Senior Process Engineer

GEA Group•Columbia, SC

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Process Engineer supports sales and execution of GEA process systems, particularly evaporation and crystallization technologies for chemical, food, and pharmaceutical markets. Based in Columbia, Maryland, the role is part of the North American Technical Offer Management team and involves close engagement with customers and regional sales managers to understand technical needs and serve as the primary technical contact. The engineer is responsible for technical aspects of proposals and sales documents and conducts final technical reviews of orders. The role generates engineering documents and technical proposal content for GEA equipment, services, and systems, working with Procurement, Contract Management, Sales, Project Management, and Engineering. The expected allocation is 30–40% oversight responsibilities and 60–70% individual sales and project execution assignments. The position spans the project lifecycle, from customer meetings and pre-award sales support through cost estimation, proposal generation, engineering, commissioning, and optimization. It develops process designs and documentation, evaluates equipment and design changes, supports safety and regulatory compliance, and provides customer-facing technical support, including site evaluations, pilot trials, training, commissioning, troubleshooting, and plant audits. The role normally requires 10–20% travel. The current work-from-home policy is two days in the office and three days at home. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship.

Requirements

BS, MS, or PhD in Chemical Engineering.
At least 15 years of experience.
Proficiency in fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and thermodynamics.
Experience with process design, equipment sizing, and component selection.
Ability to read and interpret technical specifications and drawings.
Willingness and ability to travel, normally 10–20% of the time.
Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
Effective interpersonal skills and ability to work well both on a team and independently.
Self-motivated and able to work from home periodically; current policy is two days in the office and three days at home.
Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office products.
Authorization to work in the United States without current or future visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

At least 2–3 years of hands-on chemical industry process engineering experience.
At least 5 years of process equipment industry engineering or sales experience.
Strong knowledge of ASME Section VIII, Division 1, and B31.3.
Knowledge of shop and/or field fabrication practices, including fit-up techniques and types and quality of welding.
Experience selecting materials of construction, including corrosion testing techniques.
Ability to interpret CFD modeling results.

Responsibilities

Participate in project phases from initial customer meetings through pre-award sales support, cost estimation, proposal generation, engineering, commissioning, and optimization.
Manage specific technical areas of projects, ensuring design standards are followed and designs meet customer specifications within time, budget, and contract constraints.
Collaborate with project teams to achieve milestones and goals.
Identify and justify scope changes that affect process design throughout the project lifecycle.
Provide technical solutions that meet customer expectations and requirements.
Maintain accurate records of meetings, discussions, correspondence, and technical documents.
Develop Block Flow Diagrams (BFDs), Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs), Process and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs), and heat and mass balances.
Develop process equipment specifications and specify or design utility consumption.
Contribute to general arrangement plot plan and elevation view drawings.
Evaluate and approve design changes, specifications, and drawing releases.
Develop process and functional descriptions of operation.
Lead and facilitate software factory acceptance testing (FAT) and confirm operation against the process and functional descriptions (FDS).
Plan and implement test procedures and commissioning plans.
Provide technical troubleshooting support to resolve customer concerns about equipment and system performance.
Complete plant audits.
Ensure compliance with government regulations, safety and environmental regulations, and industry standards, including sanitary requirements.
Support safety evaluations, including HAZOP meetings.
Collaborate with team members, technology centers, and GEA European Centers of Competence on technology improvements and project execution.
Coordinate across disciplines to minimize deficiencies, errors, and omissions in project technical documents and specifications.
Develop relationships with technical stakeholders on process design and operation considerations.
Provide pre-sale and post-sale support, including site evaluations, pilot trials, presentations, and training.
Technically evaluate third-party supplier proposals and equipment selections.
Work with customers in support of sales managers and build and maintain customer relationships.
Lead or support on-site commissioning activities.
Train customer personnel on GEA process systems during commissioning and provide ongoing troubleshooting and training support.
Report process improvement initiatives.