Downstream Process Engineer
Corteva · Indianapolis, IN
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Process
- Experience asked
- 3+ years
- Industry
- Chemicals
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level process role at Corteva (chemicals) in Indianapolis, IN.
- They ask for
- 3+ years
- Tools it names
- DOE
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Process Engineer roles in Indiana: typical posted base $84k–$110k.
Median of the low and high ends of 4 live postings that list pay, out of 24 process engineer openings in Indiana, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Indiana plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 23 other live process postings in Indiana.
- Experience asked
- Typical (3+ years)
Similar roles usually ask 3+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Lean 38%
- Root cause 29%
- Six Sigma 29%
- Team leadership 25%
- Cost reduction 25%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 21%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Process team at Corteva
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
Full description from CortevaAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Who are we, and what do we do?
At Corteva Agriscience, you will help us grow what’s next. No matter your role, you will be part of a team that is building the future of agriculture – leading breakthroughs in the innovation and application of science and technology that will better the lives of people all over the world and fuel the progress of humankind.
Corteva Agriscience has an opportunity for a Downstream Process Engineer. You will lead the development and scale-up of downstream processes that convert fermentation-derived materials into high-quality product streams. Working within Bioprocess Discovery and Development in Indianapolis, this role partners closely with fermentation, analytical, formulation, and scale-up teams to improve recovery, purity, yield, reliability, and transfer readiness. This position provides technical leadership in the development of recovery and purification processes for microbial products and fermentation-derived metabolites, applying sound experimental design, data analysis, and engineering principles to advance programs from laboratory development through scale-up. The engineer works with elevated independence, leads discrete downstream workstreams, and provides key mentorship to associate scientists to understand the upstream process context and material attributes that influence downstream performance and delivers sound science guiding clear technical recommendations.
What You’ll Do
- •Design and execute downstream process development studies for fermentation-derived materials, including clarification, separation, extraction, filtration, concentration, and purification.
- •Develop scalable recovery and purification strategies based on fermentation broth characteristics, product properties, and impurity profiles to cost targets.
- •Optimize downstream processes to improve yield, product quality, throughput, reliability, and cost.
- •Integrate fermentation performance, analytical results, and process data to guide development decisions.
- •Apply experimental design and statistical analysis to efficiently solve technical challenges.
- •Troubleshoot recovery, purification, stability, and scale-up issues.
- •Lead downstream workstreams within cross-functional fermentation and process development programs.
- •Support technology transfer and scale-up through process documentation, risk assessments, and manufacturing recommendations.
- •Evaluate and implement new downstream technologies and tools to improve process understanding and efficiency.
- •Prepare technical reports, presentations, and recommendations for project teams, capability leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders.
- •Promote safe laboratory operations and continuous improvement practices.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
What Skills You Need
- •PhD in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Industrial Microbiology, or related field; or MS with relevant industry experience.
- •3+ years of experience supporting scale-up, technology transfer, or manufacturing of fermentation-based products in industry.
- •Experience developing downstream processes for fermentation-derived or biological products.
- •Knowledge of downstream unit operations of fermentation broth processing, including filtration, centrifugation, extraction, adsorption, chromatography, concentration, purification, and stabilization.
- •Strong experimental design, data analysis, and technical communication skills.
- •Ability to work independently and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams.
- •Commitment to laboratory safety, documentation quality, and data integrity.
- •Demonstrated success improving process performance, quality, scalability, or operational efficiency.
Preferred Skills
- +Demonstration of several downstream processes from biologically derived actives developed into commercialized products
- +Experience with DoE, statistical analysis, process modeling, data visualization, or AI-enabled tools.
- +Experience leading technical workstreams and cross-functional project deliverables.
Benefits – How We’ll Support You
- •Numerous development opportunities offered to build your skills
- •Be part of a company with a higher purpose and contribute to making the world a better place
- •Health benefits for you and your family on your first day of employment
- •Four weeks of paid time off and two weeks of well-being pay per year, plus paid holidays
- •Excellent parental leave which includes a minimum of 16 weeks for mother and father
- •Future planning with our competitive retirement savings plan and tuition reimbursement program
- •Learn more about our total rewards package here - Corteva Benefits
- •Check out life at Corteva! www.linkedin.com/company/corteva/life
Are you a good match? Apply today! We seek applicants from all backgrounds to ensure we get the best, most creative talent on our team.