Plant Controls Engineer

Make a +Difference at Kraton!

At Kraton, we make a Positive Difference, and we are looking for individuals who are also looking to make a difference in their jobs, for our customers and to the world.  We are looking to hire a key member of our Operations team at our Panama City, Florida location. 

 The Plant Controls Engineer III serves as the technical authority for Distributed Control Systems (DCS) and plant control strategies at the site level. This role provides advanced engineering leadership to ensure safe, reliable, and optimized plant operations through the design, implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of control systems.

The position requires expertise in DCS architecture, process control, and instrumentation within a chemical manufacturing environment, along with the ability to lead complex troubleshooting efforts, capital projects, and system upgrades. The Plant Controls Engineer III exercises broad technical judgment, influences plant performance, and mentors junior engineers while partnering closely with Operations, Maintenance, and EHS.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the site subject matter expert (SME) for DCS, PI (OSIsoft/Aveva), and plant control systems, ensuring system reliability, availability, and cybersecurity.
• Design, implement, and optimize process control strategies to support safety, quality, production, and cost objectives.
• Lead complex DCS configuration, logic development, tuning, and troubleshooting activities across operating units.
• Support and lead DCS upgrades, system retrofits, re-instrumentation efforts, and obsolescence management.
• Provide technical support for DCS/Control System related capital projects, including scope definition, control philosophy development, FAT/SAT execution, commissioning, and startup support.
• Own and support Management of Change (MOC) activities related to control systems, serving as technical reviewer and approver.
• Develop, maintain, and enforce control systems engineering standards, documentation, and best practices.
• Conduct system audits, support disaster recovery planning, manage spare parts strategies, and maintain long-term system health plans.
• Collaborate with Process Engineering to translate process requirements into robust control solutions and support process optimization initiatives.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior engineers and technical staff.
• Lead or support root cause investigations, PSM activities, and PHAs related to control system performance or incidents.
• Communicate technical concepts and project status effectively to plant leadership and senior management.

Required Skills

• 5 years of engineering experience in a chemical or process manufacturing environment.
• Advanced knowledge of Distributed Control Systems (DCS), PLCs, and industrial instrumentation.
• Strong understanding of process control principles (chemical process control vs. machine control).
• Experience working in OSHA 1910.119 PSM-covered facilities.
• Demonstrated ability to lead projects, influence cross-functional teams, and manage technical risk.
• Strong communication, planning, and organizational skills.

Education, Certifications & Licenses

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Chemical Engineering preferred).
• Relevant controls, automation, or process safety certifications a plus.

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The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this classification.  Statements are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and skills required for this position.

Kraton’s internal talent acquisition team manages our recruiting efforts and from time to time works with pre-selected/pre-approved external staffing agencies. We do NOT accept unsolicited resumes or candidate referrals from recruiters and/or agencies who are not pre-selected/pre-approved.

Kraton is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.