Senior APC Engineer

Shell•Norco, LA

About The Position

The Senior Advanced Process Control (APC) Engineer serves as the Norco site technical authority for APC applications, providing technical leadership for development, implementation, sustainment, and lifecycle management. The role develops and implements the site APC strategy to improve throughput and yield, energy efficiency, reliability, operational stability, and margin performance. The engineer identifies, prioritizes, and documents improvement opportunities and leads their execution from concept through realized and sustained business value. This is a working technical leadership position with accountability for APC application performance, uptime, conformance, and continuous improvement. Norco uses Shell PACE, considered the same as Dynamic Matrix Control or Model Predictive Control. The position provides site-wide technical leadership and day-to-day assurance for APC applications supporting Norco Refining and Chemical Production. It works with Production, Asset Operations, Asset Optimization, Process Engineering, PACO, Control Systems Engineers, and other internal, off-site, vendor, and specialist support resources. The role also applies company processes for safe production, management of change, engineering work, performance monitoring, opportunity tracking, and process control domain security. The role is based in Louisiana. Shell offers a base salary range of $149,000–$223,000 per year, with individual pay determined by factors including experience, education, certifications, skills, seniority, and internal equity. The posting describes a range of insurance, pension and 401(k), paid leave, reimbursement, learning and development, and other compensation and work-life offerings for eligible employees.

Requirements

Must have legal authorization to work in the United States on a full-time basis for an employer other than the current employer.
Bachelor’s degree in Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, or another relevant engineering discipline.
Minimum 8 years of experience in industrial process control and/or dynamic matrix control.
Demonstrated APC experience, including application development, commissioning, troubleshooting, performance monitoring, and sustainment.
Demonstrated knowledge of base-layer control, complex control, and manufacturing operations.
Ability to identify and translate operating and economic opportunities into practical APC solutions and sustained business value.
Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and provide site-wide technical leadership.

Nice To Haves

PACE experience.

Responsibilities

Serve as the site APC and PACE technical authority and focal point for APC strategy, performance, technical assurance, and lifecycle management.
Develop, maintain, and implement the site APC strategy, aligning priorities with Production, Asset Operations, Asset Optimization, Process Engineering, and PACO objectives.
Develop and improve proactive technical monitoring for existing APC applications to maintain and improve controller uptime, utilization, and conformance.
Take accountability for APC issue resolution, including troubleshooting application performance and coordinating internal, off-site, and external support resources.
Develop a comprehensive APC controller support strategy using available site, enterprise, vendor, and specialist resources effectively.
Identify, document, prioritize, and lead APC improvement opportunities across the site, including resource allocation.
Lead development and implementation of APC solutions that increase throughput and yield, reduce product giveaway and energy consumption, improve reliability and operational stability, and maximize sustained margin capture.
Monitor controller performance and conformance, identify performance gaps, and drive continuous improvement.
Collaborate with Control Systems Engineers to improve base-layer and complex control performance where those controls are foundational to APC effectiveness.
Engage Production Teams and Process Engineering to ensure APC actions align with operating objectives, unit constraints, optimization plans, and safe operating limits.
Mentor APC Engineers and Control Systems Engineers in PACE controller development, improvement, troubleshooting, and maintenance.
Provide APC technical assurance and support for management of change, projects, turnarounds, and other site work processes as applicable.
Communicate APC performance, risks, priorities, and realized benefits to stakeholders.
Participate in alarm and process-control performance activities where APC performance interfaces with safe, stable unit operation.
Apply the management of change process to APC and associated control changes, and provide technical evaluation for PACO-related changes.
Use approved engineering processes to develop, assure, implement, document, and sustain APC applications and improvements.
Maintain visibility of controller uptime, conformance, improvement opportunities, execution status, and business benefits.
Follow site requirements for secure development, support, access, and maintenance of APC and PACE applications.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision coverage options.
Life insurance.
Business Travel Accident Insurance.
Occupational Accidental Death Benefit programs.
Company pension plan.
401(k) plan.
Up to 6 weeks of paid vacation time.
Up to 11 paid holidays.
Paid parental leave: 16 weeks for birthing parents and 8 weeks for non-birthing parents.
Short-term disability leave for up to 26 weeks at 100% or 50% of base pay.
Long-Term Disability insurance.
Financial reimbursement for adoption, wellness, education, and personal learning expenses.
Discretionary long-term incentives for some roles.
Flexible working hours and the possibility of remote/mobile working.
Annual performance-related salary increases.
Training and development programs.