Technical Team Lead, PP/Utilities

INEOS USA LLC; Alvin (TX); On-site; USD 160,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA seeks a PP/Utilities Technical Team Lead to guide a technical team at Chocolate Bayou Works in Alvin, TX. You will drive optimization, debottlenecking, and long‑term technology planning while aligning capital investments with business objectives.

With 10–15 years in chemical engineering environments, you will translate data into strategic direction, govern studies, and deliver durable gains in asset economics, safety, and reliability at the site.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering or related discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• Typically 10 to 15 years of relevant experience in chemical, petrochemical, or large-scale industrial manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop the technical team, establishing performance expectations.
• Identify and prioritize optimization and debottlenecking opportunities; own opportunity registers.
• Develop multi-year technology roadmaps and steward analytical models and studies.
• Own CAPEX investment plans for optimization initiatives and support FEL development.
• Interface with manufacturing, asset, and project teams; translate analysis into decision-ready insight.
• Drive durable improvements in asset economics and ensure governance of value-capture activities.

Skills

Process modeling

Heat and mass balances

Scenario analysis

Yield optimization

ROI analysis

Technology roadmaps

Asset economics

Process safety

Capital project governance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering or related discipline

Job description

Company: INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA
Job Title: PP/Utilities Technical Team Lead
Job Location: Chocolate Bayou Works in Alvin, TX
Offer Range: $160,000 - $200,000 (commensurate with experience)

Organizational Context and Job Purpose

The Olefins & Polymers USA division of INEOS is one of the largest producers of olefins and polyolefins in North America. From its manufacturing locations at Chocolate Bayou and the Battleground Manufacturing Complex, it is a merchant marketer of butadiene, ethylene, polypropylene and high‑density polyethylene with annual revenue of over $4B. The Chocolate Bayou Site is located in southeastern Texas about 40 miles south of Houston and consists of two Olefins units that produce approximately 4bn pounds/year of ethylene, two Polypropylene units that produce approximately 1bn pounds/year of polypropylene, and the Light Ends storage & transfer facilities at Stratton Ridge. The Technical Team Lead provides technical, strategic, and people leadership to drive durable economic value through optimization, debottlenecking, and long‑term technology planning. This role is accountable for translating data, operational insight, and technology expertise into clear strategic direction and decision‑ready recommendations that improve yield, energy efficiency, throughput, and asset utilization. The Technical Team Lead ensures that value is systematically identified, rigorously quantified, and effectively institutionalized, such that improvements are repeatable, governed, and sustained over time—not dependent on individual effort. This role bridges short‑term operational realities and long‑term asset strategy, aligning optimization priorities, technology roadmaps, and capital investment decisions with broader business objectives. Acting as the steward of the site’s long‑range performance outlook, the Technical Team Lead partners closely with Capital Projects, Operations, and Business Teams, to ensure the plant consistently operates closer to its economic and technical limits, without compromising safety, reliability, or compliance. Success is measured by sustained improvement in asset economics and decision quality, even when the team is not directly engaged in the day‑to‑day. The Technical Team Lead reports to the Site Technical Manager. This position is part of the technical team at the Chocolate Bayou Works and provides technical support to two Polypropylene Units, a Utilities Unit and a Cogeneration facility.

Responsibilities & Accountabilities

Key Roles and Accountabilities

The position is accountable for understanding and putting into practice the INEOS 20 Principles. Additionally, the Technical Team Lead has a special responsibility to cascade the understanding of these principles through their team.

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, coach, and develop the technical team.
• Establish performance expectations and accountability.
• Promote disciplined execution and technical rigor.

Strategy, Optimization & Value Creation

• Identify and prioritize optimization and debottlenecking opportunities.
• Own and govern opportunity registers.
• Drive sustained economic improvement.

Technology & Intellectual Asset Stewardship

• Develop and maintain multi‑year technology roadmaps.
• Steward analytical models and technical studies.

Capital Investment & Project Support

• Own CAPEX investment plans for optimization initiatives.
• Support FEL development and capital justifications.

Cross‑Functional Integration & Influence

• Interface with manufacturing, asset, and project teams.
• Translate technical analysis into decision‑ready insight.

Key Success Indicators

• Sustained improvement in asset economics.
• High‑quality strategic and optimization studies.
• Durable institutionalized gains.

Skills & Knowledge Required

Education & Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering or related discipline; advanced degree preferred. Typically 10 to 15 years relevant experience in chemical, petrochemical, or large‑scale industrial manufacturing environments. Prior experience leading or mentoring technical professionals strongly preferred.

Technical skills

• Advanced understanding of process technology, unit operations, and asset constraints.
• Strong capability in process modeling, heat and material balances, and scenario analysis to support optimization and strategic decision‑making.
• Demonstrated expertise in optimization, debottlenecking, and yield/energy efficiency analysis with quantified economic impact.
• Proficiency in technical‑economic evaluation, including ROI analysis, cost‑curve positioning, and value‑capture prioritization.
• Experience developing and governing multi‑year technology roadmaps aligned with business and asset strategy.
• Ability to identify and assess technology gaps, capability limits, and upgrade pathways through benchmarking and long‑range studies.
• Working knowledge of capital project development processes (FEL0/1), including technology scoping, business justification, and option evaluation.
• Strong understanding of asset economics, unit cost drivers, and profitability analysis.
• Experience stewarding process models, technical studies, and intellectual assets with disciplined governance.
• Solid grounding in process safety, reliability principles, and operational risk considerations related to optimization and technology change.
• Ability to translate complex technical analyses into clear, decision‑ready recommendations for leadership.

Leadership & Behavioral skills

• Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and develop technical professionals, creating an environment where individuals are empowered to perform at their best.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to work persuasively and credibly across disciplines and at all organizational levels.
• Proven capability to lead diverse teams and align stakeholders around shared objectives and strategic priorities.
• Effective at prioritizing work to ensure focus on the most critical, highest‑value activities.
• Ability to delegate work appropriately, with clear expectations, accountability, and follow‑through.
• Comfortable and effective engaging with senior leadership, translating complex technical topics into clear, decision‑ready insight.
• Demonstrates sound judgment, problem‑solving capability, and a sense of urgency appropriate to business‑critical decisions.
• Models a strong work ethic and ownership mindset, while reinforcing sustainable performance through the team rather than personal effort alone.

Line Management Responsibility

The PP/Utilities Technical Team Lead has 2 to 3 direct reports. They are responsible for ensuring the team adheres to the company’s core values of safety, health, environmental performance, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability.