To hire a process engineer for a refinery or chemical plant, define the role first (operations support, process design or projects), screen for simulation and process safety experience, test troubleshooting in the interview, and budget against the market. Chemical engineers, the occupation most process engineers fall into, had a national median wage of $125,040 in May 2025 (BLS).
Key takeaways
- BLS projects chemical engineering jobs to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,100 openings a year (BLS).
- The top 10% of chemical engineers earned more than $182,880; the bottom 10% earned less than $79,420.
- Refinery process engineers work under OSHA’s Process Safety Management standard, so PHA and management of change experience matters.
- A PE license is optional for most plant roles but useful for design and consulting work. The NCEES PE Chemical exam first-time pass rate was 55% as of July 2026.
- Most US refinery and petrochemical process engineers are on the Gulf Coast; see our US oil refineries map.
Step 1: Decide which process engineer you need
| Role type | Focus | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Operations support (unit engineer) | Day-to-day unit performance, troubleshooting, operator support | Plant experience on similar units, data analysis, calm under pressure |
| Process design | Heat and material balances, equipment sizing, PFDs and P&IDs | Simulation depth, design standards, EPC or licensor experience |
| Project / capital | Scope, front-end design and turnaround tie-ins | Project delivery, cost and schedule control |
| Process safety | PHA, LOPA, MOC and PSM compliance | HAZOP facilitation, PSM program experience |
Step 2: Screen for the right skills
- Simulation: Aspen HYSYS for refining and gas processing, Aspen Plus for chemicals, or AVEVA PRO/II.
- Process safety: experience with hazard analyses (HAZOP, What-If), which OSHA requires refiners to revalidate at least every five years, and with management of change (OSHA 1910.119).
- Unit knowledge: crude and vacuum distillation, FCC, hydrotreating, reforming, alkylation, coking. Ask which units they have supported, not just studied.
- Data skills: historian data (for example PI), Excel or Python for performance monitoring.
- Communication: process engineers translate between operators, maintenance and management.
Step 3: Decide whether you need a PE
Most refinery operations roles do not require a PE license, but it helps for design, consulting and stamping work. The NCEES route is an accredited degree, the FE exam, usually four years of experience and the PE exam (NCEES). The PE Chemical exam is computer-based, 80 questions in a nine-hour appointment, with a 55% first-time pass rate as of July 2026.
Step 4: Interview questions that work
- Walk me through a unit upset you troubleshot. What did the data show and what did you change?
- How would you find the bottleneck on a crude unit running at capacity?
- Describe a management of change you wrote. What hazards did you identify?
- What would you check if a heat exchanger’s outlet temperature started drifting?
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with operations. How did you resolve it?
- Which simulation models have you built from scratch, and how did you validate them?
Step 5: Budget for pay
BLS reports a median of $125,040 for chemical engineers nationally in May 2025, with the top 10% above $182,880. Refinery roles on the Gulf Coast often pay above the median, plus shift or turnaround premiums for operations-facing engineers. Experienced process engineers with refinery unit experience are scarce, so expect competition from other refiners and EPC firms.
Step 6: Where to find process engineers
The biggest pool of refinery process engineers is on the Gulf Coast, around Houston, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Lake Charles and Baton Rouge. See every refinery on our US oil refineries map. Engineering firms that design refinery units are another source, especially for design roles.
Need a process engineer? Apollo Technical recruits process and chemical engineers for refineries, petrochemical and chemical plants. See our chemical engineering recruiters and Houston engineering recruiters, or read is chemical engineering a good career for the candidate’s view.
