Process Improvement Leader

INEOS is a global manufacturer of petrochemicals, specialty chemicals, and oil products, comprising 15 businesses with a major chemical company heritage. Its production network spans 65 manufacturing facilities in 16 countries. INEOS products contribute to saving lives, improving health, and enhancing living standards worldwide, providing raw materials essential for goods ranging from paints to plastics, textiles to technology, and medicines to mobile phones.

INEOS Oxide is one of the world’s leading producers of Ethylene Oxide (EO) and Ethylene Oxide Derivatives (EODs), with a total capacity of 920 kta across five production units in Europe and the US. The EO project in the US targets the fast-growing merchant EO market, leveraging INEOS’s leadership and experience in Europe.

About the Role

Lead the technical team responsible for process optimization, process design, process control, and improvements. Initiate projects aimed at improving safety, operability, and variable costs, evaluating energy optimization, supporting business growth, and ensuring facilities align with current legislation and technological standards. Act as the lead operations representative safeguarding process safety for the EO&EOD unit, with high visibility through regular interaction with the management team and diverse internal and external groups.

Responsibilities

• Safety, Health, and Environment (SHE):
  • Comply with Life Saving Rules and promote the INEOS 20 Safety Principles.
  • Actively support SHE activities, meetings, and audits to ensure compliance with plant policies, OSHA, PSM, DOT, EPA, and TCEQ.
  • Stop work if unsafe conditions are observed and promote a commitment to operate assets with no harm to people or the environment.
  • Lead and participate in HAZOP and ESD/SIL reviews, ensuring completion of Management of Change (MOC) and compliance action items.
  • Conduct process safety incident investigations, including ESD activations, and define corrective actions.
  • Support the definition and maintenance of the Operating Envelope and ensure 5-year reviews.
  • Develop solutions for process safety issues, coordinate alarm management, and track process safety actions.
  • Perform leak calculations for environmental reporting and assist in troubleshooting quality concerns.
• Leadership:
  • Communicate business strategies, plant strategies, and performance measures to the technical team and operations organization.
  • Lead, coach, develop, and set priorities for the technical team, establishing clear performance expectations and accountability.
  • Promote disciplined execution, technical rigor, ownership, and sustainable performance through teamwork.
  • Prioritize and delegate work, ensuring focus on critical and high-value activities.
  • Build alignment across diverse disciplines and stakeholder groups around shared objectives and strategic direction.
  • Communicate and influence effectively at all organizational levels, translating complex technical topics into clear insights.
  • Demonstrate sound judgment, problem-solving capability, and urgency in business-critical decisions.
  • Serve on business and site committees, representing manufacturing and technical interests.
• Manufacturing Excellence:
  • Manage, coach, and develop direct reports, aligning their work with technical and site objectives.
  • Develop and optimize EO & EOD plants through project initiatives related to safety, operability, growth, and business expectations.
  • Initiate project studies and front-end process design, including heat and material balances, process modeling, and cost estimates.
  • Support the site’s 5-year CAPEX plan and assess growth options and energy requirements for long-term strategy.
  • Monitor and optimize energy and utilities usage, championing energy reduction goals and variable cost projects.
  • Support EO catalyst monitoring, troubleshooting, and daily operations in collaboration with production engineers.
  • Network with other INEOS Oxide sites for learnings and improvements, and provide input for benchmarking (CO2, energy, etc.).
  • Support TAR technical scope development and execution, and optimize unit control schemes with the Process Control Engineer.
  • Develop and optimize process monitoring tools for production engineers and support asset optimization (reactor, flare, steam system, compressors, distillation, etc.).

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, or another engineering discipline.
• Six to ten (6-10) years of experience in chemical or petrochemical engineering and/or manufacturing, with a proven track record in process design and unit optimization.

Skills

• Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, coach, and develop technical professionals, empowering individuals to perform at their best.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to work persuasively across disciplines and organizational levels.
• Proven capability to lead diverse teams and align stakeholders around shared objectives and strategic priorities.
• Effective at prioritizing and delegating work with clear expectations and accountability.
• Comfortable engaging with senior leadership and translating complex technical topics into clear, decision-ready insights.
• Models an ownership mindset, reinforcing sustainable team performance through disciplined execution and technical rigor.
• Strong operations knowledge and ability to stay abreast of industry changes.
• Expertise in unit operations, heat and material balances, hydraulics, heat transfer, distillation/separation systems, and process optimization.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and deliver multiple competing priorities.
• Fundamental knowledge of financial reporting, account management, and contract management.
• Experience with process modeling software such as Aspen Plus, Aspen HYSYS, or equivalent.
• Commitment to SHEQ compliance and advancement, with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to define personal success in terms of team performance and make timely, effective decisions.
• Strong understanding of cost/benefit analysis, budgeting, and the ability to generate and implement new ideas.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, fostering open dialogue and understanding diverse audiences.
• Effective teamwork, mentorship, and people-management skills, with the ability to positively influence others.

Working Conditions

• Physical Requirements:
  • Outside Light Work: Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds frequently.
  • Inside Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, primarily involving sitting.
  • Ability to see written documents, computer screens, and adjust focus.
  • Hearing: Perceiving sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction, and ability to receive detailed information through oral communication.
• Environmental Conditions:
  • Subject to inside environmental conditions, including temperature variations.
  • Subject to outside environmental conditions with no effective protection from weather.
  • Exposure to extreme cold (below 32°F) and extreme heat (above 100°F) for extended periods.
  • Exposure to noise levels requiring shouting to be heard above ambient noise.
  • Exposure to hazards, including moving mechanical parts, electrical current, scaffolding, high places, high heat, and chemicals.
  • Exposure to atmospheric conditions affecting the respiratory system or skin, such as fumes, odors, dust, mists, gases, or poor ventilation.

Performance Indicators

• Safety results
• Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) reports (reliability)
• Operating plan adherence
• CAPEX budget vs. actuals
• Variable and energy cost management