Full-Time

Process Engineer

Posted on 4/27/2025

Occidental Petroleum

Occidental Petroleum

10,001+ employees

Oil, gas production; carbon management focus

No salary listed

Metairie, LA, USA

In Person

Category
Process Engineering
Requirements
  • Maintain protection of the environment and the health and safety of our employees, customers, and the communities in which we operate and/or transport our products, as our highest priority.
  • Ensure consistency of operation, application of policies/procedures, and accountability across all shifts for employees working in the assigned unit.
  • Plan and direct the activities of the process area in a manner that achieves production of quality products in a safe, efficient, and reliable manner.
  • Develop new & enhance existing management systems and procedures to quantify and compare operating performance with established standards and assures compliance with such standards.
  • Manage reliability priorities and maintenance backlogs for the operating area. Work with planners and lead techs to support maintenance excellence. Work in conjunction with Maintenance to ensure that the maintenance backlog is managed, planned, and scheduled properly.
  • Identify capital projects and assist in development of detailed scope as needed for the areas.
  • Provide outage planning and support for planned shutdowns. Identify outage timing and scope. Help develop the operations plan for the outage and coordinate with Maintenance on the maintenance plan and cost.
  • Assure that raw material and product inventories are in compliance with established minimum-maximum levels, that these materials meet specifications, and are handled in a manner which minimizes degradation or loss. Work to meet the objectives of the business and logistics leaders to establish raw material needs/usage targets, permissible inventory flexibility, production needs, and shipment targets.
  • Develop and implement specific projects to improve manufacturing cost performance.
  • Provide direction to the process technicians on key parameters, plant operating instructions, preparation of equipment for maintenance, process troubleshooting, operating plans, and safety issues.
  • Cooperatively accountable with other line and technical staff functions for the results of the Taft Plant. Accountability will be fulfilled by process improvements, technical assistance, environmental assistance, production engineering assistance, project engineering assistance, startup assistance, and product accountability quality improvement.
  • Develop, manage and participate in programs, methods, systems, and practices for maintaining a safe work environment. Maintain safety and environmental awareness consistent with plant and corporate standards via safety meetings, training, hazards review, etc. Support OxyChem and OSHA Process Safety Management, Responsible Care and Risk Management programs including Management of Change and Process Hazards Reviews, and being EOC liaison.
  • Assist Production and Maintenance Engineering in matters of evaluation, selection, and coordination and control of vendors supplying necessary operating services, consulting services, materials, equipment, and other needs of operation.
  • Provide coordination between the production department, Maintenance engineering, and corporate engineering departments for capital projects as required and assume responsibilities as assigned, such as equipment specifications, engineering flow sheets, etc.
  • Develop and maintain expertise in areas of specialization, develop new skills, develop overall technical competence, keep informed of new technology and new developments, participate in and identify programs to improve personal and group-wide professional development.
  • Provide leadership while participating in teams to solve complex technical problems and achieve continuous process improvement.
  • Provide technical support in customer audits, inquiries and product quality improvements in accordance with the Taft’s Quality system.
  • Mentor to Junior Engineers; provide direction for less experienced personnel.
  • Participates and accepts responsibility for meeting plant and individual PSM goals, and monthly spreadsheet responsibilities as specified in Plant procedures.
  • Actively participates in plant’s Health, Environmental, Safety, and Security (HESS) programs to assure a safe and environmentally sound workplace.
  • Assumes accountability for meeting plant safety goals and various other requirements including training, job observations, reporting hazards and issues, and working safely in job assignments.
  • Actively participates in safety meetings and various other HESS programs while promoting safety through offering recommendations to other employees on working safely.
  • Leads Process Hazard Reviews.
  • Functions as key technical contact for process operations.
  • Develops and maintains technical expertise to function in a back-up role for DCS troubleshooting.
  • Develops Authorization for Expenditures (AFE) for capital projects and completes project implementation including training and startup assistance.
  • Supports and fulfills the requirements of the plant’s ISO Quality System.
  • Complete any additional responsibilities assigned by Plant Management.

Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) is a global energy company that produces oil and natural gas and also works in carbon management and renewable energy. It operates by extracting and selling energy products to a worldwide customer base, while continuously investing in technology to lower costs and reduce environmental impact. Its operations span the United States, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, and the company runs renewable projects such as a solar facility in the Permian Basin to support its energy mix. Compared with rivals, Oxy differentiates itself through its focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics, low-cost operations, and the use of renewable energy and carbon-management initiatives to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. The company’s stated goal is to achieve net zero emissions from its operations by 2040 and net zero emissions from the use of its products (end-use) by 2050.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Houston, Texas

Founded

1920

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Rapid deleveraging to $13.3 billion debt enables shareholder returns acceleration.
  • Jackson's CEO appointment brings international operational expertise for disciplined capital allocation.
  • Gulf of America production up 5.1% YoY with $250M expansion planned.

What critics are saying

  • Jackson's background in traditional oil operations, not low-carbon technology commercialization.
  • Oil below $55/barrel compresses free cash flow 30-40%, threatens deleveraging.
  • Carbon management business remains pre-revenue with unproven unit economics at scale.

What makes Occidental Petroleum unique

  • Permian Basin dominance with $35-40/barrel breakeven cost advantage.
  • Integrated three-pillar model: upstream, OxyChem chemicals, low-carbon ventures.
  • CO2-enhanced oil recovery monetizes carbon while increasing production simultaneously.

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Professional Development Budget

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Company News

Yahoo Finance
Apr 3rd, 2026
Occidental Petroleum CEO retires as firm pivots to carbon management and debt reduction

Occidental Petroleum has announced CEO Vicki Hollub's retirement, with Richard Jackson taking over as the company shifts focus towards carbon management and balance sheet transformation. The leadership change follows the sale of OxyChem, refocusing the firm on core energy and low-carbon businesses. The transition comes as Occidental emphasises carbon management alongside financial discipline. At $62.97, shares trade roughly 3% above the $60.88 analyst target, though analysts suggest they remain 45.5% below estimated fair value. Key investor considerations include capital allocation following the OxyChem sale and spending balance between low-carbon projects and traditional oil and gas. The company carries high debt levels, with profit margins declining from 9.8% to 6.3%, making Jackson's execution on leverage and profitability crucial.

Yahoo Finance
Mar 27th, 2026
Occidental Petroleum hits 52-week high as CEO Vicki Hollub to retire after four decades

Occidental Petroleum has raised $120 million in a Series C round led by Ribbit Capital, valuing the company at $1.45 billion. Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins participated, with Emerson Collective joining as a new backer. The pre-revenue company is developing "Mathematical Superintelligence", an AI system focused on advanced reasoning that claims to eliminate hallucinations by requiring outputs in Lean4 programming language, which can be verified for correctness. Its flagship model, Aristotle, achieved top-level performance at the International Mathematical Olympiad in July. Founded in 2023, Harmonic has now raised $295 million across three funding rounds in 14 months. The company currently offers Aristotle via a free API and plans to commercialise in safety-critical industries like aerospace and finance.

Yahoo Finance
Mar 20th, 2026
Occidental up 15.6% since last earnings despite revenue miss, production rises

Occidental Petroleum reported fourth-quarter 2025 earnings of 31 cents per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 19 cents by 63.2%, though down 61.3% year over year. Total revenues of $5.42 billion missed estimates by 7.8% and declined 5.2% year over year. Total production volume was 1,481 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day, exceeding the company's guided range. Shares have risen 15.6% since the last earnings report, outperforming the S&P 500. Occidental strengthened its balance sheet by completing the OxyChem sale on 2 January 2026, reducing debt by $5.8 billion and bringing principal debt to $15 billion. Strong fourth-quarter production was driven by robust contributions from Permian assets, with Gulf of America volumes up 5.1% year over year.

Yahoo Finance
Mar 11th, 2026
Occidental boosts debt tender to $1.2B and removes covenants on 2031 notes

Occidental Petroleum has completed a heavily subscribed cash tender offer, increasing its purchase cap from $700 million to $1.20 billion for several series of senior notes and debentures. The company paired the enlarged tender with consent solicitations that removed covenants and shortened redemption notice on its 6.125% 2031 Notes. The move represents a step towards simplifying Occidental's debt structure and increasing financial flexibility. The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.26 per share, demonstrating how management is allocating cash between shareholders and creditors. Whilst the debt tender and covenant changes appear incremental rather than transformative, investors should monitor oil price volatility and leverage risks. Analysts project mixed outlooks, with some forecasting revenue declining to around $26.2 billion by 2028.

Yahoo Finance
Mar 5th, 2026
Buffett's Occidental Petroleum rises 18% despite falling oil prices and $5.8B OxyChem sale

Occidental Petroleum rose 18.07% to $53.68 over the past year, outperforming despite falling oil prices. The company beat earnings estimates every quarter in 2025, with Q3 delivering a 29.90% EPS beat at $0.64 against consensus of $0.49. The transformative development was Occidental's sale of OxyChem to Berkshire Hathaway for $5.8 billion, which closed in January 2026 and enabled significant debt reduction to $15 billion. Full-year 2025 EPS reached $2.21 on revenue of $22.4 billion. Shares recently surged 6% on US-Iran tensions and Strait of Hormuz supply concerns. However, the consensus analyst target price of $51.88 suggests the stock is slightly overvalued at current levels, with 16 Hold, six Buy and four Sell ratings.

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