Engineering Manager
Stepan Company, Wilmington, NC, United States
We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Engineering Manager to join our team at our coastal Wilmington, NC manufacturing facility. In this key leadership role, you will report directly to the Plant Manager and serve as the site’s technical authority, ensuring the safe, compliant, and reliable design of plant systems.
This role is ideal for an experienced engineering leader who is comfortable owning technical decisions, guiding engineers, and partnering effectively with Operations and Maintenance without owning daily execution. You will provide technical authority, governance, and coaching for site engineering activities while execution is primarily performed by early‑career engineering roles.
Key Responsibilities
Lead, mentor, and develop direct‑reporting early‑career site engineers (Environmental, Process Safety, and Project Engineering), providing structured technical direction, review, and coaching.
Build technical capability, standard work, and long‑term bench strength within an early‑career engineering team.
Serve as the single point of accountability for technical integrity at the site, including engineering standards, specifications, and design practices, with final technical approval authority.
Own accountability for site environmental engineering and permitting support, ensuring environmental compliance through oversight of early‑career engineering execution.
Partner with Project Engineering and Project Managers while retaining authority for technical scope and change control.
Own technical governance of the Site 5‑Year Capital Plan, including front‑end loading (FEL), technical scope definition, and design approval, while delegating day‑to‑day planning and project development to an early‑career project engineer.
Provide oversight and accountability for the Site Process Safety Management (PSM) program, with day‑to‑day ownership and administration assigned to an early‑career process safety engineer. Ensure PHAs, DHAs, MOCs, and other PSM compliance activities are technically sound, appropriately staffed, reviewed, and closed in accordance with regulatory and company requirements.
Collaborate with Operations to translate operating needs into sound engineering solutions and with Maintenance & Reliability to eliminate repeat failures.
Exercise authority to stop work for technical, safety, or PSM concerns when required.
Foster a culture where safety is a core value, proactively identifying and mitigating risks, and promoting a positive safety mindset among all employees. Establish clear expectations and demonstrate commitment to safety through actions and words.
Retain final technical decision‑making and approval authority for engineering, PSM, and capital project deliverables at the site.
What This Role Does NOT Own
Daily plant operation or shift supervision
Control room or field execution
Craft labor or contractor supervision beyond engineering scope
Qualifications
8+ years of engineering experience in chemical or process manufacturing
3+ years of engineering leadership or supervisory experience
5+ years of capital project experience providing technical leadership and engineering scope ownership for projects >$2MM
Experience serving as technical authority in a PSM‑regulated manufacturing environment
Strong working knowledge of OSHA, EPA, NFPA, and applicable engineering standards
Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering
Benefits
Be a technical leader at a critical manufacturing site with clear authority and accountability
Work for a global leader in chemical manufacturing
Partner closely with Operations and Maintenance while shaping long‑term plant reliability
Opportunity to make a visible, lasting impact on plant safety, performance, and design quality
Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.
We celebrate diversity at Stepan and are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive environment. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, disability, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
This role is ideal for an experienced engineering leader who is comfortable owning technical decisions, guiding engineers, and partnering effectively with Operations and Maintenance without owning daily execution. You will provide technical authority, governance, and coaching for site engineering activities while execution is primarily performed by early‑career engineering roles.
Key Responsibilities
Lead, mentor, and develop direct‑reporting early‑career site engineers (Environmental, Process Safety, and Project Engineering), providing structured technical direction, review, and coaching.
Build technical capability, standard work, and long‑term bench strength within an early‑career engineering team.
Serve as the single point of accountability for technical integrity at the site, including engineering standards, specifications, and design practices, with final technical approval authority.
Own accountability for site environmental engineering and permitting support, ensuring environmental compliance through oversight of early‑career engineering execution.
Partner with Project Engineering and Project Managers while retaining authority for technical scope and change control.
Own technical governance of the Site 5‑Year Capital Plan, including front‑end loading (FEL), technical scope definition, and design approval, while delegating day‑to‑day planning and project development to an early‑career project engineer.
Provide oversight and accountability for the Site Process Safety Management (PSM) program, with day‑to‑day ownership and administration assigned to an early‑career process safety engineer. Ensure PHAs, DHAs, MOCs, and other PSM compliance activities are technically sound, appropriately staffed, reviewed, and closed in accordance with regulatory and company requirements.
Collaborate with Operations to translate operating needs into sound engineering solutions and with Maintenance & Reliability to eliminate repeat failures.
Exercise authority to stop work for technical, safety, or PSM concerns when required.
Foster a culture where safety is a core value, proactively identifying and mitigating risks, and promoting a positive safety mindset among all employees. Establish clear expectations and demonstrate commitment to safety through actions and words.
Retain final technical decision‑making and approval authority for engineering, PSM, and capital project deliverables at the site.
What This Role Does NOT Own
Daily plant operation or shift supervision
Control room or field execution
Craft labor or contractor supervision beyond engineering scope
Qualifications
8+ years of engineering experience in chemical or process manufacturing
3+ years of engineering leadership or supervisory experience
5+ years of capital project experience providing technical leadership and engineering scope ownership for projects >$2MM
Experience serving as technical authority in a PSM‑regulated manufacturing environment
Strong working knowledge of OSHA, EPA, NFPA, and applicable engineering standards
Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering
Benefits
Be a technical leader at a critical manufacturing site with clear authority and accountability
Work for a global leader in chemical manufacturing
Partner closely with Operations and Maintenance while shaping long‑term plant reliability
Opportunity to make a visible, lasting impact on plant safety, performance, and design quality
Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.
We celebrate diversity at Stepan and are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive environment. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, disability, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.
#J-18808-Ljbffr