Process Engineer

Synthomer is a leading supplier of high-performance, highly specialised polymers and ingredients that play vital roles in key sectors such as coatings, construction, adhesives, and health and protection - growing markets that serve billions of end users worldwide. Headquartered in London, UK and publicly listed there since 1971, we employ c.3,900 employees across our 5 innovation centres of excellence and more than 29 manufacturing sites across Europe, North America and Asia. Around 20% of our sales volumes are from new and patent protected products.

At our innovation centres of excellence in the UK, Germany, China, Malaysia and Ohio, USA we collaborate closely with our customers to develop new products and enhance existing ones tailored to their needs, with an increasing range of sustainability benefits. Since 2021, we have been proud holders of the London Stock Exchange Green Economy Mark, which recognises green technology businesses making a significant contribution to a more sustainable, low-carbon economy.

What We're Looking For

We are seeking a highly motivated, technically strong Process Engineer with 3+ years of hands-on experience in a reactive chemical manufacturing environment. This individual will bring proven troubleshooting skills, strong ownership, and the ability to hit the ground running in a fast-paced, safety-focused operation. In this role, you will serve as the primary technical resource for daily plant operations, providing guidance to operators, supervisors, and cross-functional partners. The ideal candidate combines deep technical aptitude with the drive to improve processes, elevate performance, and grow into roles of greater responsibility and accountability over time.

Your Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical expert for daily production operations, proactively supporting safe, efficient plant performance.
• Engage closely with operators, supervisors, maintenance, and process engineers to ensure high-quality, consistent production.
• Act as the OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) champion, analyzing data, identifying losses, and driving continuous improvement initiatives.
• Provide hands-on troubleshooting support for production issues, alarms, and equipment performance concerns.
• Identify safety, quality, and process improvement opportunities; prioritize actions and implement sustainable long-term solutions.
• Ensure compliance and continuous improvement with safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements in all chemical process-related work, including, but not limited to, participation in process hazard analyses for hazardous processes, design of layers of protection barriers, auditing barriers, and development of preventive operating routines related to safety critical barriers.
• Support safe manufacturing and regulatory compliance (PSM, RMP) through PHA participation, MOC adherence, SOP development, and incident investigations.
• Lead and facilitate Root Cause Analysis (RCA) activities for production events, quality deviations, customer complaints, and safety incidents.
• Own production-related projects, ensuring they are delivered safely, on time, and within budget.
• Support new product development, scale-ups, and product modifications, acting as the technical point of contact.
• Provide backup support for DCS and process control troubleshooting as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or related discipline.
• 3+ years of experience in a reactive chemical or similar process manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to rapidly assess situations and make sound technical decisions.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and facilitation skills with the ability to drive measurable outcomes.
• Proven track record of initiating and leading process improvements.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings and process documentation.
• Strong computer skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to interface at all levels of the organization.
• Willingness to adjust schedule to support urgent production needs.
• Effective contributor in a collaborative, team-oriented environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Instrumentation and PLC systems (Allen Bradley, Siemens).
• Prior work with DCS systems.
• Experience in PSM-regulated facilities.
• Knowledge of SAP or similar ERP/MRP systems.
• Exposure to Lean / Six Sigma tools and methodologies.
• Functional knowledge of AutoCAD.
• Previous experience in emulsion polymerization or other reactive chemical processes.

Working Requirements

• Monday through Friday, with occasional weekend or off-shift support as required.
• Flexibility to adjust work hours based on production demands.

DISCLAIMER:

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, success profile characteristics or qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. Management retains the discretion to add to or change the duties of the Job at any time.

Global Benefits Overview

• Competitive, market-aligned compensation

• Discretionary global bonus scheme

• Discretionary Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) - for senior positions

• Company car or car allowance - varies by region and role

• Healthcare - tailored to regional locations

• Parental leave and family support - maternity, paternity, adoption (aligned with regional policies)

• Working options - flexibility where it matters, based on role and business needs

• Learning & development opportunities - training, online platforms, buddy/mentorship programs, Internal Synthomer University with L&D offers

• Wellbeing support - employee assistance program (EAP), mental health resources, wellbeing initiatives

• Retirement / pension contributions - plans vary by country

• Culture of Inclusion - where everyone can thrive

• Performance culture, global reward & recognition programmes