Process Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Location:  Boardman, OR

Build your career with Alto Ingredients ! Earn a competitive salary, eligibility for annual cash incentive and stock-based incentive, benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance and 401k with a company dollar-for-dollar match up to 6%, a stipend for fitness center expenses, a generous paid time off (PTO) program, and service awards for career longevity. Alto Ingredients values the communities where we work and live and offers an extra 8 hours of paid leave for employees who volunteer their time and talents in their community.

Environment:  Alto Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTO) is a leading producer and distributor of specialty alcohols, renewable fuels and essential ingredients. Leveraging the unique qualities of its facilities, the company serves customers in a wide range of consumer and commercial products in the Health, Home & Beauty; Food & Beverage; Industry & Agriculture; Essential Ingredients; and Renewable Fuels markets. For more information, please visit

Our Pekin campus produces products destined for Health, Home& Beauty; Food and Beverage; Industry & Agriculture; Essential Ingredients; and Renewable Fuels markets. All personnel are responsible for the safety of these products, which includes participation in training, following cGMP and feed/food safety requirements in the facility, and following procedures per instruction of management.

Purpose: This position is responsible for process engineering support of operations efforts to safely operate, troubleshoot, analyze, and optimize unit operations in a fuel ethanol dry mill and liquid CO2 manufacturing facility. This position will also lead development and execution of capital and maintenance projects including design, engineering, procurement, construction, start-up, and commissioning.

The following is a list of major duties and responsibilities for this position along with certain supportive duties. It is not all-inclusive. Other duties and responsibilities may be added as needed and in addition; and management may modify this job description as needed.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Process Engineering:

• Develop and update material and energy balances, PFDs, P&ID’s, equipment sizing and specifications required to design, troubleshoot, analyze, and document unit operations across the entire facility including production and utilities departments, wastewater treatment and environmental compliance.
• Provide engineering support to MOC process, HAZOP studies, PSM requirements, operational procedures updates, and personnel training to ensure compliance with all Federal, State, and local regulations.
• Develop and execute process related investigations, data gathering, trials and experiments as required to support our continuous process improvement philosophy.
• Organize, maintain and update engineering drawings and technical documentation library. Responsible for technical document control, distribution and compliance with controlled document format.

Project Engineering:

• Responsible for scope of work definition in alignment with business needs including risk analysis and mitigation plans. Actively engages and involves project stake holders and functional leaders in the process, keeps project team well informed of developments and engages outside consultants when needed to support the scope definition process.
• Prepare and refine project cost estimates through the project development cycle from preliminary through budgetary to Authorization-for-Expenditure estimates. Identifies and develops value engineering or non-capital options to accomplish the necessary scope.
• Develop overall project schedule. Ensure construction phases are properly aligned with schedule plant outages and makes efficient use of scheduled downtime.
• Technical support of project procurement efforts in close coordination and cooperation with Purchasing Department. Responsibilities included preparation of bid packages, bidders list, support of bidder’s technical inquiries, contractor/vendor selection and contract negotiations.
• Manage all construction activities including contractor/vendor mobilizations, coordination with operations, and logistics. Monitor and control performance, efficiency, quality, timeliness and conformance to specifications and safety standards.
• Track and control project cost and schedule. Maintain stakeholders and functional leaders well informed of progress and up to date on cost and schedule projections.
• Define and analyze project KPI’s to ensure overall performance expectations for the project are met and communicate results to stakeholders and functional leaders.
• Lead start-up and commissioning efforts including training, procedure updates, maintenance PM records updates, project hand-over and close-out.

Education/Experience

• Bachelor's degree in chemical or mechanical engineering preferred and 5 to 10 years of experience in the chemical processing industry, engineering or engineering and construction firm serving the process industries.

Qualifications

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required.
• Must be able to effectively manage the coordination of engineering contractors, vendors, architects, general contractors, sub-contractors, PEI stakeholders, and others.
• Must have knowledge and experience of working with and managing the resources within engineering design firms for the detailed design of processing industry projects in excess of $75M capital value.
• Must have proven track record of supervision of engineering resources and relationship management of Clients, Vendors, Inspectors, Contractors, Subcontractors, and other associated parties.

Physical Requirements:

• Able to lift minimum 50 lbs.
• Must be able to work in cold to hot temperatures; work around dust, fumes, and/or moderate to loud noises; works inside and/or outside;
• Able to climb stairs and ladders; walk on paved and unpaved surfaces; sit at a desk and operate a computer and keyboard; visual acuity to review written documentation; ability to hear, speak, and understand speech at normal room levels and on the telephone; manual dexterity to operate a telephone; lift horizontally and vertically, bend, stoop, stand, and reach;
• Ability to work at elevated heights
• Work environment involves some exposure to hazards or physical risks, which require following basic safety precautions.

Alto Ingredients, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Criminal background check and drug screen required.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.