SOLUGEN

14549 Minetta St., Houston TX 77035

POSITION

Production Engineer

ABOUT SOLUGEN:

Solugen, Inc. is a revolutionary technology company seeking to use biology to transform the chemicals industry. Solugen was founded in 2016 and is a post-Series B venture-backed startup company supported by renowned venture capital firms including Founders Fund, Fifty Years, Refractor, and Y Combinator. Located in Houston, Texas. Solugen is currently scaling up its manufacturing facility to use its enzymatic process on bio feedstocks to make core chemistry for water treatment, agriculture, and personal care. Solugen currently has 100+ full time employees.

MISSION

Reporting to the Plant Manager, this individual will be responsible for optimizing value of Solugen's manufacturing assets. This is a hands on role where the individual's initiative, engineering prowess, energy level and creativity for process optimization will make a substantial impact on the company. In addition to process optimization, this individual will have responsibility for executing small capital projects ($50k-$5M) that support the improvement of Solugen's manufacturing facilities. As the company grows and the individual progresses, the ideal candidate for this position can move up and laterally to different areas within the company including commercial plant operations, project engineering, process optimization, and technical business development.

KEY OUTCOMES

• Optimize plant Overall Equipment Efficiency by working closely with Operators, Logistics, and Procurement
• Seek and follow up on the use of innovative new technology that has potential to improve productivity, reduce costs and enhance safety performance
• Identify and implement manufacturing improvement projects (up to $5M in capital spend)
• Propose and support rating adding, rate protecting, compliance and surveillance investment opportunities
• Manage equipment failures and conduct root cause analysis
• Support operations by providing daily operational and engineering support
• Provide mentorship and coaching to team members – including early career engineers and operators

KEY COMPETENCIES

JOB SPECIFIC

• Attention to detail and organization.

• Good communication, negotiation, leadership, and project management skills with the desire to further develop these skills as the company grows.

• Commitment to safe workplace goals and practices that ensure operational integrity, including compliance with all regulatory policies and procedures.

• Comfortable following safety protocols and wearing personal protective equipment—including hard hats, gloves, earplugs, and respirators--in work zones.

• Good familiarity with Office products as well as a general level of comfort with online communication and work management platforms such as Dropbox, Google Doc, and Slack.

• Basic understanding of project scheduling software (e.g. Microsoft Project, Primavera)

• Analytical approach to problem solving, with a focus on managing a team environment with attention to results and a sense of urgency.

COMPANY SPECIFIC

• Be nimble, embrace the speed and ambiguity of startup culture.

• A passion for green chemistry and fighting climate change.

• Ability to self-manage and set your own priorities and schedule.

• Be comfortable working in multiple roles.

• Emphasize safety above all else.

• Respect for others.

• Creative problem solving.

• Willingness to learn and research new engineering/science concepts.

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field and minimum 10 years full-time experience working as a Production Engineer

Up to 25% travel required. 

Solugen is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other legally protected status.