Process Engineer

Sullivan Environmental Services Inc•Galveston, TX

40d•Onsite

About The Position

Texas International Refining Company is seeking a Process Engineer to support crude splitter operations and contribute to capital projects across refinery and terminal assets. This role is responsible for maintaining safe, reliable, and optimized unit performance while ensuring projects are technically sound, operable, and economically aligned with business objectives. This position is ideal for an engineer who enjoys hands-on operations support, problem-solving, and driving measurable improvements in both unit performance and capital execution.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering or related field
Experience in refining, petrochemical, or terminal operations (crude distillation preferred)
Strong understanding of crude distillation / splitter operations
Strong understanding of distillation curves (TBP/ASTM) and crude assay interpretation
Strong understanding of heat integration and energy optimization
Experience with process simulation tools (HYSYS, Petro-SIM, or similar)
Knowledge of process safety standards (PSM, MOC, HAZOP)
Strong problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills
Ability to manage multiple priorities across operations and projects
Ability to connect process decisions to economic outcomes

Responsibilities

Deliver daily process monitoring and troubleshooting for the crude splitter, focusing on yield optimization, cut point control, fractionation performance, and energy efficiency.
Own process unit KPIs including throughput, yield recovery, energy intensity, and off-spec product incidents.
Lead root cause analysis (RCA) for process upsets and deviations, identifying failure mechanisms and implementing corrective actions.
Maintain unit process models and monitoring tools, including crude slate evaluation and distillation curve interpretation.
Interface daily with Operations, Lab, and Commercial/Trading to translate crude assay variability into operational adjustments and ensure product specifications meet commercial commitments.
Provide on-call technical support for unit issues.
Drive margin improvement initiatives by maximizing high-value cut recovery and minimizing giveaway and reprocessing.
Identify and implement debottleneck opportunities related to hydraulic limits, heat transfer constraints, and control system inefficiencies.
Lead test runs and plant trials, defining objectives, analyzing results, and formalizing recommendations.
Maintain and update operating envelopes, documenting safe and optimal ranges for key process variables.
Support digital/analytics tools for process optimization.
Serve as the process engineering representative for capital projects from concept development through startup.
Develop and review process design deliverables, including heat & material balances, PFDs/P&IDs, and equipment sizing/datasheets.
Validate project economics and feasibility, tying process design to yield/value impact and ensuring alignment with commercial strategy.
Ensure operability and maintainability are embedded in designs by participating in design reviews (HAZOP, PHA, model reviews).
Support construction, commissioning, and startup, including developing startup procedures and troubleshooting performance gaps.
Coordinate with external engineering firms and vendors, holding them accountable for technical quality and timelines.
Maintain compliance with PSM and environmental requirements.
Support and participate in MOC, PHA, LOPA, and HAZOP processes.
Maintain accurate and up-to-date process documentation.
Support incident investigations with clear technical findings.