Production Engineer

Are you the kind of person that is always thinking, sketching, seeking, and adjusting? Who needs to understand how things work and then figure out how they can work better? Are you a passionate, tenacious, solver who loves to work with others who share your drive? Are you positive, constructive, and ingenious?

Are you always solving?

Then we'd like to meet you and bet you'd like to meet us.

Ashland has an exciting opportunity for a Production Engineer to join our Specialty Ingredients business at our Hopewell, Virginia facility. This is a highly visible and impactful role within the Manufacturing organization, providing technical leadership and process ownership for critical production operations. This position will report to the Production Manager.

• Serve as the process owner for assigned production units, establishing operating strategies, critical process parameters, operating limits, alarms, and performance standards.
• Monitor and improve key process performance metrics including throughput, yield, quality, cycle time, capacity utilization, and operating reliability.
• Partner closely with Operations to troubleshoot process issues, improve process stability, and optimize plant performance.
• Lead root cause investigations and develop sustainable corrective and preventive actions to eliminate recurring issues.
• Provide process engineering leadership for Process Hazard Analyses (PHA), Management of Change (MOC), incident investigations, and Pre-Startup Safety Reviews (PSSR).
• Evaluate and manage technical risks associated with reaction hazards, pressure systems, thermal stability, chemical exposure, and loss-of-containment events.
• Develop, maintain, and improve process documentation including mass and energy balances, operating envelopes, process maps, technical reports, and capacity models.
• Build and utilize data analysis tools and dashboards to connect production, quality, downtime, process performance, and cost metrics.
• Mentor operators, supervisors, and other technical personnel on process knowledge, continuous improvement, and structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Collaborate with Operations, Maintenance, Reliability, Quality, and EHS teams to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Travel Responsibilities

Occasional travel (up to 10%) may be required for training, benchmarking activities, technology transfer, or support of business initiatives.

• Not a management position – this is an individual contributor role with significant technical influence but no direct reports.
• Not an entry-level position – this role requires prior manufacturing and process engineering experience with the ability to independently solve complex technical challenges.
• Not solely an office-based role – you will spend significant time in the production environment supporting operations and implementing improvements.
• Not limited to troubleshooting – this role focuses equally on long-term process optimization, risk reduction, and continuous improvement.
• Not a project management role – while project participation is expected, the primary focus is technical process ownership and engineering leadership.

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or related engineering discipline.
• Minimum 3 years of manufacturing, chemical processing, or process engineering experience.
• Experience troubleshooting process issues and developing sustainable corrective actions.
• Working knowledge of chemical process engineering principles, process equipment, and unit operations.
• Experience working with process safety programs, Management of Change (MOC), and risk assessments.
• Ability to analyze and interpret process data to identify trends, opportunities, and root causes.
• Proficiency with manufacturing systems, process monitoring tools, and Microsoft Office applications.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to work in a manufacturing environment and routinely access production areas.
• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Ability to navigate stairs, ladders, and elevated work areas as needed.

• Experience with Process Safety Management (PSM) regulated facilities.
• Experience leading Process Hazard Analyses (PHA) and Management of Change (MOC) activities.
• Knowledge of process control systems, statistical analysis tools, and process optimization methodologies.
• Six Sigma Green Belt, Lean Manufacturing, or other continuous improvement certification.
• Experience with data visualization and performance dashboard development.
• Professional Engineer (PE) certification or advanced engineering degree is a plus.

• Team recognition rewards, sponsored lunches and performance-based incentives.
• Comprehensive benefits package including Medical, Dental and Vision coverage beginning on Day 1.
• 401(k) plan with company match.
• Referral bonus program.
• Career development and growth opportunities.
• Support for work/life balance and employee wellbeing.
• Opportunity to work alongside a talented team focused on innovation, safety, and continuous improvement.

The expected hiring range for this position is $96,000 - $151,000 annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and work location.

*Third party recruiters and agencies (“Agency”) should not contact employees of Ashland or its subsidiaries directly. Any resumes sent by an Agency to a hiring manager, recruiter or submitted to Ashland’s career portal are considered unsolicited and property of Ashland. Ashland will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume, unless the Agency has a signed contract with Ashland’s Human Resources/Procurement department in advance of submitting a candidate for consideration. Verbal and written approvals will not be considered a valid contract for service.