Utilities & Material Handling Operations Engineer

Utilities & Material Handling Operations Engineer

We are seeking a motivated and hands-on Utilities & Material Handling Operations Engineer to join our team at our Wilmington, NC manufacturing facility.

About the role

This position is ideal for an engineer who enjoys working in a manufacturing environment, solving real time operational challenges, and developing broad plant experience across utilities, logistics, and production support.

Responsibilities

• Support daily operation of site utilities including steam, condensate, water, compressed air, power distribution, and wastewater interfaces.
• Maintain utility performance and investigate deviations in reliability, efficiency, and availability.
• Assist with troubleshooting utility upsets and abnormal operating conditions alongside Operations and Maintenance teams.
• Support operating procedures, startups, shutdowns, and seasonal operating adjustments.
• Identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency, reliability, and environmental performance.
• Provide technical support for raw material receiving, internal transfers, bulk material handling, packaging, and shipping operations.
• Troubleshoot material flow issues, transfer inefficiencies, contamination risks, and equipment constraints.
• Support safe loading and unloading activities for trucks, railcars, totes, and bulk storage systems.
• Participate in investigations of material handling incidents, near misses, and losses.
• Analyze utility usage, downtime, material losses, and operating performance data.
• Participate in root cause analysis and corrective action development.
• Support development of standard work, operating limits, and visual management tools.
• Track and help close action items from audits, investigations, and improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of manufacturing experience or relevant co-op/internship experience preferred.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively with Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering teams.
• Understanding of manufacturing KPIs and continuous improvement principles preferred.
• Experience with utility systems such as steam, boilers, cooling water, and compressed air.
• Experience with bulk solids or liquid material handling systems.
• Knowledge of process safety, LOTO, permits, and PSM-regulated environments.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement programs.
• Strong interest in plant operations and hands-on field support.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with utility systems such as steam, boilers, cooling water, and compressed air.
• Experience with bulk solids or liquid material handling systems.
• Knowledge of process safety, LOTO, permits, and PSM-regulated environments.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement programs.
• Strong interest in plant operations and hands-on field support.

What Success Looks Like

• Utility systems operate safely, reliably, and efficiently.
• Material handling operations are executed with minimal losses and disruptions.
• Operational issues are identified quickly and resolved through structured problem-solving.
• Strong partnerships are built with Operations, Maintenance, and Production teams.
• Continuous improvement opportunities are identified and implemented to improve site performance.

Education

• Chemical Engineering Degree

Work Environment

• Combination of office and manufacturing plant environment.
• Significant field presence supporting day-to-day plant operations.
• Regular exposure to outdoor conditions, heavy industrial equipment, and PPE requirements.
• Occasional off-shift support during plant upsets, startups, and project activities may be required.

Why Join Us?

• Gain broad exposure to plant operations, utilities, logistics, and manufacturing systems.
• Work alongside experienced Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering professionals.
• Help drive improvements that directly impact safety, reliability, and operational performance.
• Build a strong foundation for future technical and leadership opportunities within chemical manufacturing.

Application Information

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.