Senior Process Engineer

At Air Products, we reimagine what’s possible. By tapping into the motivation of our people and our collective experience, we create the ideas and innovations that drive us forward. When we come together – where every voice is heard and everyone knows they belong and matter – we create solutions that launch people into space, support lifesaving care in hospitals, and enable the construction of groundbreaking, world scale production facilities.

Reimagine What’s Possible 

Purpose

The Senior Process Engineer – HYCO provides senior-level technical leadership for ongoing plant operations and projects—from concept development through commissioning and start-up—and leads asset management and productivity initiatives across all BHIG operating facilities in the Region. The role coordinates technical activities between site-based engineers and operations teams, mentors junior process engineers, and ensures safe, reliable, efficient and cost-effective production of hydrogen, syngas, CO and CO₂.

Nature & Scope

Reporting to the BHIG Engineering Manager, the Senior Process Engineer – HYCO provides day-to-day operational and technical support to Regional Sites through systematic monitoring of plant performance to ensure that production, energy efficiency, and reliability targets are consistently achieved in a safe manner. As a senior technical authority, the incumbent acts as a subject-matter expert (SME) on HYCO process technology and mentors site-based process engineers.

The role identifies productivity opportunities, develops engineering solutions, and supports the project execution teams across multiple technologies: Air Separation Units (ASU), Hydrogen / Syngas (HYCO – SMR based), and CO₂ production. The incumbent may also support Air Products plant support teams in providing similar services to JV partners, equipment sales customers and new prospects.

This position interfaces with Air Products global, regional and local process / production engineers, Regional Operations team members, project and design engineering teams, process safety specialists, and other technical support personnel. The role helps implement the systems and measures required to meet BHIG's Middle East operational requirements, technical standards, quality processes and plant & equipment integrity programs.

The incumbent will coordinate and effectively utilize global operating and technical resources to support existing operations, new installations and modifications led by BHIG Project Engineering or by the Air Products Global Engineering & Manufacturing Organization. The position will help drive consistency in operations across the Middle East Region and contribute to the continuous improvement of productivity, reliability, quality, process safety, and cost-effectiveness of the plants—using BHIG and Air Products systems, tools, statistical techniques and Continuous Improvement methodologies. Developing and tracking plant performance and reliability KPIs is an integral part of the role.

Principal Accountabilities

Safety

• Provide and maintain a safe work environment for self and others; demonstrate visible safety leadership.
• Participate in meetings with government departments responsible for safety, environmental, fire protection and public security oversight, and ensure timely implementation of applicable requirements within BHIG.
• Participate in major turnarounds and project activities, ensuring safety throughout execution.
• Coordinate employee safety committee meetings and programs and actively encourage employee participation and accountability in safety management programs.

Technical

• Act as senior technical authority and subject-matter expert for HYCO process engineering across the Region; mentor and coach junior and site-based process engineers, and provide peer review on key engineering deliverables.
• Lead and provide technical support to regional teams for new installations, existing plant modifications, on-going operations, and continuous improvement and maintenance activities for BHIG, equipment sales and potential new customers. Support is delivered through site visits, remote phone / video support, or via the Process Intelligence Center (PIC). Ensure all activities comply with legal requirements, BHIG safety and technical standards.
• Provide technical support and safety leadership for Management of Change (MOC), Operational/Process Hazard Reviews (OPHR), PHA / HAZOP, LOPA and other process safety related initiatives in order to drive PSM compliance. Consult BHIG and Air Products process safety specialists as required.
• Provide process engineering leadership to drive asset performance, reduce operating costs and increase plant throughput by supporting: troubleshooting, plant efficiency studies, process safety, equipment reliability, advanced process control (APC), asset management, and productivity project identification, development and execution.
• Apply process statistics and data analytics (control charts, regression, capability analysis, multivariate analysis) to detect performance drift, quantify variability, prioritize improvement opportunities and validate the impact of implemented changes.
• Develop, maintain and validate steady-state and dynamic process simulation models in Aspen Plus (and associated Aspen suite tools) to support troubleshooting, performance benchmarking, debottlenecking, what-if studies, energy optimization, and revamp / new project evaluations.
• Provide expert technical support on heterogeneous catalyst systems used in HYCO / Hydrogen plants—including Hydrodesulfurization (HDS), ZnO sulfur absorbers, Pre-Reforming, Steam Methane Reforming (SMR), High-Temperature Shift (HTS), Low-Temperature Shift (LTS) and Methanation—covering activity / deactivation assessment, kinetic and equilibrium evaluation, poison management, life-cycle prediction, change-out strategy, vendor selection and performance auditing.
• Facilitate operational excellence through continuous improvement in plant productivity, reliability, quality and cost; lead improvements and ensure that best practices are deployed.
• Provide technical leadership in investigations and Root Cause Analyses (RCA) in order to identify and implement sustainable corrective and preventive actions.
• Provide technical support for Advanced Process Control (APC) and real-time optimization (RTO) initiatives.
• Monitor plant production daily, driving asset performance and ensuring daily targets are met to maximize profitability and customer satisfaction.

Operations

• Provide process engineering support to operations in order to safely and reliably operate, SMR-based HYCO and CO₂ facilities in the Region, meeting customer expectations on safety, reliability, product quality and supply flexibility while remaining compliant with contractual requirements.
• Ensure that BHIG standards and Air Products global best practices for EH&S, productivity, reliability, quality and customer service are met.
• Provide technical guidance to commissioning teams, supporting commissioning, start-up and troubleshooting activities.
• Participate in the training of the Operations team up to plant commissioning, including catalyst loading, reduction / activation and start-up of SMR, Shift and Methanation reactors.
• Participate in developing the month-end close model and ensure alignment with commercial obligations for the BHIG Middle East Commercial Area.
• Maintain close working relationships with engineering and maintenance personnel to continuously monitor and evaluate plant systems and equipment through a Plant Process Advisory model.
• Support Process Intelligence Center (PIC) initiatives such as plant monitoring, troubleshooting, plant simulation training sessions, plant modelling and plant efficiency monitoring.
• Maintain alignment with Plant Managers, Site Leadership and the Business Area on asset management opportunities and commercial priorities.
• Provide technical support for turnarounds, including catalyst inspection, sampling, change-out planning and post-turnaround performance validation.

Minimum Requirements and Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering (Master's degree is a plus).
• Minimum 12+ years of experience in Engineering and/or Operations in a senior technical role within the industrial gases, refining, petrochemical (Methanol and ammonia) or hydrogen production industry.
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of the technology, design and operation of Steam Methane Reformers (HYCO) and CO₂ production systems is preferred. Single-technology expertise will be considered; multi-technology background is strongly preferred at this senior level.
• Proven track record of start-up, commissioning and plant operating experience.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring junior engineers and leading multi-disciplinary technical teams.

Technical Skills

• Process Simulation – Strong proficiency in Aspen Plus) for steady-state and dynamic modelling of HYCO, ASU and CO₂ processes; capable of building, calibrating and using rigorous models for plant performance evaluation, troubleshooting and optimization.
• Process Statistics & Data Analytics – Working knowledge of statistical methods applied to process engineering: SPC / control charts, regression and correlation analysis, capability studies (Cp / Cpk), and multivariate / time-series analysis. Familiarity with tools such as Minitab, PI Datalink.
• Heterogeneous Catalysis – Solid technical understanding of heterogeneous catalysts used in hydrogen / syngas production, including Hydrodesulfurization (HDS / CoMo, NiMo), ZnO sulfur guards, Pre-reforming, Steam Methane Reforming (SMR), High-Temperature Shift (HTS – Fe/Cr), Low-Temperature Shift (LTS – Cu/Zn/Al) and Methanation (Ni based). This includes reaction kinetics and thermodynamics, activation / reduction procedures, deactivation and poisoning mechanisms, performance monitoring, life prediction and change-out strategy.
• Process Safety – Knowledgeable in Process Safety Management (PSM), PHA / HAZOP, LOPA, MOC, OPHR, and applicable local EHS regulations.
• Advanced Process Control & Optimization – Familiarity with APC, RTO and energy optimization concepts for hydrogen and ASU plants.
• Engineering Tools – Proficient in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), data historians (e.g., OSIsoft PI / AVEVA PI), and standard process engineering calculation tools.

Leadership & Behavioral Competencies

• Strong commitment to employee involvement, team building, diversity and inclusion.
• Proven ability to mentor and coach less experienced engineers and to act as a recognized technical reference within the organization.
• Able to communicate effectively across management, operations, maintenance and customer interfaces within and across regions.
• Proficiency in English (spoken and written) is required; Arabic language skills are a plus.
• Demonstrated leadership, organizational, computer and interpersonal skills.
• Personal commitment to continuous self-development and flexibility to work outside normal hours to meet operational and project commitments.
• Excellent influencing skills, ability to build trust and confidence with frontline workers, supervisors and management.
• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills are prerequisites.
• Confident, assertive, self-motivated and results oriented.
• Personal commitment to corporate values and to a culture of continuous improvement.
• Formal training and experience with Six Sigma (Green / Black Belt) and Continuous Improvement tools is a plus.

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Founded in 1940, Air Products is a world-leading industrial gases company and has a proud history of innovation, operational excellence, with an unwavering commitment to safety and environmental stewardship. Working together, we are taking our passion and diverse backgrounds forward to reimagine what’s possible and generate a cleaner future for our customers, our communities, and the world.