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Our people are at the heart of our solutions. They reflect the communities we live in and the world where we do business. Their diversity is our strength. We’re a community of relentless problem solvers that offers the daily opportunity to contribute with your perspective, transform industries and shape the future. Our purpose is simple - to deliver a sustainable future for the world through science and collaboration. If you’re looking for a challenge and meaningful role, you’re in the right place.
Dow has an exciting process automation opportunity available for a Senior Process Automation Engineer located in Dow Seadrift Operations, Texas.
About you and this role
The Senior Process Automation Engineer serves as a technical resource and process automation lead for small to large capital and improvement projects at the Dow Seadrift site. The engineer directs and coordinates Dow and contract process automation resources to execute project, maintenance, and plant-support activities safely and effectively and participates in all three project phases: front-end loading, detailed design and construction, and commissioning and startup. The role develops and coordinates process automation work plans, priorities, resource requirements, and schedules in alignment with plant and project needs. The engineer maintains continuous engagement with the Process Automation engineering leadership to anticipate and address resource gaps, define support requirements, coordinate resource allocation, and align project planning with site priorities. The engineer also provides day-to-day plant process automation support, develops and modifies control strategies, and collaborates with Process Control Technician resources to ensure the plant’s process automation demands are effectively managed and met. This role requires expanded conceptual and practical knowledge of the engineer’s discipline, along with the ability to apply and broaden technical capabilities.
Responsibilities / Duties
- Leads process automation activities when equipment or instrumentation is added, removed, or modified, including Safety Integrity Level (SIL) determination, Safety Instrumented System (SIS) design, and Basic Process Control System (BPCS) design or modification. Develops control strategies, control system designs, and implementation plans.
- Establishes project goals, execution plans, deliverables, and process automation priorities.
- Collaborates with engineers and other stakeholders to define project scope, process control requirements, and operating needs.
- Develops the project’s process control overview, user requirements, and system specifications.
- Develops functional requirements specifications (FRS) and detailed requirements specifications (DRS).
- Estimates process control costs and schedules and manages execution against approved project baselines.
- Tracks the process automation team’s progress, schedule, deliverables, and costs throughout all project phases.
- Maintains continuous engagement with the Process Automation engineering leadership to identify resource gaps, communicate support requirements, coordinate resource allocation, and align project planning with plant priorities and execution schedules.
- Develops control software, operator graphics, and simulation software in accordance with approved requirements and design standards.
- Reviews the control team’s technical work and provides coaching and corrective feedback to ensure quality and compliance.
- Defines test scenarios, oversees control system simulations, and verifies control strategies and improvements through factory acceptance testing (FAT).
- Supports commissioning and startup of new or modified assets and provides training to operations personnel.
- Provides day-to-day plant process automation support and collaborates with Process Control Technician resources to prioritize, manage, and satisfy ongoing process automation demands.
- Leads troubleshooting and root cause analysis for process control system failures, recurring control issues, and production interruptions.
- Monitors and improves control loop, alarm, and overall control system performance to support safe, reliable, and efficient plant operation.
- Provides process automation input to Management of Change reviews, process hazard analyses, pre-startup safety reviews, and incident investigations.
- Collaborates with OT cybersecurity and infrastructure resources to manage system access, patching, backups, recovery testing, and network security.
- Maintains process control documentation, standards, application libraries, configuration records, and system lifecycle roadmaps.
- Partners with Support & Sustain team to develop hardware lifecycle maintenance strategies and plan system upgrades that support long-term reliability and availability.
Required Qualifications
- A minimum of a bachelor's degree.
- A minimum of 5 years of Honeywell TPS (HPM) and Honeywell Experion (C300) platform combined work experience.
- A minimum of 2 years of Triconex 1131 or similar work experience.
- A minimum of 3 years of plant process automation work experience.
- A minimum requirement for this U.S. based position is the ability to work legally in the United States. No visa sponsorship/support is available for this position, including for any type of U.S. permanent residency (green card) process.
Preferred Qualifications
- Chemical Engineering degree.
- Work experience with AspenTech DMC is a plus but not required.
Able to meet the following physical demands of the job, with or without reasonable accommodations
- Lift, push, and pull up to 55 lbs.
- Work at heights, climbs stairs and ladders.
- Wear all required personal protective equipment, such as earplugs, goggles, and steel-toed shoes.
- Work in an area of intense or continuous noise.
- Work in an area with hazardous materials.
- Perform frequent bending, reaching, and lifting.
- Stand or walk for extended periods of time.
- This role does involve elevated work greater than or equal to four feet above the ground.
Skills
- Troubleshooting: Ability to work through a systematic approach that is data driven to identify potential root causes and resolve problems efficiently. Troubleshooting equipment and quality issues.
- Cross Functional Collaboration: Work with Peers, functional support groups (tech center, quality, maintenance, etc.) to accomplish facility goals and resolve day to day challenges associated with their processes of responsibility.
- Project Leadership skills: Ability to facilitate cross functionally a coordinated effort to accomplish a project. To identify steps to milestones needed to accomplish the goals of a project. Examples: Identifying the actions needed to meet an LPP standard in the facility and leading a small team to implement the actions.
- Technical Skills: Ability to learn basic chemistry and apply knowledge to assist in troubleshooting quality issues. Understanding of basic process technology: pumps, instrumentation, distillation, etc.
- Prioritization: The ability to assess all of the potential areas of focus, and able to prioritize what the organization is in most of need of to meet key deadlines. Focus on urgent when needed, and also ability to be proactive for important/non-urgent activities.
- Growth Mindset: Have the confidence to learn, grow, and develop in the role. The mindset to not fear making mistakes, and tackle challenges as a growth opportunity.
Note: This position does not offer relocation assistance.
Benefits – What Dow offers you
We invest in you.
Dow invests in total rewards programs to help you manage all aspects of you: your pay, your health, your life, your future, and your career. You bring your background, talent, and perspective to work every day. Dow rewards that commitment by investing in your total wellbeing.
Here are just a few highlights of what you would be offered as a Dow employee:
- Equitable and market-competitive base pay and bonus opportunity across our global markets, along with locally relevant incentives.
- Benefits and programs to support your physical, mental, financial, and social well-being, to help you get the care you need...when you need it.
- Competitive retirement program that may include company-provided benefits, savings opportunities, financial planning, and educational resources to help you achieve your long term financial-goals.
- Employee stock purchase programs (availability varies depending on location).
- Student Debt Retirement Savings Match Program (U.S. only).
- Dow will take the value of monthly student debt payments and apply them as if they are contributions to the Employees’ Savings Plan (401(k)), helping employees reach the Company match.
- Robust medical and life insurance packages that offer a variety of coverage options to meet your individual needs. Travel insurance is also available in certain countries/locations.
- Opportunities to learn and grow through training and mentoring, work experiences, community involvement and team building.
- Workplace culture empowering role-based flexibility to maximize personal productivity and balance personal needs.
- Competitive yearly vacation allowance.
- Paid time off for new parents (birthing and non-birthing, including adoptive and foster parents).
- Paid time off to care for family members who are sick or injured.
- Paid time off to support volunteering and Employee Resource Group’s (ERG) participation.
- Wellbeing Portal for all Dow employees, our one-stop shop to promote wellbeing, empowering employees to take ownership of their entire wellbeing journey.
- On-site fitness facilities to help stay healthy and active (availability varies depending on location).
- Employee discounts for online shopping, cinema tickets, gym memberships and more.
- Additionally, some of our locations might offer:
- Transportation allowance (availability varies depending on location)
- Meal subsidiaries/vouchers (availability varies depending on location)
- Carbon-neutral transportation incentives e.g. bike to work (availability varies depending on location)
Join our team, we can make a difference together.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) is one of the world’s leading materials science companies, serving customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Our global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation, leading business positions and commitment to sustainability enable us to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. We operate manufacturing sites in 30 countries and employ approximately 36,000 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $43 billion in 2024. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. Learn more about us and our ambition to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world by visiting www.dow.com.
As part of our dedication to inclusion, Dow is committed to equal opportunities in employment. We encourage every employee to bring their whole self to work each day to not only deliver more value, but also have a more fulfilling career. Further information regarding Dow's equal opportunities is available on www.dow.com.
Dow is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and is committed to providing opportunities without regard for race, color, religion, sex, including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity, national origin, age, disability and genetic information, including family medical history. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may call us at 1-833-My Dow HR (833-693-6947) and select option 8.
