Staff Engineer, Process Safety

Who You Are

You are a creative, diligent, thorough, insightful and hands-on technical contributor. You thrive in a fast paced environment and understand process safety and risk mitigation. In this role, you will help to set the standard for Process Safety at Sila and guide project teams on necessary process modifications and engineering controls to scale safely. This is a unique opportunity to help implement and improve a newly deployed PSM/RMP program.

You will be on a team, surrounded by individuals with a diverse set of backgrounds, but a similar goal. We start with first principles, develop new materials, design & qualify processes for pilot scale development & commercial production, and continually support and improve our manufacturing capability. You will enjoy closely collaborating with a core team of Process, Equipment, Manufacturing, and Environmental Health and Safety representatives on complex multi-phase, multi-year projects.

Responsibilities and Duties  

• Coach engineers, project managers, construction personnel, and other business partners in assessing process safety needs.
• Lead process hazard analysis (PHA) safety activities such as quantitative risk assessment (QRA), HAZID, HAZOP, and LOPA workshops.
• Reviews multi-disciplinary engineering documents and existing equipment to ensure that designs have been adopted which meet Sila internal standards, industry standards and best practices.
• Create, design to, and maintain Sila standards, specifications and guidelines around Process Safety.
• Calculate the physical effects and related consequences for specific process safety scenarios.
• Perform process safety risk assessments for emerging issues and develop mitigation plans.
• Coordinate internal incident and near miss investigations, define corrective actions, monitor and supervise completion of corrective action items with site personnel.
• Conduct functional process safety reviews for Management of Change (MOC) workflows to ensure rigorous risk mitigation and compliance.
• Influence decision-making at all levels to champion process safety, partnering with teams to implement robust technical solutions.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements 

• B.S. in Engineering or comparable with 8+ years of technical process safety experience.
• Highly knowledgeable and experienced with OSHA Process Safety Management and EPA Risk Management Program requirements.
• Experience applying protection strategies and identifying risk reduction options.
• Knowledgeable and experienced with relevant industry standards including API, NFPA, ASME, CGA, and CCPS and experience applying them to setting internal standards and guidelines.
• Effectively influence a new organization that is learning process safety management at scale.
• Desire to work with/for a team and ability to tackle problems independently.
• Ability to challenge your teammates, raise them up, and be vocally self-critical.

• Track record of relentlessly challenging accepted practices and inefficiencies.
• Dust Explosion Hazard analysis experience is desirable.
• Proficiency with process simulation is desirable.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position to operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a laptop, copier/printer machine, etc.
• Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a hard hat, lab coat or coveralls, gloves, safety glasses, and safety shoes
• Pass a respirator fit test and be able to wear respiratory protection on a periodic basis
• Move long distances and occasionally kneel or bend

The starting base pay for this role is between $151,000 and $191,000 at the time of posting. The actual base pay depends on many factors, such as education, experience, and skills. Base pay is only one part of Sila’s competitive Total Rewards package that can include benefits, perks, equity.  The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.
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