Production Engineer

at  Elementis plc

About Us
Elementis is a global specialty chemical company, with 1,300 employees operating 17 manufacturing sites across the globe. At Elementis, we bring a distinctive combination of expertise, innovation, and teamwork to every formulation challenge. We create high-value specialty additives that enhance the performance of our customers’ products and make a positive change in the world. Combining our leading positions in the science of materials flow, surface modification, and formulation with access to unique natural materials, Elementis delivers unique chemistry, sustainable solutions to customers in a wide range of markets, including cosmetics, anti-perspirants, decorative and industrial coatings, automotive and ceramics.
Job Description Summary
The Production Engineer serves as a vital resource for Operations by applying technical skills to safely execute the supply plan. The Production Engineer enables the safe and reliable production at a low cost that meets or exceeds the customer requirements. This role requires in-depth conceptual and practical knowledge in job discipline and basic knowledge of related job disciplines to solve complex problems. The Production Engineer will also work closely with other individuals and teams to establish the production commitments, maintenance coordination, and conversion cost goals; within safe operating parameters and procedures.
Job Description

Responsibilities

• Apply knowledge of process plant and technology – study historical data, convene with other Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), etc.
• Define and utilize Most Effective Technology (MET) where applicable. Challenge / escalate MET application and assumptions when better solutions arise.
• Support plant Operations through supplemental review of performance data to identify develop long term improvement plans to further optimize various processes
• Develop necessary trial plans to test optimization ideas, lead testing with the plant, analyze data, and create report of findings
• Participate in Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) to identify and prioritize areas of improvement for the plant.
• Ensures compliance with codes, guidelines, best practices and company policies.
• Identify new process improvement opportunities in the areas of sustainability, quality, cost, performance and safety.
• Learn and apply continuous improvement, value creation, and financial acumen skills to accelerate profitability and lower conversion cost of manufacturing facility.
• Know and understand the margins generated from the process unit and prioritize continuous improvement activities to maximize total margin.
• Partner with plant operation personnel to secure process data for identification of technology and plant reliability gaps, improvement opportunities and project definitions.
• Understand site integration to ensure process automation is effectively utilized to optimize plant performance.
• Diagnose and document root causes of asset utilization losses in the facility, determine when a Task Force may be required to provide a more strategic solution.
• Conduct review and maintenance of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) trends to ensure optimum performance.
• Active participant in developing and implementing CAPEX projects.
• Design and implement Continuous Improvement projects, reporting monthly on status and savings.
• Monitors and collects yield, energy usage, and sustainability data to achieve cost conversion and sustainability metric goals.
• Measure the performance of machinery uptime and maintenance bad actors to ensure reliable, low cost, high quality production.
• Respond urgently to plant issues and emergencies.
• Support maintaining up to date and accurate standard operating procedures.
• Understand site integration and provide input to optimize the manufacturing process.
• Drive high levels of safety, quality, responsiveness, and reliability for the customer.
• Develop operator and supervisor training programs.
• Mentor new engineers in on site processes/technology
• Maintaining/monitoring of key operating metrics.

Job Competencies
Strategic mindset: Having a strategic mindset allows you to set clear direction and vision, identify market trends and opportunities, ensure product development efforts are strategically positioned to meet future consumer needs and aligned with the company’s overall strategy.
Communicates effectively: Effective communication enables you to articulate the strategic goals, provide technical guidance, ensure everyone is aligned with the company’s objectives, facilitate collaboration within and across the teams, ensure ideas and feedback are shared openly and ultimately enhance the quality of innovation efforts.
Cultivates innovation: By promoting an innovative mindset, you foster a culture of creativity and exploration within the team, encouraging them to think outside the box and generate novel ideas, and drive continuous improvement in products, processes and technologies.
Plan and align: Planning and aligning to execute is essential for managing multiple projects effectively. It enables you to allocate resources, ensure research activities are synchronized with project timelines, execute projects with precision, maximize productivity and achieve desired outcomes.
Collaboration: Effective collaboration ensures you can harness the collective expertise and insights of various stakeholders including R&D teams, Marketing, regulatory affairs and external research partners. You can facilitate the exchange of ideas, align diverse perspectives, promotes synergy and accelerate the product development process.
Decision making
Typically, you have the authority to make decisions related to technical direction, methodologies, approaches and product development processes within the plan. Decisions will be aligned with the Operations team. You can also make decisions related to project execution, including timelines, milestones and resource allocation within budget. Higher-level approvals are required for those related to significant budget allocations, strategic shifts, or major collaborations that have substantial financial or long-term implications.
Additional Job Description
Technical Knowledge and Skills
-

Possess excellent written and verbal communication skills and interpersonal skills.

• Must possess a strong financial / business acumen.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize multiple tasks.
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills required.
• Root Cause Analysis experience
• Capacity to work with limited supervision and support, in a rapidly changing and fast paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to interact in a collaborative manner with other departments, teams and stakeholders.
• Fluent verbal and written English require to be able communicate within the operations team and with other Elementis departments.

Position Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in engineering required, Chemical Engineering preferred.
3+ years of experience in Manufacturing and Engineering required; chemical industry preferred.
Process Safety Management experience (PHA’s, MOC, etc.)
Certifications in Six Sigma (Green Belt, Lean, etc), preferred.
NEBOSH qualification preferred

• Apply knowledge of process plant and technology – study historical data, convene with other Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), etc.
• Define and utilize Most Effective Technology (MET) where applicable. Challenge / escalate MET application and assumptions when better solutions arise.
• Support plant Operations through supplemental review of performance data to identify develop long term improvement plans to further optimize various processes
• Develop necessary trial plans to test optimization ideas, lead testing with the plant, analyze data, and create report of findings
• Participate in Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) to identify and prioritize areas of improvement for the plant.
• Ensures compliance with codes, guidelines, best practices and company policies.
• Identify new process improvement opportunities in the areas of sustainability, quality, cost, performance and safety.
• Learn and apply continuous improvement, value creation, and financial acumen skills to accelerate profitability and lower conversion cost of manufacturing facility.
• Know and understand the margins generated from the process unit and prioritize continuous improvement activities to maximize total margin.
• Partner with plant operation personnel to secure process data for identification of technology and plant reliability gaps, improvement opportunities and project definitions.
• Understand site integration to ensure process automation is effectively utilized to optimize plant performance.
• Diagnose and document root causes of asset utilization losses in the facility, determine when a Task Force may be required to provide a more strategic solution.
• Conduct review and maintenance of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) trends to ensure optimum performance.
• Active participant in developing and implementing CAPEX projects.
• Design and implement Continuous Improvement projects, reporting monthly on status and savings.
• Monitors and collects yield, energy usage, and sustainability data to achieve cost conversion and sustainability metric goals.
• Measure the performance of machinery uptime and maintenance bad actors to ensure reliable, low cost, high quality production.
• Respond urgently to plant issues and emergencies.
• Support maintaining up to date and accurate standard operating procedures.
• Understand site integration and provide input to optimize the manufacturing process.
• Drive high levels of safety, quality, responsiveness, and reliability for the customer.
• Develop operator and supervisor training programs.
• Mentor new engineers in on site processes/technology
• Maintaining/monitoring of key operating metrics