Back to jobs
New

Automation Technician

Neal, WV

With a strategy centered on people and sustainability, Braskem is engaged in contributing to the value chain to strengthen the Circular Economy. Braskem’s 9,000 team members dedicate themselves every day to improving people's lives through sustainable solutions in chemicals and plastics. With its corporate DNA rooted in innovation, Braskem offers a comprehensive portfolio of plastic resins and chemical products for diverse industries, such as food packaging, construction, manufacturing, automotive, agribusiness, health and hygiene, and more. With 40 industrial units in Brazil, the United States, Mexico, and Germany, Braskem exports its products to clients in over 70 countries.

Braskem America is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Braskem S.A. headquartered in Philadelphia. The company is the leading producer of polypropylene in the United States, with six production plants located in Texas, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, as well as an Innovation and Technology Center in Pittsburgh and a New Renewable Innovation Center in Lexington, which focuses on leveraging groundbreaking developments in biotechnology and chemical catalysis. For more information, visit www.braskem.com/usa.

Department: NAMEA Automation 

Location: Neal, WV

Travel Involved: 0%

Job Type: Full Time, On Site 

Description:

Braskem is looking for a self-motivated and curious process control technician to help our Neal, WV, facility reach its full potential.  A successful candidate will work very closely with our site automation engineer, operations, and instrumentation personnel.  At Neal, we will need your help maintaining Honeywell Experion (TPS), Safety Manager, Modicon & Rockwell automation systems.  You should not be intimidated by challenges, enjoy complex problem-solving, and come prepared to contribute. 

Below is a list of activities where you can do your part:

  • Perform first-line troubleshooting of the automation systems, including: DCS, SIS, PLCs, Data Historian, Advanced Solutions, and DMZ/PCN layer network
  • You will serve a critical role as the primary interface with the I&E technicians, offering them occasional support while troubleshooting particularly challenging issues or providing specific guidance for capital work.
  • Collaborate daily with operations personnel, helping them troubleshoot process issues, logic, graphics, drawings, etc. 
  • Work closely with the site automation engineer, sharing responsibility for the overall reliability of all automation systems.  This includes sharing coverage for off-hour support in response to all automation system disruptions on a rotating basis, as well as extended hours during planned and unplanned plant outages.
  • Maintain and update process control strategy documents, including loop diagrams, logic drawings, and cause-and-effect matrices.
  • Monitor performance of PID loops and tune as necessary. Diagnose poor performance and recommend next steps as needed.
  • Monitor and evaluate the health and performance of automation assets, and take necessary actions.
  • Be an active participant in MOC and PSSR initiatives, identifying how proposed changes may impact our control systems and helping to determine optimal implementation solutions.
  • Support our Alarm Management process by generating alarm reports, participating in alarm rationalization meetings, and implementing changes to the DCS configuration.
  • Perform routine tasks such as backups and PMs to verify the viability and reliability of all automation equipment and repair/replace components as needed.
  • Identify and correct problems that may arise during the commissioning of new control system equipment.
  • Serve as a liaison between the electrical and mechanical groups, providing insight into how their work may impact automation systems.
  • Support the automation engineer in developing alarms/interlock testing procedures and conduct functional testing of alarms/interlocks following site-specific procedures.
  • Perform minor maintenance on the site historian (AVEVA PI). Be able to add/modify tags.
  • Coordinating with vendor & Industrial Data and Architecture (ID&A) team to ensure that Neal’s automation system’s support software (ex., Microsoft, McAfee, Carbon Black, etc) is patched and up to date.
  • Ensure that applicable safety practices are followed and that personnel are informed of possible hazards while working with and around automation equipment.
  • Support site cybersecurity initiatives through the Braskem Cybersecurity Champions program
  • Provide technical training to operations on control system functionality and alarm management.
  • Participate in incident investigations into automation system issues and represent automation during other incident investigations.

Process Safety Responsibilities:

  • Participate as needed in PHA studies
  • Support root cause analysis (RCA) investigations for process safety incidents/near misses
  • We rigorously test our automation systems, and you will play a critical part in the creation, planning, execution, and documentation of these systems to ensure the safety of everyone on site and the surrounding community.
  • Manage the tracking of bypasses on all automation systems and instrumentation to ensure that the process is being managed correctly.

Requirements:

  • High school diploma or associate degree preferred, with 5+ years of previous experience in industrial manufacturing
  • Experience with DCS systems (Honeywell Experion/TPS), safety systems (Safety Manager), and PLCs (Allen Bradly/Rockwell/Modicon).
  • Strong self-starter, good communicator, and solid interpersonal skills
  • Ability to “get involved & contribute” without being instructed to do so
  • Strong instrumentation skills
  • Must be able to visualize, understand, and troubleshoot control loops and their associated documentation from the instrument through logic.
  • Must be legally authorized to work in the United States permanently without visa sponsorship (U.S. citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident).

Preferred Skills, Education, and Experience: 

  • Previous plant experience in chemical manufacturing, preferably in Spheripol or Unipol polypropylene technology. 
  • Previous plant experience in a PSM regulated facility
  • Knowledge of computer hardware and software
  • Knowledge of network systems
  • Ability to program in any language/system
  • Knowledge of virtualization

What we offer

At Braskem, we offer more than just a competitive pay package. Our total rewards package includes a wide range of benefits you need for every stage of your life. Our benefits include:

  • Medical, Dental, and Vision Benefits
  • Retirement Benefits
  • Maternity and Paternity Leave
  • Life Insurance
  • Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance
  • Teladoc
  • A wide range of voluntary benefits like Pet Insurance, Legal and ID Theft Insurance
  • Flexible work schedules like 9/80 schedules for eligible team members

Depending on qualifications, the successful candidate may be offered a position at a more appropriate level and/or ladder.

Candidates must be currently eligible to work in the United States without the need for any type of sponsorship now or in the future. Braskem is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified candidates and employees according to applicable law. We value and encourage diversity and solicit applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. If you require reasonable accommodation as part of the application process, please contact the Talent Acquisition team.

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Braskem? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Demographic Questions

At Braskem, we are proud of our culture that promotes Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) encouraging its team members to be who they are, following the motto: “You are free to be you.” This mindset adds value to the organization by unlocking untapped potential.

To support this important value, D&I is part of our business strategy encouraging diversity and inclusive behavior within our teams. You will see some of this throughout your application process, aiming to identify and mitigate unconscious biases in our hiring process.

Below is a set of voluntary demographic questions that are part of this inclusive tool set within our recruiting process. If you choose to fill them out, the responses will be used only to help us identify areas for improvement in our process in forms of summarized anonymous reports. Your responses, or choice not to respond, will not be associated with your specific application, is not visible to anyone of the Braskem team including the hiring leader, HR and IT, and will not in any way be used in the hiring decision.

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Braskem’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.