Engineering
Chemical Process Engineer
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
Designs and engineers systems and facilities for chemical processing and production. Develops designs to meet the technical requirements of chemical processing. May design and install production equipment, coordinate operations and monitor environmental and safety risks.
Job Outlook
There were 40 Chemical Process Engineer job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 1254 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Chemical / Process Engineer industry, which includes the Chemical Process Engineer career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2012:
Salary
Many new Chemical Process Engineer jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $90,910.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $89,272.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Chemical Process Engineer postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $83,216.
Education and Experience
Posted Chemical Process Engineer jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 80% |
| Master's Degree | 18% |
| Doctoral Degree | 2% |
| Other | 0% |
Posted Chemical Process Engineer jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 17% |
| 3 to 5 years | 47% |
| 6 to 8 years | 7% |
| 9+ years | 29% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Chemical Process Engineer positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Communication Skills (32%)
- Research (31%)
- Troubleshooting (31%)
- Planning (29%)
- Problem Solving (27%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Chemical Processes (70%)
- Process Engineering (69%)
- Chemical Engineering (63%)
- Project Management (35%)
- Budgeting (31%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Engineering Calculations (19%)
- Prepare Engineering Calculations (19%)
- Business Development (18%)
- Change Management (18%)
- Chemistry (17%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- HAZOP (6%)
- Materials Science (5%)
- Heat Exchange (5%)
- Lean Manufacturing (5%)
- Design of experiments (DOE) (3%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed along with the marginal value: the average salary difference between postings that request that skill and those that do not.
- Process Modeling (3%) – marginal value $1,703
- Polymer Science (2%) – marginal value $1,670
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Chemical Process Engineer skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Process Engineer
- Senior Process Engineer
- Process Engineer Gas, Fuels & Chemicals
- Process Engineer Lng - Gas, Fuels & Chemicals
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Process Engineer
- Process Control Engineer
- Process Development Engineer
- Chemical Engineer
- Food Processing Engineer
- Machining Process Engineer
- Welding Process Engineer
- Molding Process Engineer
- Automotive Process Engineer
- Manufacturing Process Engineer
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Chemical Process Engineer jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Black & Veatch (208)
- Ball Aerospace (24)
- Honeywell (15)
- Graphic Packaging International (15)
- Search Enterprises (14)
North Carolina
- Black & Veatch (4)
- Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals (3)
- Clariant Corporation (3)
- The Chemours Company (2)
- Nutrien Ltd (2)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Burning Glass Technologies. For more information about how they gather data and what it represents, see Burning Glass Technologies - Frequently Asked Questions.