Process Operator

About the role

INEOS Grangemouth is one of the largest petrochemical complexes in the UK and the only crude-oil refinery in Scotland. The site produces ethylene, propylene, polyethylene and a wide range of derivative products that feed downstream UK and European manufacturing — from packaging and medical devices to automotive components and construction materials. This Process Operator role sits in the olefins cracker complex — the heart of the petrochemical operation, where hydrocarbon feedstock is cracked at high temperature into building-block olefins. You'll work across DCS-based control-room operations and field rounds, with isolation, permit-to-work and emergency-response responsibility on a fully COMAH Upper Tier site. The plant runs 12-hour continental shifts on a four-team pattern. Safety is the dominant culture — every shift starts with a safety brief, every permit is signed by competent persons, and every incident triggers a structured investigation with operator input. The work is high-responsibility and high-skill; process operators here typically progress into shift team leader and asset operations roles over a career. Standard package includes a market-leading pension scheme (employer contribution with generous matching), shift allowance on top of base salary, COMAH competency progression pathway, on-site medical, private health insurance, and structured training in process safety, DCS operations and incident command.

Responsibilities

• DCS-based control-room operations on the olefins cracker complex (Honeywell or ABB platform)
• Field rounds: equipment checks, sampling, level and pressure verification across the column trains
• Operate isolations and permit-to-work routines for routine maintenance and planned turnarounds
• Respond to process upsets and abnormal conditions per the defined operating envelope
• Maintain accurate shift logs and contribute to handover briefings with incoming shift
• Participate in incident response — fire team, first response or emergency control as competency-assessed
• Contribute to operator-led process safety reviews and HAZOP follow-up actions
• Train and mentor junior operators and process trainees on unit operations

Requirements

• NVQ Level 3 in Process Operations or equivalent (e.g. Scottish Apprenticeship in Process Engineering)
• 2+ years on a COMAH-regulated chemicals, refining or upstream oil-and-gas site
• Confident with DCS operations (Honeywell DCS, ABB 800xA or equivalent training pathway)
• Strong understanding of process safety management and permit-to-work discipline
• Comfortable on 12-hour continental shift rotation including nights
• Right to work in the UK; full pre-employment medical and drug-and-alcohol screening
• Excellent written English — shift logs, near-miss reports and operating envelopes are auditable records