Job Information
Eastman Staff Engineer in Columbia, South Carolina
Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive and diverse company, Eastman employs approximately 14,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2023 revenue of approximately $9.2 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. For more information, visit www.eastman.com.
Responsibilities
This is a hands-on staff engineer role supporting Eastman’s polymer manufacturing operations located at the South Carolina Operations (SCO) site in Columbia, South Carolina. The site is shared with Alpek Polyesters, LLC, who provides operations and maintenance services for Eastman’s assets. In this role, you’ll report to the Director of Polymers Manufacturing and will work a day-shift schedule with occasional need for after-hours and weekend duty support.
Examples of core responsibilities include:
Safety
Make safety your priority every day. Role model safe practices, participate in safety audits, support safety projects and incorporate safety into your routine communications with staff and operating personnel.
Lead &/or assist in incident investigations for incidents in assigned areas
Serve as Study Leader for area process hazard analyses (PHA); execute action items stemming from PHA studies.
Maintain and update Lock-Out/Tag-Out procedures for Eastman asset lines
Production Support
Assist Area Manager with day-to-day tactical management of SCO operations, working closely with Eastman and Alpek management and operations
Participate in morning area production meetings. Review line status prior to meeting and come prepared to discuss issues and needs for the day.
Investigate concerns raised by Team Managers or crew members and provide technical assistance as needed
Provide input to the Area Manager for items to be included in the daily write-up to communicate process needs and objectives for assigned areas
Serve as a back-up to Area Manager for daily operations when the Area Manager is absent
Assist in the development and maintenance of a dashboard of performance measures for SCO operations to provide real time indication of performance versus entitlement and plan
Serve as Division Representative on capital/expense projects as needed
Assist in development and updating of manufacturing procedures
Assist in developing and delivering process-specific training to Alpek operations personnel; ensure a robust training program is in place
Maintain Statistical Process Control data; update and maintain citation control strategies.
Assist with shutdown Lock-Out/Tag-Out/Maintenance planning
Identify and execute improvement initiatives for Process Monitoring and Control/Situation Awareness
Assist with conducting Asset Criticality Analysis (ACA) on Eastman assets with appropriate follow-up to critical vulnerabilities
Manufacturing Competence
Develop expertise on all SCO melt-phase, solid-stating, and material transfer/packaging processes
Develop a deep understanding of polymer process chemistry
Develop expertise on the compatibility of copolyester products to minimize risk of cross contamination
Quality
Assist site Quality Manager with production records and monthly closing duties, customer complaint investigations, and initiatives to improve Quality systems to ensure we maintain ISO certification
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree or Master's degree in Chemical Engineering from an ABET-accredited college or university
Minimum 2-3 years relevant professional experience, preferably in a chemical manufacturing environment
Experience in project management and process troubleshooting a plus
Able to collaborate with and coordinate multiple work groups
Must be a motivated, self-starter and able to proactively identify process improvement opportunities
Must exhibit ownership and a bias for action
Ability to multi-task and keep several initiatives moving forward simultaneously
Eastman Chemical Company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other characteristics protected by law.
Eastman is committed to creating a powerfully diverse workforce and a broadly inclusive workplace, where everyone can contribute to their fullest potential each day.