Principal Process Engineer

Ecolab • Philadelphia, PA

9d • Onsite

About The Position

Ecolab is seeking a Principal Process Engineer to oversee and optimize the production processes for co-polymer and resin manufacturing within our specialty chemicals facility in Philadelphia, PA . This role is responsible for ensuring safe, efficient, and reliable operations while driving continuous improvement initiatives in process design, scale-up, quality, and cost optimization. The engineer will provide technical leadership to the production team, collaborate with R&D and Quality groups, and lead troubleshooting and process improvement projects across the site.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering or related discipline
• 10 years of process engineering experience in chemical manufacturing
• Demonstrated success leading improvement projects or small engineering teams
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with experience using statistical and process analysis tools (Six Sigma, SPC, DOE etc.)
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced production environment
• Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in chemical engineering
• Deep knowledge of chemical process design, thermodynamics, kinetics, and heat/mass transfer
• Proven experience in continuous and batch reactor operations, distillation, filtration, drying, and material handling systems
• Excellent communication, documentation, and leadership abilities
• Familiarity with safety management systems (PSM, HAZOP, LOPA, etc.)
• Experience with epoxy, polyester, or phenolic resin systems
• Lean/Six Sigma Green Belt or higher certification
• Strong understanding of process control systems (DCS/PLC), instrumentation, and data analysis tools
• Manufacturing experience in chemical manufacturing; experience with resin, polymer, or thermoset/thermoplastic systems preferred
• Solid understanding of all moving equipment used in the processing polymer and resin

Responsibilities

• Process Engineering & Optimization Lead day-to-day technical support for resin production units, ensuring stable, efficient, and safe operations.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance yield, reduce waste, improve energy efficiency, improve first pass fail, and optimize cycle time.
• Analyze process data and KPIs to identify trends, root causes, and performance improvement opportunities.
• Develop and maintain process documentation including PFDs, P&IDs, SOPs, and operating parameters.
• Project Management Lead scale-up activities for new resin formulations from pilot to commercial scale.
• Manage process modification projects including scope definition, design, equipment specification, and commissioning.
• Work closely with EHS, Maintenance, and Production to ensure successful execution of capital and improvement projects.
• Safety, Quality & Compliance Champion process safety management (PSM) and risk assessments such as HAZOP, MOC, and incident investigations.
• Ensure all process operations comply with environmental, health, and safety regulations.
• Support quality control initiatives and collaborate with QA/QC to resolve product quality deviations.
• Leadership & Collaboration Provide technical mentorship to process and production engineers Provide training to shopfloor and/or support in developing the training materials for others to do the training Interface with R&D on resin formulation changes and their manufacturing implications Foster cross-functional teamwork to meet production, quality, and safety targets

Benefits

• Ecolab strives to provide comprehensive and market-competitive benefits to meet the needs of our associates and their families.
• Click here to see our benefits. If you are viewing this posting on a site other than our Ecolab Career website, view our benefits at jobs.ecolab.com/working-here.

What This Job Offers

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