Chemical Process Engineering Manager
About The Position
The Chemical Process Engineering Manager is a strategic leadership role responsible for overseeing plant engineering, process optimization, capital improvement initiatives, and technical problem-solving across manufacturing operations. This position provides leadership for process engineering activities, supports operational excellence initiatives, and drives continuous improvement efforts to improve safety, quality, efficiency, and production capacity. The Chemical Process Engineering Manager will have one direct report, either an Engineering Supervisor or Plant Engineer, who will oversee maintenance technicians and daily maintenance activities. While this role maintains accountability for overall equipment reliability and plant engineering performance, day-to-day maintenance execution is managed through the Engineering Supervisor/Plant Engineer. This role requires a strong technical background in Chemical Engineering, with demonstrated expertise in Ion Exchange technology, chemistry, process scale-up, and manufacturing optimization within a chemical or water treatment manufacturing environment.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering required.
- Minimum 8–12 years of engineering experience in chemical manufacturing, water treatment, or related industrial environment.
- Minimum 5 years in engineering leadership or plant engineering management role.
- Strong experience with Ion Exchange systems, water treatment processes, resin manufacturing, or chemical processing strongly preferred.
- Experience scaling manufacturing processes and increasing plant capacity.
- Demonstrated success managing capital projects and process improvement initiatives.
- Lean Manufacturing / Continuous Improvement experience required.
- Strong technical troubleshooting and analytical skills.
- Advanced understanding of chemistry, process engineering, and manufacturing systems.
- Project management and capital planning experience.
- Leadership and team development capabilities.
- Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and CMMS/ERP systems preferred.
- Ability to support a 24/7 manufacturing environment as needed.
- Availability for off-hours support during critical plant issues, shutdowns, or project implementations.
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree a plus.
Responsibilities
- Lead process engineering initiatives to improve manufacturing efficiency, product quality, throughput, and operational reliability.
- Serve as the site technical expert for Ion Exchange chemistry, resin processing, and related chemical manufacturing processes.
- Troubleshoot complex chemistry and process issues impacting production, quality, and customer requirements.
- Lead process scale-up initiatives for new products, process transfers, and production expansion projects.
- Develop and optimize process parameters, standard work, and operating procedures.
- Identify and implement opportunities to increase plant capacity, reduce waste, and improve process flow.
- Partner with Operations, Quality, and R&D teams to support product development, process improvements, and technical investigations.
- Lead planning, justification, and execution of capital projects to support plant growth, modernization, and operational efficiency.
- Manage engineering design, contractor coordination, equipment selection, installation, and commissioning activities.
- Support facility infrastructure improvements, utilities optimization, and equipment upgrades.
- Monitor capital budgets, project timelines, and expenditures to ensure successful project completion.
- Provide strategic oversight for plant maintenance and reliability through the Engineering Supervisor/Plant Engineer.
- Establish reliability improvement initiatives to minimize downtime and improve equipment performance.
- Review preventative and predictive maintenance programs for effectiveness.
- Support root cause analysis of equipment failures and implementation of corrective actions.
- Ensure maintenance systems, spare parts management, and contractor support align with business needs.
- Lead operational excellence initiatives to improve throughput, efficiency, yield, and overall manufacturing performance.
- Identify process bottlenecks, reduce waste, and implement sustainable solutions to improve safety, quality, cost, and delivery metrics.
- Drive process standardization, KPI development, and data-driven decision making across engineering and operations.
- Evaluate and implement automation, process improvements, and technology upgrades to support plant growth and scalability.
- Promote and lead a strong safety culture throughout engineering and operations.
- Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, and company safety/environmental standards.
- Support Process Safety Management initiatives where applicable.
- Participate in incident investigations, corrective actions, and risk reduction efforts.
Benefits
- Diverse learning and working opportunities
- Culture where everyone’s empowered to be their best
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
