Senior Chemical Process Engineer
About The Position
Hexegen, a Texas-based advanced materials company and subsidiary of Nabors Industries, is commercializing its Hexite™ platform, a proprietary process for producing high-purity, graphene-class nanomaterials at scale. The pilot facility currently manufactures Hexite™ at scale, and much of the production system that will follow has already been designed. The role will advance the technology from pilot-scale production to commercial readiness by completing, integrating, and optimizing chemical processing systems. The engineer will improve production performance, support process safety, and establish scalable manufacturing capabilities, directly influencing the transition to commercial production and the reliability, efficiency, and consistency of products serving multiple global markets. The position is based on-site at Hexegen's facility in Tomball, Texas. It involves standard plant working conditions, including extended periods of walking and standing, occasional bending or climbing, and lifting up to 50 lbs. Some domestic travel is required to visit vendors, fabricators, and partner facilities.
Requirements
- 7–12 years of process engineering experience in chemicals, advanced materials, specialty chemicals, or advanced manufacturing, including hands-on experience fine-tuning a complex production system and engineering it to commercial readiness.
- Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering.
- Hands-on experience with reactor systems and surrounding unit operations, including completing engineering work, specifying equipment, integrating systems, and turning a partial or pilot-scale design into a running production line.
- Strong working knowledge of process safety, including HAZOP/PHA participation or leadership, relief design, and OSHA PSM where applicable.
- Fluency with process simulation tools such as Aspen Plus, ChemCAD, or equivalent, and P&ID development.
- Bias toward action, pragmatic problem-solving, and judgment about balancing engineering elegance with practical implementation.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; fluency in English.
- Willingness to work on-site at the facility in Tomball, Texas.
- Ability to meet the stated physical demands of plant work, including extended walking and standing, occasional bending or climbing, and lifting up to 50 lbs.
- Willingness to undertake some domestic travel for visits to vendors, fabricators, and partner facilities.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with specialty materials, nanomaterials, carbon materials, CVD, or fine powders.
- Prior experience in a start-up or scale-up environment where equipment, processes, and teams are being built in parallel.
- Lean / Six Sigma exposure.
- An advanced degree; it is welcome but not required.
Responsibilities
- Lead completion of process engineering designs, resolve outstanding technical requirements, and advance existing systems toward production readiness.
- Define process configurations, equipment specifications, and supporting system requirements to integrate reactor systems and associated unit operations.
- Collaborate with internal teams and external engineering partners to turn process designs into executable manufacturing solutions.
- Evaluate and optimize pilot-scale operations to improve yield, throughput, process efficiency, and product consistency.
- Identify process limitations, troubleshoot technical challenges, and implement practical engineering improvements.
- Use process data, engineering analysis, and continuous improvement methods to support reliable, repeatable production.
- Translate pilot-scale operating performance into commercial-scale process and equipment requirements.
- Develop and validate mass and energy balances, equipment sizing, and process design parameters.
- Maintain critical process characteristics, product purity, and performance as production capacity increases.
- Lead or support Process Hazard Analyses (PHA), HAZOP studies, relief system design, and process safety documentation.
- Develop process safety information and evaluate safety requirements for new or modified equipment.
- Establish process control and in-line quality strategies to maintain product purity and batch-to-batch consistency.
- Partner with the Plant Manager, internal technical teams, vendors, fabricators, and engineering partners to advance process engineering initiatives.
- Provide technical support during equipment specification, procurement, commissioning, and start-up.
- Communicate engineering requirements, technical risks, and recommended solutions to stakeholders.
- Contribute to engineering capabilities and mentor junior process engineers as the organization expands.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
