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The Pilot Plant Engineer is a hands-on, operations-focused engineer who plays a critical role in enabling Shelter R&D’s innovation pipeline. This position acts as the technical owner of pilot plant performance, partnering closely with Operations, R&D, EHS, and FSRE to deliver safe, reliable, and efficient pilot operations.
This role is ideal for engineers who thrive in a run plant environment—someone who enjoys being close to the process, solving problems in real time, and continuously improving how the plant operates.
This role is on-site at our Midland Headquarters location, and relocation is not supported.
What You'll Do:
Own Pilot Plant Performance
- Serve as the first-line engineering lead for pilot plant operations
- Rapidly troubleshoot process and equipment issues to minimize downtime and restore operations
- Provide technical leadership during upsets, breakdowns, and unplanned events
- Support pilot scheduling and execution to ensure high-quality, on-time trials
Drive Reliability & Continuous Improvement
- Identify and implement improvements in safety, reliability, and operational efficiency
- Analyze process data and trends to eliminate recurring issues and improve performance
- Lead root cause investigations and implement sustainable corrective actions
- Recommend and execute process modifications to improve throughput, capability, and consistency
Build & Scale New Capabilities
- Translate R&D needs into practical engineering solutions and new pilot capabilities
- Design, modify, and implement equipment or process enhancements (e.g., new attachments, flow systems)
- Support capital projects end-to-end, from idea generation through installation and startup
Operate as a Technical Leader
- Develop deep expertise across multiple pilot lines (extrusion, mixing, feeding, etc.)
- Act as the go-to problem solver for complex process and equipment challenges
- Collaborate cross-functionally with R&D, Manufacturing, and external partners to deliver results
- Progress into a role with broad ownership of pilot plant operations and team mentoring
Champion Safety & Compliance
- Promote a strong safety culture and ensure safe work practices are always followed
- Participate in and eventually lead Process Safety Management (PSM) and Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) activities
- Support Management of Change (MOC) and environmental compliance requirements
- Lead or support incident investigations and corrective action plans
Document & Communicate
- Maintain accurate technical documentation, SOPs, and engineering records
- Communicate findings, insights, and recommendations to stakeholders
- Prepare clear reports and presentations to support decision-making
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Chemical, Mechanical, or related Engineering discipline
- 0–5 years of experience in manufacturing, pilot plant, or process engineering
- Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, with ability to diagnose process and equipment issues
- Ability to design and implement practical engineering solutions
- Effective collaboration and communication skills across functions
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office
Preferred Qualifications
- Internship or co-op experience in manufacturing, chemical processing, or industrial operations
- Exposure to Reliability Engineering, Lean/Six Sigma, RCA, or Continuous Improvement
- Experience with process safety concepts (PSM, PHA, MOC)
- Familiarity with process equipment, instrumentation, and troubleshooting
- SAP experience
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DuPont is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability or any other protected class. If you need a reasonable accommodation to search or apply for a position, please visit our Accessibility Page for Contact Information.
DuPont offers a comprehensive pay and benefits package. To learn more visit the Compensation and Benefits page.
