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Chemical process engineer resume example

A process engineer’s resume with six years in Gulf Coast chemical plants. Plant managers look for three things: units that run better because of you (yield, energy, reliability), safe work under process safety management, and the respect of operators. The bullets show each with numbers.

Chemical process engineer resume example, page 1 of 1Marguerite FontenotProcess Engineermarguerite.fontenot@example.com · (225) 555-0165 · Baton Rouge, LA · linkedin.com/in/margueritefontenotSummaryChemical process engineer with six years in petrochemical and specialty chemical plants. I find the yield andenergy hiding in units that already run, lead HAZOPs and management of change with operators at the table,and plan turnarounds that start up on time.ExperienceProcess Engineer IIApr 2022 – PresentBayou Teche Chemical · Geismar, LA•Area engineer for an ethylene oxide derivatives unit producing 400 million lb a year; raised on-spec yield from94.1% to 96.3%, worth $4.2 million a year.•Cut steam use on 2 distillation columns 14% by revising reflux and pressure targets from an Aspen HYSYSmodel validated with PI data.•Led 3 HAZOP revalidations and 45 management of change reviews under the plant’s OSHA PSM program.•Planned process scope for a 28-day turnaround (180 work orders); unit restarted 2 days early with norecordable injuries.Process EngineerJul 2020 – Mar 2022Mississippi River Polymers · Plaquemine, LA•Supported a polyethylene reactor and finishing area on rotating 24-hour call with operations.•Led root cause analyses for 6 reactor upsets; changes to feed purity monitoring cut off-grade production by30%.•Wrote 25 operating procedures and trained 40 operators on a new catalyst feed system.EducationB.S. in Chemical Engineering2016 – 2020Louisiana State University · Baton Rouge, LACertificationsEngineer Intern (EI)2020Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying BoardLean Six Sigma Green Belt2023ASQ (CSSGB)SkillsAspen HYSYS · Aspen Plus · OSIsoft PI · Honeywell Experion DCS · P&IDs and PFDs · Distillation ·Heat exchanger design · HAZOP and LOPA · Process Safety Management · Management of change ·Root cause analysis · Turnaround planning
Chemical process engineerUse this example

What recruiters look for

  • Unit results: yield, throughput, energy, off-spec and downtime, with dollar values where you can.
  • Process safety: HAZOPs, LOPA, management of change and incident investigations under OSHA PSM.
  • Simulation backed by data: Aspen or similar models validated with historian data, not models for their own sake.
  • Turnarounds and projects: scope, schedule and safe startup.
  • Working with operations: procedures, training and call-out support. Operators’ trust is earned and noticed.

Writing the summary

Years, the type of plant and unit operations you know, and the result you are best at (yield, energy, reliability, safety). Plant engineers who show they work well with operators stand out.

The summary in this example

Chemical process engineer with six years in petrochemical and specialty chemical plants. I find the yield and energy hiding in units that already run, lead HAZOPs and management of change with operators at the table, and plan turnarounds that start up on time.

Pharmaceutical or biotech process engineer

Process engineer with five years in biologics manufacturing, supporting cell culture and purification at 2,000 L scale under cGMP. I lead tech transfers, write and close deviations and CAPAs, and have supported 3 successful FDA pre-approval inspections.

New process engineer from a co-op

Chemical engineer (B.S., May 2026) with two co-op terms at a refinery, where I monitored a crude unit’s heat exchanger fouling and helped plan a cleaning that recovered 8% of furnace duty. Looking for a process engineer role in refining or chemicals.

Bullet points that work

Strong lines for this role, beyond the ones in the example. Borrow the shape and put in your own numbers.

  • Debottlenecked a reactor feed system, raising unit capacity 7% without new equipment.
  • Reduced flaring by 40% with a new start-up procedure and compressor recycle strategy.
  • Led the incident investigation for a loss of containment and closed all 9 recommendations within 90 days.
  • Built a heat exchanger fouling monitor from PI data that scheduled cleanings by need, saving $600,000 a year in fuel.
  • Wrote the process design basis for a $22 million unit expansion and supported detailed engineering through startup.
  • Cut catalyst consumption by 12% by optimizing regeneration temperature with a designed experiment.
  • Facilitated 12 HAZOP sessions with operations, maintenance and instrumentation, generating 60 actions tracked to closure.
  • Moved 30 critical alarms to a rationalized setpoint list, cutting standing alarms on the console by half.
  • Mentored 4 co-op students, 2 of whom joined the plant full-time.

Skills to list

Hard skills

  • Process simulation (Aspen HYSYS, Aspen Plus, Pro/II)
  • Historian and data tools (PI, Excel, Python)
  • Unit operations (distillation, reaction, heat transfer, separations)
  • P&IDs, PFDs and heat and material balances
  • Process safety (HAZOP, LOPA, PSM, MOC)
  • Root cause analysis
  • DCS operations basics
  • Turnaround and project scoping

Soft skills

  • Earning operators’ trust
  • Calm during upsets
  • Clear procedures and training
  • Working across maintenance and operations

Certifications and licenses worth listing

  • Engineer Intern (EI) or EIT, then PE (Chemical): not required in most plants, but valued for design and consulting roles and a sign of commitment.
  • ASQ Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt: useful for optimization and yield work.
  • CCPS Process Safety Professional Certification (CCPSC): a strong signal for process safety-focused roles, once you have the experience it requires.
  • OSHA 30-Hour General Industry: a practical plus in plant roles.

Length and format

One page up to about eight years. Lead with the unit you support and its biggest improvement. Put simulation and safety methods in the skills list, because recruiters search for HYSYS, HAZOP and PSM by name.

Common mistakes

  • Listing unit operations from your degree instead of the units you have run.
  • Leaving out process safety. In any plant handling hazardous chemicals, it is part of every engineer’s job.
  • Model results without plant results. A HYSYS model matters when the unit changed because of it.
  • Sharing proprietary figures such as exact unit rates or costs; round them or use percentages.
  • Ignoring operators. Bullets on procedures, training and call-out support show you can work in a plant.

Questions and answers

Do chemical engineers need a PE license?

Rarely in operating plants. It matters more for design firms, consulting and anyone who signs engineering documents for the public. Listing an EI or EIT shows you are on the path.

How do I show impact without sharing confidential plant data?

Use percentages, rounded dollar values or relative terms: “raised yield by 2 points, worth several million a year”. Plant managers understand.

Should I list my co-op experience as a mid-level engineer?

Once you have three or more years of full-time work, a co-op can be one line or dropped, unless it was at a type of plant you are applying to.

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