Plant Process Engineer Jobs
Plant Process Engineer jobs are open across chemicals, oil and gas, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and pulp and paper manufacturing, from entry-level process roles to senior and principal engineers, with specializations in process optimization, scale-up, and continuous improvement. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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Trucent, Inc. is a global leader in fluid recovery and regeneration solutions helping manufacturers and producers achieve operational excellence by incorporating sustainable processes. We are committed to demonstrating leading-edge sustainable solutions and approaches to industrial production and materials management. In 2020, we created a new division of Trucent called, Trucent Renewable Chemicals. We specialize on taking oils from agricultural products like corn, soy, or other vegetable oils and separate out the specialty chemical compounds, amino acids, fatty acids, etc.
The Plant Process Engineer owns the performance of the Van Wert renewable chemical process — keeping it safe, reliable and efficient while leading the projects that grow it. You will split your time between the control room, the plant floor and your desk: analyzing process data, troubleshooting equipment, and taking improvement and capital projects from concept through installation and startup.
The ideal candidate is a degreed chemical engineer who is hands-on, comfortable in a continuous-process manufacturing environment, and as at ease with a wrench-turning crew as with a P&ID or a mass balance.
We move quickly on strong candidates. You'll first hear from Talent Acquisition, followed by a personal interview with the Hiring Manager.
Key Responsibilities
Process performance and optimization
- Monitor daily unit performance (yield, throughput, product quality, energy and raw material usage) and drive corrective action when KPIs drift.
- Develop and maintain heat and material balances, process models and operating envelopes for key unit operations (reaction, separation, distillation, filtration, heat transfer).
- Lead root cause analysis on yield losses, off-spec product and recurring equipment issues using structured methods (5-Why, fishbone, RCA).
- Identify and implement continuous improvement projects that reduce cost per pound, increase capacity and cut waste and emissions.
Troubleshooting and operations support
- Serve as the first technical responder for process upsets; diagnose problems on the floor alongside operators and maintenance.
- Write and update standard operating procedures, operating limits and startup/shutdown procedures.
- Train operators on process fundamentals, new equipment and procedure changes.
- Provide on-call support for startups, shutdowns, turnarounds and off-hours upsets.
Projects, design and installation
- Scope, justify and execute capital and expense projects: estimates, ROI, schedules and vendor selection.
- Size and specify process equipment (pumps, heat exchangers, vessels, piping, instrumentation) using standard engineering calculations for capacity, flow rate, pressure drop, power and thermal load.
- Create and maintain P&IDs, PFDs, layouts, schematics and as-built drawings; check vendor and contractor drawings for accuracy.
- Create and maintain equipment data sheets, specifications and fabrication/assembly documents.
- Coordinate plans, details and specifications with vendors, contractors and internal maintenance; oversee installation, commissioning and startup.
Safety, environmental and compliance
- Own Management of Change (MOC) for process modifications and participate in PHA/HAZOP and pre-startup safety reviews.
- Support Process Safety Management (PSM), OSHA and EPA/Ohio EPA requirements, including air and water permit compliance and reporting.
- Champion a strong safety culture through incident investigations, job safety analyses and audits.
Data and collaboration
- Use historian, DCS/PLC and lab data to build trend analyses and performance reports for plant leadership.
- Work with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, EHS and corporate engineering on reliability, quality and product development initiatives.
- Support scale-up and trials of new products or feedstocks within the Renewable Chemical Division.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering (or a closely related engineering discipline).
- 5–7 years of engineering experience in a chemical, refining, biofuels or other continuous-process manufacturing plant.
- At least 3 years leading process improvement projects with measurable results.
- Working knowledge of unit operations, heat and material balances, and equipment sizing calculations.
- Ability to read, create and redline P&IDs, PFDs and engineering drawings; proficiency with AutoCAD or similar drafting software.
- Experience with MOC, PHA/HAZOP and OSHA PSM requirements.
- Strong hands-on troubleshooting skills and willingness to spend significant time on the plant floor.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and data analysis.
- Authorization to work in the United States.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in renewable chemicals, biofuels, oleochemicals or bio-based processing.
- Professional Engineer (PE) license or EIT certification.
- Experience with process simulation (Aspen Plus/HYSYS, CHEMCAD) and plant historians (e.g., PI).
- Familiarity with DCS/PLC control systems and control loop tuning.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher.
- Project management experience with capital projects over $250K.
Working Conditions and Physical Requirements
- Split between office and an operating chemical plant, with exposure to noise, heat, cold, dust and process chemicals.
- Required PPE includes FR clothing, safety glasses, hard hat, steel-toe boots and hearing protection; respirator use may be required.
- Must be able to climb stairs and ladders, work at heights, enter confined spaces (with permit), and lift up to 50 lbs.
- Occasional evening, weekend and holiday work during startups, turnarounds and upsets.
- Limited travel (under 10%) to vendors, sister sites or training.
Equal Opportunity
Trucent provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
Trucent, Inc. is a global leader in fluid recovery and regeneration solutions helping manufacturers and producers achieve operational excellence by incorporating sustainable processes. We are committed to demonstrating leading-edge sustainable solutions and approaches to industrial production and materials management. In 2020, we created a new division of Trucent called, Trucent Renewable Chemicals. We specialize on taking oils from agricultural products like corn, soy, or other vegetable oils and separate out the specialty chemical compounds, amino acids, fatty acids, etc.
The Plant Process Engineer owns the performance of the Van Wert renewable chemical process — keeping it safe, reliable and efficient while leading the projects that grow it. You will split your time between the control room, the plant floor and your desk: analyzing process data, troubleshooting equipment, and taking improvement and capital projects from concept through installation and startup.
The ideal candidate is a degreed chemical engineer who is hands-on, comfortable in a continuous-process manufacturing environment, and as at ease with a wrench-turning crew as with a P&ID or a mass balance.
We move quickly on strong candidates. You'll first hear from Talent Acquisition, followed by a personal interview with the Hiring Manager.
Key Responsibilities
Process performance and optimization
- Monitor daily unit performance (yield, throughput, product quality, energy and raw material usage) and drive corrective action when KPIs drift.
- Develop and maintain heat and material balances, process models and operating envelopes for key unit operations (reaction, separation, distillation, filtration, heat transfer).
- Lead root cause analysis on yield losses, off-spec product and recurring equipment issues using structured methods (5-Why, fishbone, RCA).
- Identify and implement continuous improvement projects that reduce cost per pound, increase capacity and cut waste and emissions.
Troubleshooting and operations support
- Serve as the first technical responder for process upsets; diagnose problems on the floor alongside operators and maintenance.
- Write and update standard operating procedures, operating limits and startup/shutdown procedures.
- Train operators on process fundamentals, new equipment and procedure changes.
- Provide on-call support for startups, shutdowns, turnarounds and off-hours upsets.
Projects, design and installation
- Scope, justify and execute capital and expense projects: estimates, ROI, schedules and vendor selection.
- Size and specify process equipment (pumps, heat exchangers, vessels, piping, instrumentation) using standard engineering calculations for capacity, flow rate, pressure drop, power and thermal load.
- Create and maintain P&IDs, PFDs, layouts, schematics and as-built drawings; check vendor and contractor drawings for accuracy.
- Create and maintain equipment data sheets, specifications and fabrication/assembly documents.
- Coordinate plans, details and specifications with vendors, contractors and internal maintenance; oversee installation, commissioning and startup.
Safety, environmental and compliance
- Own Management of Change (MOC) for process modifications and participate in PHA/HAZOP and pre-startup safety reviews.
- Support Process Safety Management (PSM), OSHA and EPA/Ohio EPA requirements, including air and water permit compliance and reporting.
- Champion a strong safety culture through incident investigations, job safety analyses and audits.
Data and collaboration
- Use historian, DCS/PLC and lab data to build trend analyses and performance reports for plant leadership.
- Work with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, EHS and corporate engineering on reliability, quality and product development initiatives.
- Support scale-up and trials of new products or feedstocks within the Renewable Chemical Division.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering (or a closely related engineering discipline).
- 5–7 years of engineering experience in a chemical, refining, biofuels or other continuous-process manufacturing plant.
- At least 3 years leading process improvement projects with measurable results.
- Working knowledge of unit operations, heat and material balances, and equipment sizing calculations.
- Ability to read, create and redline P&IDs, PFDs and engineering drawings; proficiency with AutoCAD or similar drafting software.
- Experience with MOC, PHA/HAZOP and OSHA PSM requirements.
- Strong hands-on troubleshooting skills and willingness to spend significant time on the plant floor.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and data analysis.
- Authorization to work in the United States.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in renewable chemicals, biofuels, oleochemicals or bio-based processing.
- Professional Engineer (PE) license or EIT certification.
- Experience with process simulation (Aspen Plus/HYSYS, CHEMCAD) and plant historians (e.g., PI).
- Familiarity with DCS/PLC control systems and control loop tuning.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher.
- Project management experience with capital projects over $250K.
Working Conditions and Physical Requirements
- Split between office and an operating chemical plant, with exposure to noise, heat, cold, dust and process chemicals.
- Required PPE includes FR clothing, safety glasses, hard hat, steel-toe boots and hearing protection; respirator use may be required.
- Must be able to climb stairs and ladders, work at heights, enter confined spaces (with permit), and lift up to 50 lbs.
- Occasional evening, weekend and holiday work during startups, turnarounds and upsets.
- Limited travel (under 10%) to vendors, sister sites or training.
Equal Opportunity
Trucent provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
Plant Process Engineer Jobs by Experience Level
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Find Plant Process Engineer JobsPlant Process Engineer Job Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Chemicals & Materials
- Energy
- Technology & Software
- Electronics & Hardware
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in plant process engineer jobs.
- Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering or a closely related engineering discipline
- Proficiency in process simulation software such as Aspen Plus or HYSYS
- Experience reading and creating piping and instrumentation diagrams
- Knowledge of process safety management and OSHA PSM regulations
- Familiarity with continuous improvement methodologies such as Six Sigma or Lean manufacturing
- Experience with distributed control systems or programmable logic controllers in a plant environment
Tips for Your Plant Process Engineer Job Search
Quantify process improvements on your resume
Hiring managers want numbers, not vague claims. Replace phrases like 'improved throughput' with specific outcomes: yield gains, cycle time reductions, or waste eliminated. If your project was confidential, use percentages rather than absolutes to stay accurate.
List your simulation and modeling tools explicitly
Many applicant tracking systems screen resumes for specific software names before a human ever reads them. Call out Aspen Plus, HYSYS, ProMax, or any DCS platforms you've used by exact name, not just 'process simulation software.'
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists plant process engineer openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target postings by unit operation not just title
Job titles vary wildly across plants. Search for the unit operations you specialize in, such as distillation, polymerization, or extraction, alongside 'process engineer' to surface relevant roles that use alternative titles like manufacturing engineer or plant engineer.
Prepare a P&ID walkthrough for technical interviews
Most plant process engineer interviews include a technical screen where you'll be asked to interpret or mark up a piping and instrumentation diagram. Practice explaining control loops, interlocks, and safety instrumented functions out loud before you get to that stage.
Negotiate start date around turnaround schedules
Plant hiring often stalls if your proposed start date conflicts with a planned turnaround or outage. If a hiring manager hesitates on timing, ask about upcoming shutdown schedules and offer flexibility around them to avoid losing an offer over a calendar mismatch.
Plant Process Engineer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most plant process engineers?
The companies hiring the most plant process engineers right now include LANXESS, Antora Energy, and Abbott, with the largest share of openings in New Jersey, Ohio, and Illinois, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Demand tends to concentrate in regions with heavy chemical, refining, and food processing infrastructure.
How many plant process engineer jobs are remote?
About 11% of plant process engineer openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting that most roles require on-site presence at a production facility. The sub-areas most likely to offer remote or hybrid arrangements include process design consulting, capital project engineering, and technical documentation roles where direct plant access is not required daily.
How do you become a plant process engineer?
Start with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, though mechanical and industrial engineering backgrounds are accepted at some plants. Build hands-on familiarity with process simulation tools and P&ID interpretation through coursework, internships, or co-ops. Entry-level roles typically involve supporting senior engineers on process troubleshooting, mass and energy balances, and equipment sizing before you take on independent project ownership.
Can you get hired as a plant process engineer with little experience?
Yes, many chemical and food manufacturers hire new graduates into process engineering rotational programs or junior roles specifically designed to build plant experience. Strengthen your application by emphasizing internship or co-op projects with measurable outcomes, any exposure to DCS platforms or safety systems, and familiarity with the specific industry sector the employer operates in.
What does the plant process engineer interview process look like?
Most employers run a phone or video screen with a recruiter, followed by a technical interview covering process fundamentals such as mass balances, heat transfer, and P&ID interpretation. A final on-site round typically includes a plant walk where you discuss observations with the hiring manager and a panel interview with cross-functional colleagues from operations, safety, and maintenance.
Where can I find and apply to plant process engineer jobs?
You can find and apply to plant process engineer jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from employers across the United States. Search the roles available, find the ones that match your background and target industry, and apply directly to each listing that fits.
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