Production Engineer

At Nouryon, our global team takes positive action every day to reach higher collectively and individually. We create innovative and sustainable solutions for our customers to answer society’s needs – today and in the future.

About the role

As a Production Engineer at our Battleground manufacturing site in La Porte, Texas, you will have direct ownership of the performance of an assigned production unit in a technically complex chemical manufacturing environment. This is a hands-on engineering role where you will combine field troubleshooting, data analysis, process optimization, and continuous improvement to make a measurable impact on plant performance.

The Battleground site primarily manufactures metal alkyls and High Purity Metal Organics (HPMO). Its portfolio includes more than 30 metal alkyl products used in applications such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and EPDM production, as well as HPMO products for the semiconductor and LED industries.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the assigned production unit, providing oversight and direction to improve OEE, material yields, production rates, and product quality.
• Identify and lead process, quality, yield, safety, and maintenance reliability improvements using Continuous Improvement principles and tools.
• Troubleshoot process and product issues firsthand, partnering closely with Operations and other technical teams to identify root causes and implement sustainable solutions.
• Provide technical and operating support for unit startups, project commissioning, and other plant needs, and manage smaller capital projects within your assigned units.
• Develop and improve unit-specific SOPs and technical documentation and identify and lead engineering Management of Change (MOC) activities.
• Support the site's HSSE, environmental compliance, quality, and process-safety objectives in an OSHA PSM-covered manufacturing environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering.
• At least 4 years of relevant experience, preferably within a chemical manufacturing environment.
• Strong experience in a production/manufacturing environment involving hazardous chemicals.
• Experience working within a PSM environment and strong knowledge of process safety principles.
• A hands-on approach, with the ability and willingness to work in the field and take ownership of production-unit performance.
• Experience with process and product troubleshooting, process optimization, and design/project implementation.
• Knowledge of chemical/process engineering fundamentals, including heat and material balances, equipment sizing, relief-valve calculations, and raw-material yield calculations.

Skills

• Hands-on and proactive, with the initiative to go into the field, understand equipment and processes firsthand, and investigate problems at their source.
• Results-oriented and accountable, taking ownership of production performance and following issues through to resolution.
• Analytical and solution-oriented, with strong troubleshooting skills and the ability to translate data and observations into practical improvements.
• Collaborative, with the ability to work effectively across Operations, Maintenance, Reliability, Quality, HSE, and Engineering.
• Continuous-improvement focused, always looking for opportunities to improve safety, quality, reliability, OEE, and yield.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience supporting or owning chemical manufacturing production units, particularly reactor-based processes.
• Strong knowledge and practical application of Lean/Six Sigma and Continuous Improvement tools.
• Experience leading MOC, commissioning, reliability, yield, quality, or smaller capital improvement projects within a manufacturing environment.

Benefits

At Nouryon, you will join a collaborative and technically experienced manufacturing organization where Production Engineers are given meaningful ownership of their areas. The Battleground site has approximately 13 production units/reactors, supported by a team of 5 Production Engineers, giving you the opportunity to work closely with Operations while developing broad technical expertise across complex chemical processes.

This position provides exposure to a broad range of responsibilities, including production optimization, troubleshooting, process safety, reliability, Continuous Improvement, MOC, commissioning, and capital projects. You will have the opportunity to directly influence the safety, quality, reliability, efficiency, and performance of your assigned production units.