Plant Engineer

Kansas Ethanol LLC, located in Lyons, Kansas, is a leading producer of fuel-grade ethanol with an annual production capacity of 80 million gallons. Since 2008, the company has focused on innovation, sustainability, and supporting the regional agricultural economy by purchasing locally grown corn and grain sorghum. As a zero-waste facility, Kansas Ethanol uses every component of the grain to produce high-quality ethanol, animal feed co-products, and other valuable outputs.

Through advanced technology and strong operational practices, the company delivers renewable energy solutions, supports local farmers, and provides quality jobs that strengthen the central Kansas economy.

The Plant Engineer is responsible for providing engineering support to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operation of the ethanol production facility. This position leads capital projects, supports maintenance and operations, improves plant performance, and ensures compliance with environmental and safety regulations. The Plant Engineer works closely with Operations, Maintenance, and Quality personnel to optimize plant systems and equipment.

This position works independently with limited supervision. The employee will determine what needs to be done and how to do it.

The supervisor sets the overall objectives and resources available. The employee and supervisor, in consultation, develop the deadlines, projects, and work to be done. Completed work is reviewed only from an overall standpoint in terms of feasibility, compatibility with other work, or effectiveness in meeting requirements or expected results.

Performs the following duties personally.

Essential Functions include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Provide day-to-day engineering support for all plant systems, including fermentation, distillation, evaporation, drying, utilities, and grain handling.
• Identify and implement process improvements to increase production efficiency, reduce downtime, and lower operating costs.
• Develop and manage capital improvement projects from concept through design, budgeting, procurement, installation, and startup.
• Prepare engineering drawings, process flow diagrams (PFDs), piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), and technical specifications.
• Conduct root cause analysis on equipment failures and process upsets and recommend corrective actions.
• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and analyze process data to identify opportunities for optimization.
• Collaborate with Maintenance to improve equipment reliability and preventative maintenance strategies.
• Assist with equipment selection, vendor evaluation, and contractor oversight.
• Ensure all engineering projects and modifications comply with OSHA, EPA, fire code, and company standards.
• Support Process Safety Management (PSM), Management of Change (MOC), and other regulatory programs.
• Prepare cost estimates, justifications, and return-on-investment analyses for proposed projects.
• Participate in annual shutdown planning and execution.
• Assist with environmental permitting and compliance initiatives.
• Train operations and maintenance personnel on new systems and process changes.
• Maintain accurate engineering records and project documentation.
• Provide technical guidance to maintenance and operations employees.

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, competency, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering.
• Strong knowledge of pumps, motors, heat exchangers, boilers, compressors, conveyors, and process control systems.
• Experience managing capital projects and budgets.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and engineering software such as AutoCAD.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Minimum of 3–5 years of…