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Pilot Plant Engineer

Primient · Decatur, IL

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Level
Engineer
Team
Production
Base pay
$82k–$103k
Experience asked
5+ years
Industry
Food & beverage
Posted
30+ days ago

The role in 30 seconds

An engineer-level production role at Primient (food & beverage) in Decatur, IL. The Pilot Plant Chemical Engineer will be responsible for providing technical support across the Global Operations division and leading a portfolio of projects to support the Company and Department goals, focusing on cost reduction and operational improvement.

They ask for
5+ years
Tools it names
FDA / GMP
Base pay
$82k–$103k
Day to day
some off-shift / weekend coverage

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

How this role compares

Against 19 other live production postings in Illinois.

Base pay
About 26% below similar roles

Typical $100k–$150k, from 12 postings that list pay.

Experience asked
Typical (5+ years)

Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • Team leadership 40%
  • Root cause 35%
  • Lean 35%
  • SAP 30%
  • EHS / safety 25%
  • Tooling 20%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

Stands out: this posting asks for FDA / GMP, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 5+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone on the team first.

At a glance

Off-shift / weekend coverageTraining programPromotion path mentioned

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. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Production team at Primient

    Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.

  2. 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. 3

    Turn a reply into a short call

    Questions worth asking about this team:

    • What does a normal week look like on your team?
    • How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
    • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
  4. 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. 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.

This plant: Primient in Decatur

1 other open role at this site.

Full description from PrimientAs posted on their careers site.Show

Pilot Plant Engineer | Primient

About Primient

Primient is a century old company with an entrepreneurial spirit. We are a leading producer of food and industrial ingredients made from plant-based, renewable sources. We deliver value through deep technical, commercial, and operational excellence that is backed by our long-standing corn wet milling heritage. Wherever we are in the process, from field to customer, our priorities are focused on ensuring we produce the safest, highest quality products through practices that uphold both our responsibility and commitments to the challenge and drive for excellence, our people and our planet. We are a privately held company with locations across the US, Mexico, Poland, and Brazil. W e’re investing in our plants and people to unlock our potential in the industrial and food sectors. Guided by our values of Safety, Excellence, Integrity, and Growth, we’re focused on growing our business, our reputation, and the career of every teammate.

As a member of the Global Operation Support Team, the Pilot Plant Chemical Engineer will be responsible for providing technical support across the Global Operations division and leading a portfolio of projects to support the Company and Department goals, focusing on cost reduction and operational improvement. The position will act as a change agent for process improvement implementations and improvement of capabilities of people and systems. This position will act as an extension of Primient’ s continuous improvement (CI) program and will foster a culture of continuous improvement and sustainment while facilitating projects across the organization.

The candidate will be a self-starter, a team player, and capable of productively interacting with a diverse group, ranging from technicians to plant managers to project partners. The candidate must have strong communication and interpersonal skills and be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with many processes. The candidate will lead projects and provide expertise to support and develop high-quality, cost-effective solutions.

You’ll also join our structured development program: the Engineering Ladder. As your skills grow; you will progress into more responsible, impactful roles.

Engineer 1 > Engineer 2 > Engineer 3 > Sr. Engineer > Principal Engineer > Engineer Fellow

Pilot Plant Chemical Engineer

  • •Provide process engineering support for manufacturing operations
  • •Lead process improvements projects, including:
  • •Setup, design, and execution of experiments at bench and pilot scale
  • •Evaluation and interpretation of experimental results
  • •Provide economic analysis/assessment of current and future process concepts and technologies
  • •Communicate frequently with key stakeholders to meet project goals and deadlines
  • •Train technicians and other members of project teams on equipment use, data collection, and data analysis
  • •Collaborate with internal partners to ensure effective technical transfer from the pilot plant to production environments, including documentation of new/updated key process indicators (KPIs)
  • •Analyze opportunities as well as guide and plan actions around process improvement ideas
  • •Foster collaborative and organizational learning
  • •Monthly project reviews, management and growth of project pipeline, including the ability to move projects through the development stages and ultimately to completion.
  • •Willingness to travel as required (generally

About You

We’re looking for engineers who are keen to learn fast in an environment of excellence.

  • •Required –
  • •B.S. in Chemical Engineering or related engineering field.
  • •Strong technical background and a willingness to learn.
  • •0-5 years of industrial experience, preferably within the food or other GMP environment. New Graduates accepted
  • •Curiosity in how things work and what is needed to improve them.
  • •Interact well with all roles.
  • •Beneficial –
  • •Practical hands-on expertise with equipment
  • •Experience in process development, experimental design, statistical analysis, process optimization, and scale-up
  • •Stem-to-stern project experience (i.e., process development, process scale-up, P&ID development, punch lists, commissioning, start-up, operations, etc.)
  • •Working knowledge of various manufacturing processes and unit operations including centrifugation, evaporation, filtration, ion exchange, chromatography/SSMB and enzyme reactors

Total Rewards

The annual pay range estimated for this position is $82,053.60 - $102,567.00 and is bonus eligible.

​

We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package that our U.S. colleagues and their families can count on, which includes :

  • •Competitive Pay ​
  • •Multiple Healthcare plan choices ​
  • •Dental and vision insurance ​
  • •A 401(k) plan with company and matching contributions ​
  • •Short- and Long-Term Disability ​
  • •Life, AD&D, and Voluntary Insurance plans ​
  • •Paid holidays & vacation ​
  • •Floating days off ​
  • •Parental leave for new parents ​
  • •Employee resource groups ​
  • •Learning & development programs ​
  • •Fun culture where you have an opportunity in shaping our future

Career Path & Culture

Primient is committed to a workplace that is all in – ensuring everyone has the opportunity to develop and shape a career that matters in an open culture which embraces equity, diversity and belonging. We challenge old ways of thinking; and encourage employee voices to be a guiding force for ongoing learning. ​

​

Primient supports a culture of inclusion that respects individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe our differences make better de

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