Sr Principal Technical Support Engineer (Knowledge of Advanced Process Control)

AspenTech•Houston, TX

About The Position

The driving force behind our success has always been the people of AspenTech. What drives us, is our aspiration, our desire and ambition to keep pushing the envelope, overcoming any hurdle, challenging the status quo to continually find a better way. You will experience these qualities of passion, pride and aspiration in many ways — from a rich set of career development programs to support of community service projects to social events that foster fun and relationship building across our global community. The Role Aspen Technology is seeking a Sr Principal Technical Support Engineer to join our industry leading Advanced Process Control software support team. The ideal candidate should be an innovative thinker, demonstrate high initiative, have great communication skills and work to the highest ethical standards. The candidate will work with our customer base to resolve problems and provide consultation with AspenTech APC software such as Aspen DMC3 and Aspen GDOT. This position requires customer interaction primarily through telephone, E-mails and remote desktop sharing.

Requirements

This role is suited for an experienced process control / industrial technolog y professional who combines a strong engineering foundation with hands-on experience in advanced control systems, industrial architectures, and customer-facing technical work within process industries.
Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering , Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Computer Science , or a closely related field, or equivalent practical experience .
Advanced degrees (Master’s or PhD) are a plus.
Academic or professional exposure to Control Theory is strongly preferred.
8–12+ years of relevant experience in process industries such as refining, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, or manufacturing , gained through industry roles, applied research, or a combination of both.
Hands-on experience working in or supporting real-world plant, manufacturing, or industrial environments is highly valued.
Prior experience with AspenTech software or comparable advanced process control or industrial software from other vendors is a plus.
Strong understanding of chemical engineering and process control concepts , including closed-loop control systems (DCS, PID, computer-based control).
Experience with APC/DCS interface design, implementation, and application architecture , including controller interface databases and configurations.
Solid knowledge of industrial systems and architectures , including: Networking, cybersecurity, and system architecture Virtualized, on-premises, and edge deployments Industrial communication protocols such as OPC DA / OPC UA
Ability to work confidently with data collection, data manipulation, and variable transformation to support analysis and decision-making.
Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills , with the ability to clearly explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Demonstrated coaching and collaboration skills , working effectively with customers and cross-functional teams
A customer-first mindset , with the ability to identify opportunities that drive measurable value, adoption, and long-term success.
Comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced, customer-facing environment
Willingness to travel up to 25% , including occasional international travel.

Nice To Haves

Proficiency with AspenTech online and offline tools .
Experience with AspenTech DMC3/GDOT and MES products .
Fluency in an additional language.

Responsibilities

Provide loyalty-inspiring customer service that drives user engagement and sustains product usage.
Troubleshoot & resolve complex technical and/or engineering related problems reported by customers using AspenTech’s proprietary software.
Responsible for the escalation of customer issues and driving the resolution cross-functionally within AspenTech.
Deliver high-quality intermediate/advanced level training classes, based on the relevant principles of engineering and industrial processes, to AspenTech customer s.
Develop and/or maintain customer focused training materials for new releases and new applications in the industry.
Conduct pre-sales consultations, based on relevant engineering principles and industrial processes, to identify prospects’ business problems and articulate AspenTech’s products as the solution.
Uncover and analyze client/prospect needs to support growth in usage, through a variety of pre-sales activities.
Develop strong relationships with customers, building an understanding of their business needs and challenges.
Collaboration with other AspenTech functions to maintain and develop business opportunities.
Function as a subject matter expert in AspenTech’s pre-release software testing program to drive improved product quality.
Coach fellow team members to enhance their technical skills to help boost their overall contribution.
Conduct health checks on assigned accounts; deliver onsite support and consultancy; deploy AspenTech solutions in customer business environments; execute various departmental improvement projects as needed; author technical white papers for publication to AspenTech’s web knowledgebase.