Engineer Principal - Advanced Process Control
Westlake
Lead design, implementation, and maintenance of advanced process control systems.
9 days ago ago
Expert & Leadership (13+ years), Experienced (8-12 years)
Full Time
Houston, TX
Onsite
Company Size
15,540 Employees
Service Specialisms
Chemicals
Plastics
Performance Materials
Polymer Compounds
Sustainability Solutions
Material Science
Manufacturing
Product Innovation
Sector Specialisms
Housing
Infrastructure
Building Products
Pipe & Fittings
Global Compounds
Residential Construction
Flexible Packaging
Rigid Packaging
Role
What you would be doing
apc lifecycle
dcs integration
control strategy
pid tuning
kpi dashboard
apc training
- Organize and/or participate in various activities to develop Westlake’s APC program, including providing training and coaching to fellow APC engineers with less experience, sharing lessons learned and best practices in company’s APC network, developing & defining companywide standards or guidelines for APC project implementation and maintenance process, etc.
- Participate in DCS/PLC software and hardware upgrades, alarm rationalization, and technical assurance reviews.
- Provide training and coaching to operators and process engineers on APC system usage and best practices.
- Support standardization and harmonization of APC practices, specifications, and KPIs across Westlake’s global PEM sites.
- Ensure changes follow Westlake’s Management of Change (MOC) processes and maintain comprehensive documentation (PID loop tuning logs, APC design and implementation documentation, APC change logs, etc.).
- Responsible for the entire lifecycle of an APC project, including identification, design, implementation, and maintenance of APC Applications for real-time process optimization across PEM manufacturing sites.
- Work closely with plant operations and engineering to identify and implement process control improvements.
- Re-evaluate and adapt control strategies in response to plant operating condition changes.
- Travel up to 50% (domestic and international) to support Westlake PEM manufacturing plants.
- Analyze process dynamics and operation challenges, and develop advanced control strategies, including multivariable control, advanced PID, sequence control, and interlocks, etc.
- Proactively monitor, troubleshoot, and tune APC and base layer PID controller performance, ensuring uptime and benefit realization targets are met. Support the implementation and maintenance of the company-wide APC KPI Dashboard system.
- Integrate APC systems with DCS, PLCs, laboratory information systems, and plant historians (e.g., InfoPlus.21 and OSIsoft PI). Support plant operations during turnarounds, commissioning, and start-up phases; perform site acceptance testing and commissioning of control systems.
- Collaborate with OT/IT and Data Science teams to define and execute real-time data strategies and architectures for process automation and analytics.
- Contribute to the development of technology roadmaps and capital plans for process-automation, control, and optimization.
What you bring
aspentech
apc
chemical engineering
10 years
process modeling
leadership
- Effective oral and written communication skills; ability to work collaboratively across diverse teams and locations.
- Strong working knowledge of process flowsheets, P&IDs, and control logic diagrams. Demonstrated capability on learning new processes and data analysis.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering (or related field).
- Minimum 10 years of hands-on experience in identifying, designing, implementing, tuning, and sustaining AspenTech APC (DMC3/DMCplus/IQ) applications in refinery, chemical, or petrochemical plants; experiences of other APC platforms, such as Honeywell’s Profit Suite/Forge APC platform, and Rockwell Automation’s Pavilion8 MPC platform will also be beneficial
- Demonstrated ability to lead APC projects from design through commissioning and sustainment.
- Office-based with frequent work in operating units requires use of PPE and potential exposure to outside elements.
- Experience with additional APC/optimization/modeling platforms (e.g., Aspen Watch, Aspen IQ, SPYRO, ProMV, etc.).
- Lifting up to 25 pounds may be required.
- Facilitate adoption and effective use of APC solutions; report usage and performance against defined KPIs. Experienced in collaborating and communicating with a variety of stakeholders of multi-disciplines, including company/plant management team, process/production team, operation team, control team, company IT/OT team, etc., during the entire lifecycle of an APC project.
- Experience in training and mentoring plant personnel on APC and process automation topics.
- Proven expertise in multivariable control and process optimization; experience in steady-state and dynamic process modeling is a plus.
- Experience with plant data historians (OSIsoft PI, InfoPlus.21, etc.), PIMS, and integration with OT/IT systems.
- Working knowledge of industry standards in industrial automation, and project management.
- Strong planning and organizational skills; able to manage multiple priorities and develop support roadmaps.
- Must be able to sit, walk, use hands, talk, and hear as required by typical office and plant environments.
- Experience in coaching APC engineers with less experience, as well as developing central APC program.
- Excellent troubleshooting, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
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Interview process
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Company
Overview
Founded 1986
Company Formation Year
The company was established in 1986, marking its beginning as a single polyethylene plant.
$12.1B Net Sales
Annual Revenue
A reporting of net sales around $12.1 billion in 2024.
$3.8B Acquisition
Axiall Purchase
Completed the acquisition of Axiall in 2016, reinforcing its market presence.
$2.2B Acquisition
Boral's Building Products
Acquired Boral’s U.S. building-products division in 2021, enhancing operational capabilities.
- Began from a single polyethylene plant in Louisiana and has expanded through strategic acquisitions.
- Operates two main segments: Performance & Essential Materials and Housing & Infrastructure Products.
- Produces significant quantities of low-density polyethylene and PVC, ranging from raw materials to finished goods.
- Productions include PVC siding, pipes, epoxy resins, and polyethylene products for construction, automotive, packaging, and healthcare sectors.
- Achieved record EBITDA in the HIP segment in Q4 2024, largely due to increased demand for PVC pipe and fittings.
- Family-led ownership maintained by the founding Chao family, operating under a unified global brand.
- Integrity
- Customer Focus
- Innovation
- Excellence
- Collaboration
- Sustainability
- Accountability
Net Zero by 2050
Climate Commitment
Targeting net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
- Reducing carbon footprint through energy-efficient processes
- Investing in renewable energy and sustainable technologies
- Implementing water and waste management initiatives to minimize environmental impact
- Optimizing resource usage across global operations
- Committed to building a diverse workforce across all levels.
- Focus on gender diversity in leadership roles, with continuous progress in female representation.
- Providing equal growth and development opportunities for all employees.
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