Senior Process Engineer

Role Overview

Senior Process Engineer – HYCO at Air Products, based in the Middle East Region. The role provides senior-level technical leadership for hydrogen, syngas, CO and CO₂ production facilities across all BHIG operating sites, from concept development through commissioning, start-up and ongoing operations.

Company Overview

Air Products is a world-leading industrial gases company founded in 1940, with a proud history of innovation, operational excellence, and unwavering commitment to safety and environmental stewardship.

Role Purpose

The Senior Process Engineer – HYCO delivers day-to-day operational and technical support to Regional Sites through systematic monitoring of plant performance, acts as subject-matter expert (SME) on HYCO process technology, mentors site-based process engineers, and leads asset management and productivity initiatives to ensure safe, reliable, efficient and cost-effective production across all BHIG operating facilities in the Region.

Key Responsibilities

Safety

• Provide and maintain a safe work environment for self and others; demonstrate visible safety leadership.
• Participate in meetings with government departments responsible for safety, environmental, fire protection and public security oversight, and ensure timely implementation of applicable requirements within BHIG.
• Participate in major turnarounds and project activities, ensuring safety throughout execution.
• Coordinate employee safety committee meetings and programs and actively encourage employee participation and accountability in safety management programs.

Technical Leadership & Expertise

• Act as senior technical authority and subject-matter expert for HYCO process engineering across the Region; mentor and coach junior and site-based process engineers, and provide peer review on key engineering deliverables.
• Lead and provide technical support to regional teams for new installations, existing plant modifications, on-going operations, and continuous improvement and maintenance activities for BHIG, equipment sales and potential new customers through site visits, remote phone / video support, or via the Process Intelligence Center (PIC).
• Ensure all activities comply with legal requirements, BHIG safety and technical standards.
• Provide expert technical support on heterogeneous catalyst systems used in HYCO / Hydrogen plants—including Hydrodesulfurization (HDS), ZnO sulfur absorbers, Pre-Reforming, Steam Methane Reforming (SMR), High-Temperature Shift (HTS), Low-Temperature Shift (LTS) and Methanation—covering activity / deactivation assessment, kinetic and equilibrium evaluation, poison management, life-cycle prediction, change-out strategy, vendor selection and performance auditing.

Process Safety & Compliance

• Provide technical support and safety leadership for Management of Change (MOC), Operational / Process Hazard Reviews (OPHR), PHA / HAZOP, LOPA and other process safety related initiatives in order to drive PSM compliance.
• Consult BHIG and Air Products process safety specialists as required.
• Ensure that BHIG standards and Air Products global best practices for EHS, productivity, reliability, quality and customer service are met.

Performance & Optimization

• Provide process engineering leadership to drive asset performance, reduce operating costs and increase plant throughput by supporting troubleshooting, plant efficiency studies, process safety, equipment reliability, advanced process control (APC), asset management, and productivity project identification, development and execution.
• Apply process statistics and data analytics (control charts, regression, capability analysis, multivariate analysis) to detect performance drift, quantify variability, prioritize improvement opportunities and validate the impact of implemented changes.
• Develop, maintain and validate steady-state and dynamic process simulation models in Aspen Plus (and associated Aspen suite tools) to support troubleshooting, performance benchmarking, debottlenecking, what-if studies, energy optimization, and revamp / new project evaluations.
• Facilitate operational excellence through continuous improvement in plant productivity, reliability, quality and cost; lead improvements and ensure that best practices are deployed.
• Monitor plant production daily, driving asset performance and ensuring daily targets are met to maximize profitability and customer satisfaction.
• Provide technical support for Advanced Process Control (APC) and real-time optimization (RTO) initiatives.

Root Cause Analysis & Continuous Improvement

• Provide technical leadership in investigations and Root Cause Analyses (RCA) in order to identify and implement sustainable corrective and preventive actions.

Operations Support

• Provide process engineering support to operations in order to safely and reliably operate SMR-based HYCO and CO₂ facilities in the Region, meeting customer expectations on safety, reliability, product quality and supply flexibility while remaining compliant with contractual requirements.
• Provide technical guidance to commissioning teams, supporting commissioning, start-up and troubleshooting activities.
• Participate in the training of the Operations team up to plant commissioning, including catalyst loading, reduction / activation and start-up of SMR, Shift and Methanation reactors.
• Participate in developing the month-end close model and ensure alignment with commercial obligations for the BHIG Middle East Commercial Area.
• Maintain close working relationships with engineering and maintenance personnel to continuously monitor and evaluate plant systems and equipment through a Plant Process Advisory model.
• Support Process Intelligence Center (PIC) initiatives such as plant monitoring, troubleshooting, plant simulation training sessions, plant modelling and plant efficiency monitoring.
• Maintain alignment with Plant Managers, Site Leadership and the Business Area on asset management opportunities and commercial priorities.
• Provide technical support for turnarounds, including catalyst inspection, sampling, change-out planning and post-turnaround performance validation.

Coordination & Stakeholder Management

• Coordinate technical activities between site-based engineers and operations teams.
• Interface with Air Products global, regional and local process / production engineers, Regional Operations team members, project and design engineering teams, process safety specialists, and other technical support personnel.
• Help implement the systems and measures required to meet BHIG's Middle East operational requirements, technical standards, quality processes and plant & equipment integrity programs.
• Coordinate and effectively utilize global operating and technical resources to support existing operations, new installations and modifications led by BHIG Project Engineering or by the Air Products Global Engineering & Manufacturing Organization.
• Help drive consistency in operations across the Middle East Region and contribute to the continuous improvement of productivity, reliability, quality, process safety, and cost-effectiveness of the plants using BHIG and Air Products systems, tools, statistical techniques and Continuous Improvement methodologies.
• Develop and track plant performance and reliability KPIs.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering (Master's degree is a plus).
• Minimum 12+ years of experience in Engineering and / or Operations in a senior technical role within the industrial gases, refining, petrochemical (Methanol and ammonia) or hydrogen production industry.
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of the technology, design and operation of Steam Methane Reformers (HYCO) and CO₂ production systems is preferred; single-technology expertise will be considered; multi-technology background is strongly preferred at this senior level.
• Proven track record of start-up, commissioning and plant operating experience.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring junior engineers and leading multi-disciplinary technical teams.

Skills & Competencies

Technical Skills

• Process Simulation: Strong proficiency in Aspen Plus for steady-state and dynamic modelling of HYCO, ASU and CO₂ processes; capable of building, calibrating and using rigorous models for plant performance evaluation, troubleshooting and optimization.
• Process Statistics & Data Analytics: Working knowledge of statistical methods applied to process engineering including SPC / control charts, regression and correlation analysis, capability studies (Cp / Cpk), and multivariate / time-series analysis; familiarity with tools such as Minitab and PI Datalink.
• Heterogeneous Catalysis: Solid technical understanding of heterogeneous catalysts used in hydrogen / syngas production, including Hydrodesulfurization (HDS / CoMo, NiMo), ZnO sulfur guards, Pre-reforming, Steam Methane Reforming (SMR), High-Temperature Shift (HTS – Fe / Cr), Low-Temperature Shift (LTS – Cu / Zn / Al) and Methanation (Ni based), covering reaction kinetics and thermodynamics, activation / reduction procedures, deactivation and poisoning mechanisms, performance monitoring, life prediction and change-out strategy.
• Process Safety: Knowledgeable in Process Safety Management (PSM), PHA / HAZOP, LOPA, MOC, OPHR, and applicable local EHS regulations.
• Advanced Process Control & Optimization: Familiarity with APC, RTO and energy optimization concepts for hydrogen and ASU plants.
• Engineering Tools: Proficient in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), data historians (for example, OSIsoft PI / AVEVA PI), and standard process engineering calculation tools.

Leadership & Behavioral Competencies

• Strong commitment to employee involvement, team building,