Project Engineer, Process Engineer

** Company Overview*
* ** Firestone Polymers, LLC
** is headquartered in Lake Charles, LA and manufactures polymers and synthetic rubber in our world-class ISO 9001:2015, 14001:2015 registered plant located in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Firestone's unique anionic polymerization technology allows production of high purity, high molecular weight polybutadiene and a wide range of block, random, and vinyl modified styrene-butadiene copolymers. These products are sold around the world for use in tires, impact modification of plastics and hot melt adhesives.

Statistical process control is used in every step of the operation. Firestone Polymers, LLC is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, a division of Bridgestone Corporation, the world's largest tire and rubber company.

** Job Category*
* Engineering & Science

** Position Summary*
* The Process Engineer supports product development scale up by working across multiple unit operations, including distillation, reaction, flash, and drying processes. The ideal candidate would have a strong understanding of polymerization processes, from new polymer discovery through full scale manufacturing implementation. The Process Engineering Group plays a critical role in driving long term process improvements at the Firestone Polymers Lake Charles Plant.

Responsibilities include the discovery and implementation of new technologies, solving complex and persistent process challenges, contributing to conceptual design for capital projects, and supporting Operations and Technical Service engineers. The successful candidate will be self motivated, collaborative, and capable of prioritizing work to meet performance objectives with minimal supervision. They must be able to both generate and evaluate ideas, applying core engineering principles to develop practical, hands on solutions within cross functional teams.

This position requires a strong plant presence, with an expectation of being onsite at least 4 days per week.

** Responsibilities*
* + Exemplify Bridgestone's  _Safety First, Always_  mission statement and actively promote a safety minded work culture

+ Lead and/or participate in continuous improvement projects

+ Identify and implement process control improvements

+ Facilitate and oversee production trials for new polymer products and process technologies

+ Collaborate closely with the Akron-based Product Development Group and scale-up new chemistries and processes

+ Solve process problems, debottleneck, and optimize plant performance through statistical analysis of process data and hands-on interaction with plant personnel

+ Prepare and deliver project updates and presentations to plant leadership and Bridgestone Americas senior management

+ Work effectively with operations and production personnel, maintenance teams, technicians, vendors, contractors, and other engineers to execute responsibilities

+ Scope projects and support the capital project team through conceptual design, pre-engineering, and construction of new equipment

+ Supervise start-up and commissioning of new equipment

+ Develop and revise operating procedures as required

The Process Engineer will leverage their expertise as part of the Process Engineering Group, which plays a critical role in driving long‑term process improvements at the Firestone Polymers Lake Charles Plant. This includes the discovery and implementation of new technologies, resolution of complex and recurring process challenges, contribution to capital project conceptual design, and support of Operations and the Technical Engineering Group.

The ideal candidate will have:

+ Strong organizational, prioritization, and project management skills

+ Proven problem‑solving abilities and a solid foundation in process engineering principles, including unit operations, process simulation, project scoping and design, process and distributive control systems (DCS and/or PLC), quality control/assurance, and regulatory compliance

+ Proficiency with computers, statistical analysis, and engineering tools such as PI, Minitab, Aspen, or similar software

+ Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with colleagues and management…