Process Optimization Remote Jobs in Houston, TX (NOW HIRING)

Job Summary:

Delek US Holdings, Inc. is a diversified downstream energy company with assets in petroleum refining, logistics, asphalt, renewable fuels and convenience store retailing. We are hiring for the position of Alkylation Technology SME with the potential for site or remote work.

Role & Responsibilities:

• Serve as the corporate Subject Matter Expert (SME) for HF and sulfuric acid alkylation technology, providing technical leadership and support across all refining assets.
• Develop, maintain, and monitor unit performance indicators, benchmarking metrics, and technology health dashboards to identify performance gaps, reliability risks, and improvement opportunities.
• Serve as the corporate steward and technical authority for HF and sulfuric acid alkylation process safety standards, engineering best practices, and risk management strategies.
• Own and maintain corporate alkylation technology standards, operating envelopes, critical process parameter guidance, and lessons-learned documentation to ensure consistent execution across all refining assets.
• Provide technical consultation and troubleshooting support to refinery process engineers, production teams, and operations personnel on unit performance, process optimization, operating issues, and process safety concerns.
• Lead efforts to improve alkylation unit safety, reliability, environmental performance, and economic optimization through application of industry best practices and sound engineering principles.
• Develop, maintain, monitor, and benchmark key alkylation performance indicators, including process safety, reliability, acid consumption, alkylate quality, equipment performance, and unit energy intensity.
• Mentor and develop refinery process engineers, technical supervisors, and operations leaders through coaching, technical training, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
• Develop and maintain corporate standards, best practices, engineering guidelines, and operating philosophies related to alkylation technology.
• Lead the refinery alkylation best-practice network and facilitate periodic technology collaboration meetings, including agenda development, action tracking, knowledge sharing, and deployment of lessons learned.
• Coordinate and lead annual technology health assessments for alkylation units, including performance reviews, gap identification, risk assessment, and improvement plan development.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, licensor developments, catalyst advancements, process improvements, and industry trends to identify opportunities for business improvement and competitive advantage.
• Maintain active engagement with technology licensors, catalyst suppliers, engineering consultants, industry organizations, and peer networks to ensure awareness and application of current industry best practices and technological advancements.
• Support process studies and technology evaluations focused on yield improvement, energy efficiency, asset utilization, environmental compliance, process safety, and profitability enhancement.
• Provide technical leadership during unit startups, shutdowns, major operating events, turnarounds, commissioning activities, and post-startup performance stabilization efforts.
• Participate in and provide technical leadership for process hazard analyses (PHA), layer of protection analyses (LOPA), management of change (MOC) reviews, pre-startup safety reviews (PSSR), and other process safety management activities impacting alkylation units.
• Serve as the technical authority for alkylation-related management of change reviews, significant process deviations, operating envelope exceedances, and major technology recommendations.
• Lead or participate in incident investigations and root cause failure analyses involving process safety events, reliability incidents, environmental events, and production losses. Partner with reliability, maintenance, and operations personnel to identify corrective actions, capture lessons learned, and prevent recurrence.
• Own and facilitate the development, maintenance, and deployment of alkylation-specific training materials, operating guidance, and competency development programs.
• Support capital project development through concept evaluation, technology selection, design review, risk assessment, process design package review, and startup readiness activities.
• Provide periodic updates and recommendations to refinery and corporate leadership regarding technology risks, constraints, performance gaps, improvement opportunities, and long-range strategic initiatives.
• Exercise broad technical judgment and independent decision-making to resolve complex technical issues and influence business outcomes across multiple facilities.
• Support other refining process technologies and business initiatives as required based on organizational needs, individual expertise, and business priorities.
• This position relies on extensive industry experience, advanced technical knowledge, sound engineering judgment, and the ability to influence organizational decisions across multiple refining assets. A high degree of creativity, initiative, leadership, and independent decision-making is expected.

Required Qualifications - Education, Skills & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering.
• 15+ years refining experience.
• 10+ years supporting alkylation technology.
• Expertise in operation, optimization, troubleshooting, and performance improvement of HF and sulfuric acid alkylation units.
• Knowledge of alkylation reaction chemistry and process fundamentals.
• Proficiency with HYSYS and applicable process modeling software.
• Experience with startups, shutdowns, and turnarounds.
• Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills.
• Knowledge of process safety management principles and regulatory requirements.
• Familiarity with staged-gate project development processes.

Preferred Qualifications - Education, Skills & Experience:

• Experience with both HF and sulfuric acid alkylation technologies.
• Experience leading or participating in PHAs, LOPAs, MOCs, and PSSRs.
• Experience developing corporate standards and best practices.
• Experience serving as a corporate or multi-site technology resource.
• Experience with technology-specific modeling software.
• Participation in industry committees, licensor forums, or professional organizations.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license.

Core Competencies:

CHANGE AGILITY (LEVEL 3 APPLYING): Identifies, initiates, and adapts to organizational changes that foster enhanced effectiveness, efficiency, safety, and ultimately business results.

COLLABORATION (LEVEL 3 APPLYING): Sees connection points across the organization and partners effectively with others to achieve common goals.

DECISION MAKING (LEVEL 3 APPLYING): Selects a course of action to reduce risk and uncertainty and create optimal outcomes.

DRIVE FOR RESULTS (LEVEL 3 APPLYING): Drives to achieve challenging performance objectives.

TEAM BUILDING (LEVEL 3 APPLYING): Builds trust, fosters openness, and provides support. As the manager of a team, selects and motivates a strong team.

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