Chemical Engineer

Company: Newpark Resources Inc.
Location: Conroe
Posted on: February 22, 2021

Job Description:

Newpark R&D group is seeking a qualified entrepreneurial technical person for a multidisciplinary role to grow its packaged chemicals business that covers a broad product mix including consumer and industrial chemicals, and to further enhance the support of the established composite mats business. This is a key visible role requires customer interactions, automation enhancement, manufacturing cost and quality control, process development and product scaleup. This is primarily a hands-on role with some supervision of lab and plant technicians. It is expected that the person stays current with technical best practices reported in literature and proactively implements promising developments from adjacent space. The role requires teamwork and regular internal communication with the division management, plant management and vendors.
Job Responsibilities & Expectations -

• Be a part of the new products-process development group that self-develop new formulated chemicals or modifies customer provided formulations, and develops plastic composite matting.
• Technical strength in engineering calculations and simulations, process flow analysis, engineering drawing, construction materials, risk analysis, experimental design, independent literature/IP searching, and report writing and presentation.
• Engineering software savvy. Ability to learn and implement new computer and software systems.
• Comfortable with drafting Statement of Requirements with minimal supervision and exploring third party labs, manufacturing, and vendors to source engineering services when needed. Understanding of process costing. Ability to identify process debottlenecking opportunity to improve delivered product cost.
• Responsible for making process flow improvements. This could include reconfiguring to add new unit operations, rearranging process and material movement flow, adding-in sensors and automation, adding or modifying in-process quality checkpoints, or even setting up new processes such as packaging units.
• Preferred to have familiarity with basic robotics.
• Preferred to have familiarity with basic big data analysis.
• Basic familiarity with chemical and plastic resin testing.
• Responsible for teaming up with product development chemist and engineers to ensure that product design is conducive to large scale manufacturing. Ability to create manufacturing dashboards to monitor product quality and process efficiency.
• Committed to Safety and Good Lab Practices in all tasks and all the time. Be a role model in documenting and leading the compliance to ISO, API and other quality standards. Responsible for using LIMS operating system.
• Committed to customer service excellence. Responsible for customer technical presentations, both in-person and virtually.
• Ability to scope out new lab instrumentation to purchase, optimize fit-for-purpose configurations, gather vendor quotes, present coherent rationale to purchase, install and standardize usage.
• Ability to learn and apply environmental and consumer safety regulations. Advice manufacturing team on chemical handling risks. Advise on developing SDS when needed.
• General familiarity of chemical and plastic recycling.
• Maintain technical relationship with key vendors - both current and prospective.
• Responsibility for compiling and circulating internal-external technical bulletins. Stay current with published technical reports in pertinent work area. Maintain active participation in AIChE or pertinent professional groups. Responsible for being an internal go-to person on 'factory of the future'.
• Basic knowledge of patents. Knowledge of advanced literature-patent search tools such as Thompson-Reuters is a plus. Willingness to become proficient in IP-patent search and archiving.
• Responsible for customer communications. Ability to manage projects.
• Limited travel required within R&D centers, Manufacturing centers, customer and third party vendors. Plastic composite mat manufacturing center is in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Keywords: Newpark Resources Inc., Conroe , Chemical Engineer, Engineering , Conroe, Texas