retirement contribution from Eastman to accelerate your long-term savings.

Time Away

• Eleven paid holidays, one personal day, paid time off, and paid vacation to recharge, celebrate, or handle life’s moments.

Growth & Development

• Access to mentorship, learning resources, and leadership programs that empower you to thrive in your current role and chart the next steps in your career.

At Eastman, we invest in the whole you—so you can bring your best self to work every day and build a future you’re proud of.

Eastman Chemical Company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, pregnancy, veteran status or any other protected classes as designated by law.

Eastman is committed to creating a powerfully engaged workplace, where everyone can contribute to their fullest potential each day.

Nearest Major Market: Columbia

Nearest Secondary Market: South Carolina

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