Principal Engineer, Process Control

Company : WestRock Co

Location : Montgomery, AL

Posted Date : 10 October 2025

Job Details

Principle Engineer, Process Control- WFH

Smurfit Westrock is seeking a Principal Engineer, Process Control Engineer. Strong technical chemical recovery, boiler, BMS, power Generation, and a general understanding of mill operations is desired. Ability to listen and assess descriptions of operations and problems in conjunction with data analysis are pivotal attributes that will lead to success in this position. Candidates should have extensive knowledge of PLC and DCS systems to be successful in their role.

What You Will Do

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Support Smurfit Westrock goals and objectives
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Effectively communicate with mill teams to stay aligned on business drivers and priorities
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Maximize mill asset availability, efficiency, and predictability through implementation of strong process control practices in operations and technical prowess.
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Support cultural improvement in safety, inclusion, and engagement by serving as a role model for Smurfit Westrock Vision/Values/Behaviors.
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Provide safety leadership while working in mills; be an example for safe behavior and possess the ability to stop work if needed to drive a safety culture.
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Extensive knowledge of chemical recovery and utility processes.
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Ensure best practices, standards, and specifications are part of Smurfit Westrock culture.
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Support design for reliability efforts in capital planning and execution in all DCS and BMS applications.
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Provide expertise for chemical recovery, utilities, and power generation control and operations.
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Assist and lead with the development and implementation of advanced control strategies, model predictive control, and regulatory controls for the chemical recovery, utilities, and power generation operations.
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Lead or assist with outage support when servicing a mill for runnability improvements, new manager training or capital projects commissioning and start up.
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Advocate and participate in mills RCFA process.
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Work with mill leadership to assess and identify gaps in process and automation performance.
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Develop mill relationships to help engage the mill in paper machine improvements.
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Provide troubleshooting skills and leadership.
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Utilize data to drive improvement efforts.
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Review mill downtime data to identify patterns that will help the teams focus their efforts on the most impactful activities that will improve operations.
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50-75% Travel is a requirement.
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Typical travel is Monday AM to Thursday PM.
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You will be expected to support at least 2 mill annual outages per year at a minimum.
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Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

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B.S. degree in Engineering or an extensive background in Process Control Engineering preferred.
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Military experience will be considered.
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At least 10 yearsu2019 experience in related role.
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Strong technical process and process control experience.
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Extensive knowledge in OSI PI.
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NFPA 85 and BLRBAC expertise.
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Extensive Knowledge of Rockwell PLC programming.
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Extensive Knowledge in one or more DCS systems.
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Turbo machinery governor experience.
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Experience using Microsoft Office programs
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Ability to communicate/coordinate with different levels and multiple departments within the organization. Strong written/verbal communication skills and internal customer focus.
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Results oriented individual capable of handling projects individually, able to work efficiently in a highly team-oriented environment.
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Additional skills needed: self-directed, flexible, self-learner, multitasking, results driven, safety focused.
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Strong interpersonal, communication, and time management skills. Ability to work effectively both independently and in a team environment.
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Key Competencies:

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Influencing Others
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Technical Learning
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Action Oriented
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Organizational Skills
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WestRock Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating and maintaining a diverse workforce: Minorities/Females/ Disabled/Veterans.

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) is a global leader in sustainable paper and packaging solutions. We are materials scientists, packaging designers, mechanical engineers and manufacturing experts with a shared purpose: Innovate Boldly. Package Sustainably. Guided by our values of safety, loyalty, integrity, and respect, we use leading science and technology to move fiber-based packaging forward.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law.