Lead Process Automation Engineer
Solstice Advanced Materials · Houston, TX, United States
About The Role
As the Lead Process Automation Engineer, you will serve as a subject matter expert and technical leader for process automation, project execution, advanced control, and optimization initiatives across Solstice Advanced Materials facilities.
You will lead automation engineering from early project development through design, testing, commissioning, startup, and stabilization. You will perform engineering directly when needed and guide vendors, system integrators, and site resources when work is externally executed.
This position also leads assessments and improvements for advanced control applications. It ensures solutions deliver sustained gains in throughput, yield, energy use, quality, reliability, and operating cost.
This role will report to the Process Automation Engineering Manager.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide subject matter expertise for Honeywell Experion PKS, C300, Control Execution Environment, operator graphics, Rockwell PLC systems, and supporting control applications.
- Lead process automation engineering for greenfield and brownfield projects from early development through startup.
- Develop the Basis of Design, estimates, technical scopes, execution plans, control narratives, Functional Design Specifications, Cause and Effect documents, and acceptance requirements.
- Perform control design and configuration directly or guide vendors and system integrators. Review and approve designs, configurations, test procedures, and technical deliverables.
- Lead control-system migrations, Factory Acceptance Testing, Site Acceptance Testing, cutovers, commissioning, startup, stabilization, and closure of technical deficiencies.
- Review field installation quality, resolve construction questions, support plant shutdowns and turnarounds, and participate in project reviews and lessons learned.
- Lead the assessment, maintenance, configuration, and improvement of Honeywell Profit Suite applications using Advanced Process Control and Real-Time Optimization methods.
- Apply multivariable control, inferential measurements, process economics, operating constraints, and dynamic process behavior to develop and sustain optimization solutions.
- Assess advanced control availability, usage, model condition, performance, and value. Define required updates, restore underused applications, or recommend retirement when justified.
- Identify and prioritize optimization opportunities. Complete feasibility, control readiness, instrumentation adequacy, and regulatory control performance assessments.
- Develop optimization roadmaps, estimates, vendor scopes, and technical recommendations. Review vendor models, claims, and configurations through application acceptance.
- Partner with operators and Site Process Control Engineers during design, testing, training, deployment, troubleshooting, and monthly or quarterly performance reviews.
- Establish lasting performance and value measures. Verify improvements with site and Finance representatives and report results to site and central leadership.
- Perform recurring assessments of control-system condition, capacity, lifecycle, architecture, loop performance, alarm performance, backup readiness, site practices, and vendor performance.
- Apply working knowledge of industrial networks, cybersecurity practices, servers, virtualization, firewalls, backups, Uniformance PHD, and AVEVA PI.
- Participate in team-owned technical governance by developing and enforcing standards, reviewing exceptions, evaluating technologies and vendors, and escalating unresolved risks.
- Partner with Operations, Process Engineering, Process Safety, Reliability, Digitalization, and site engineering teams while mentoring other technical resources.
YOU MUST HAVE
- Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
- 8+ years of process automation and controls experience within chemical manufacturing and hazardous process facilities.
- Demonstrated expertise with Honeywell Experion PKS, C300, Control Execution Environment, operator graphics, and Rockwell PLC systems.
- Experience with Honeywell Profit Suite, Advanced Process Control, Real-Time Optimization, and sustained application performance.
- Experience leading brownfield automation projects, control-system migrations, vendor execution, testing, commissioning, and startup.
- Working knowledge of continuous and batch control, industrial networks, servers, virtualization, firewalls, backup, and recovery practices.
- Willingness to travel approximately 25%, including possible international travel and increased travel during commissioning and startup.
- Due to compliance with U.S. export control laws and regulations, candidate must be a U.S. Person, which is defined as, a U.S. citizen, a U.S. permanent resident, or have protected status in the U.S. under asylum or refugee status or have the ability to obtain an export authorization.
WE VALUE
- Model Predictive Control design and deployment experience, including dynamic process model development.
- Experience with Honeywell HC900, SCADA, Uniformance PHD, AVEVA PI, and other DCS, PLC, historian, or optimization platforms.
- Experience with burner management, Honeywell Safety Manager, Safety Instrumented Systems, Fire and Gas, or Emergency Shutdown Systems.
- Knowledge of alarm management, industrial cybersecurity, and applicable ISA and IEC standards.
- Honeywell Certified Engineer training or other relevant Honeywell technical certifications.
- Demonstrated delivery of measurable improvements in throughput, yield, energy, quality, reliability, or operating cost.
- Experience developing persistent value calculations with site and Finance representatives.
- Professional Engineer registration or Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or equivalent improvement experience.
- Strong technical writing, communication, collaboration, judgment, and presentation skills across global teams.
BENEFITS OF WORKING FOR SOLSTICE ADVANCED MATERIALS
In addition to a competitive salary, leading-edge work, and developing solutions side-by-side with dedicated experts in their fields, Solstice Advanced Materials employees are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package. This package includes employer-subsidized Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance; Short-Term and Long-Term Disability; 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, EAP, and Educational Assistance; Parental Leave, Paid Time Off (for vacation, personal business, sick time, and parental leave), and 12 Paid Holidays.
The annual base salary range for this position is $146,976 - $183,425. Please note that this salary information serves as a general guideline. Solstice considers various factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education and training, key skills, as well as market and business considerations. This position is incentive plan eligible
Solstice Advanced Materials is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality, sex, religion, or veteran status.
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