Process Controls Engineer Intern

Your Job

Koch Methanol, LLC. is now hiring a Process Controls Engineer Intern at our state-of-the-art methanol production facility in St. James, LA. This internship is built for engineering students who want to see automation and process optimization applied in a live, world-scale plant rather than a classroom. Working alongside our Process Controls and Process Engineering teams, you will take ownership of a defined summer project, support the daily control needs of the operating units, and build the practical control system skills that carry directly into an early career engineering role.

This is a full-time, on-site summer internship at our St. James, LA facility form May-August 2027. Each intern is paired with a supervisor and a technical mentor, works a scoped project from problem definition through implementation, and presents results to site leadership at the end of the term.

Our Team

At Koch Methanol, we strive to be the partner of choice to our customers, our employees and our community. We are looking for students who are contribution motivated and driven by the ability to add value to existing systems and processes. We want interns with a creative, entrepreneurial spirit who will ask questions, challenge the status quo, and dig into the why behind the work rather than stopping at the first answer.

What You Will Do

• Own a summer project tied to a real plant need, such as developing an engineering package for a new or revised DCS controller, and drive it from concept through review and implementation
• Support the development, testing, and documentation of process control applications that improve plant operation and profitability
• Assist with control loop performance monitoring, reviewing tuning and performance data to identify underperforming loops and recommend corrective actions
• Help review and update process control documentation, including control narratives, control schemes, and control system standards
• Participate in the management of change (MOC) process for assigned work, learning how changes are proposed, reviewed, approved, and implemented
• Spend time in the field and in the control room with operators and technicians to understand how the process, the instrumentation, and the control system interact
• Support troubleshooting of process control issues alongside experienced engineers, gathering data and helping identify root causes
• Present project results, findings, and recommendations to the technical team and site leadership at the close of the internship

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, or Process Control Engineering, or a related field
• Eligible for full-time employment by or before May 2029
• Available to work full time on site in St. James, LA for the duration of the summer term
• Willing and able to work in an operating chemical plant environment, including field work in an industrial setting and use of required personal protective equipment

What Will Put You Ahead

• Coursework in process control, process dynamics, instrumentation, or automation
• Familiarity with distributed control systems, ideally Emerson DeltaV, or with PLC and HMI configuration
• Prior internship, co-op, or plant experience in chemical, refining, or petrochemical manufacturing
• Experience analyzing process data using tools such as PI, Excel, Python, or MATLAB
• Exposure to safety instrumented systems, functional safety concepts, or alarm management
• A track record of finishing what you start, communicating clearly, and seeking out feedback

At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.

What You Will Gain

• Direct experience with the control systems that run a world-scale methanol facility, not observation from the sidelines
• A supervisor and technical mentor invested in your development, with regular feedback throughout the term
• Exposure to operations, reliability, and project engineering through cross-functional work on your project

Hiring Philosophy

All Koch companies value diversity of thought, perspectives, aptitudes, experiences, and backgrounds. We are Military Ready and Second Chance employers. Learn more about our hiring philosophy here.

Who We Are

As a Koch Ag & Energy Solutions company, Koch Methanol produces and supplies the methanol that has become an essential part of our daily lives, and is a key ingredient in products like clothing, cosmetics, paints, plywood and adhesives, in addition to fueling ships, buses, trucks, fuel cells and cooking stoves. Our goal is to be the preferred supplier of methanol to our customers who depend on us for our reliability and quality of service.

At Koch, employees are empowered to do what they do best to make life better. Learn how our business philosophy helps employees unleash their potential while creating value for themselves and the company.

Our Benefits

Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes - medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance. Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region. If you have questions on what benefits apply to you, please speak to your recruiter.

Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.

Equal Opportunities

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, some offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E-Verify. Please click here for additional information. (For Illinois E-Verify information click here, aqui, or tu).