Automation Engineer

Braskem • Seadrift, TX

3d • Onsite

About The Position

With a strategy centered on people and sustainability, Braskem is engaged in contributing to the value chain to strengthen the Circular Economy. Braskem’s 9,000 team members dedicate themselves every day to improving people's lives through sustainable solutions in chemicals and plastics. With its corporate DNA rooted in innovation, Braskem offers a comprehensive portfolio of plastic resins and chemical products for diverse industries, such as food packaging, construction, manufacturing, automotive, agribusiness, health and hygiene, and more. With 40 industrial units in Brazil, the United States, Mexico, and Germany, Braskem exports its products to clients in over 70 countries.
Braskem America is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Braskem S.A. headquartered in Philadelphia. The company is the leading producer of polypropylene in the United States, with six production plants located in Texas, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, as well as an Innovation and Technology Center in Pittsburgh and a New Renewable Innovation Center in Lexington, which focuses on leveraging groundbreaking developments in biotechnology and chemical catalysis. For more information, visit www.braskem.com/usa.
Description:
Braskem is looking for a self-motivated and curious process control engineer to help our Seadrift, TX facility reach its full potential. A successful candidate will work very closely with our site I&E specialist, site operations, and our US automation team. At Seadrift, we will need your help maintaining our Foxboro I/A DCS, Triconex system, and Modicon PLCs. You should not be intimidated by challenges, enjoy complex problem solving, and come ready to contribute.

Requirements

• Applicable Engineering degree (chemical preferred) with 10+ years of previous experience in industrial manufacturing, with 3+ years in controls/automation
• Experience with DCS systems (Foxboro I/A), safety systems (Triconex), and PLCs (Modicon).
• Strong self-starter, good communicator, and solid interpersonal skills
• Ability to “get involved & contribute” without being instructed to do so
• Must be able to visualize, understand, and troubleshoot control loops and their associated documentation from the instrument through logic.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis without visa sponsorship (U.S. citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident).
• Excellent general computer skills
• Comfortable working in a small plant environment

Nice To Haves

• Previous plant experience in chemical manufacturing, preferably in Spheripol or Unipol polypropylene technology.
• Previous plant experience in a PSM regulated facility
• Knowledge of computer hardware and software
• Knowledge of network systems
• Competency in programming in at least 1 computer language
• Knowledge of virtualization

Responsibilities

• Perform troubleshooting of the automation systems, including DCS, SIS, PLCs, Data Historian, Advanced Solutions, and DMZ/PCN layer network.
• You will serve a critical role as the primary interface with the I&E technicians, providing occasional support while troubleshooting particularly challenging issues or offering specific guidance for capital work.
• Collaborate daily with operations personnel, helping them troubleshoot process issues, logic, graphics, drawings, etc.
• Maintain and update process control strategy documents, such as loop diagrams, logic drawings, and cause & effect matrices.
• Monitor performance of PID loops and tune as necessary. Diagnose poor performance and recommend next steps as needed.
• Monitor and evaluate automation asset health and performance, and take actions as necessary.
• Be an active participant in MOC and PSSR initiatives, identify how proposed changes may impact our control systems, and help determine optimal implementation solutions.
• Support our Alarm Management process by generating alarm reports, participating in alarm rationalization meetings, and implementing changes to the DCS configuration.
• Perform routine tasks, such as backups and PMs, to verify the viability and reliability of all automation equipment and to repair/replace components as needed.
• Identify and correct problems that may arise during the commissioning of new control system equipment.
• Serve as a liaison to the electrical and mechanical groups and provide insight into how their work might affect automation systems.
• Responsible for developing alarms/interlock testing procedures and conducting functional testing of alarms/interlocks following site specific procedures.
• Perform minor maintenance on the site historian (IP 21). Be able to add/modify tags.
• Coordinating with vendors & Industrial Data and Architecture (ID&A) team to ensure that Seadrift’s automation system’s support software (ex. Schneider, Microsoft, McAfee, Verve, etc) is patched and up to date.
• Ensure that applicable safety practices are followed and that personnel are informed of possible hazards while working with and around automation equipment.
• Our sites are all 24/7 and will require your availability to support the plant during off-hours in case of automation system failures
• Support site cybersecurity initiatives through the Braskem Cybersecurity Champions program
• Provide technical training to operations on control system functionality and alarm management
• Participate in incident investigations into automation system issues and represent automation during other incident investigations
• Work closely with vendors as needed to support our automation systems
• Participate as needed in PHA studies
• Support root cause analysis (RCA) investigations for process safety incidents/near misses
• We rigorously test our automation systems, and you will play a critical part in the creation, planning, execution, and documentation of these systems to ensure the safety of everyone on site and the surrounding community.
• Manage the tracking of bypasses on all automation systems and instrumentation to ensure that the process is being managed correctly

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Benefits
• Retirement Benefits
• Maternity and Paternity Leave
• Life Insurance
• Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Teladoc
• A wide range of voluntary benefits like Pet Insurance, Legal and ID Theft Insurance
• Flexible work schedules like 9/80 schedules for eligible team members

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees