A career in Chemical Engineering is incredibly challenging yet fulfilling. Running for 4 years, this Engineering branch imparts extensive knowledge in areas of Fluid Flow Operations, Thermodynamics, Process Dynamics, Nuclear Reprocessing, Environmental Sciences, etc. With such a diverse Chemical Engineering syllabus, you can explore employment opportunities from core research to Corporate Engineering companies. According to your interests and inclinations, there are a variety of ways you can pursue a career in Chemical Engineering. This article focuses specifically on the prevalent Chemical Engineering jobs as well as some alternate career options you can explore in this field.
Must Read: Top Chemical Engineering Colleges
What is Chemical Engineering?
The matter in the world is infinite and vast. In very basic terms, Chemical engineers use chemical formulations along with physics, math, biology, and economics for the production, design, and transformation of energy and materials. Apart from this, engineering is widely applicable in plastics, polymers, and synthetic fibre industries which involve chemical reactions and engineering in their manufacture. It is also used in the dyeing of fibre, and the production of pulp, paper, and foodstuffs. With the growing advancements and problems in the world, this field also plays a crucial role in space exploration and can help sustain our environment.
What do Chemical Engineers do?
Chemical engineers, in general, devise and design chemical production processes. Chemical engineers’ primary responsibilities include designing and troubleshooting processes for the manufacture of chemicals, fuels, foods, medicines, and biologicals, to mention a few. They are commonly used by large-scale manufacturing operations to boost productivity and product quality while cutting costs. Chemical engineers have an impact on the creation of practically every item produced on a large scale. Here are some examples of usual tasks:
- Ensure that all health, safety, and environmental requirements are followed.
- Investigating ways to enhance manufacturing processes
- Equipment layout design and planning
- Working with hazardous substances requires safety practices.
- Monitoring and improving the efficiency of manufacturing processes
- by calculating the cost of production
Business and management chemical engineers frequently visit research and manufacturing plants. Interaction with others and team cooperation is essential to the success of chemical engineering projects. Engineers operate in factories, research labs, and pilot plant facilities. They operate close to large-scale industrial equipment, both indoors and out. As a result, personal protection equipment is frequently needed of them (e.g., hard hats, goggles, and steel-toe shoes).
Must Read: Best Colleges For Chemical Engineering
Where is Chemical Engineering Used?
Chemical engineering is most commonly used in large-scale manufacturing operations, where the objective is to increase efficiency and product quality while lowering costs. Chemical engineers are used in the aerospace, automotive, biomedical, electronic, environmental, medical, and military sectors to create and enhance technological goods such as
- Fibres, textiles, and adhesives with extreme tensile strength for automobiles
- Implant and prosthesis materials that are biocompatible
- Optoelectronic devices films
List of Chemical Engineering Jobs
There are diverse employment opportunities for Chemical Engineers to explore. These job profiles require quality professionals who can efficiently handle high work commitments and possess problem-solving, decision-making, time management, and communication skills. Relevant experience as an intern in the industry is also desirable. Some of the popular choices of careers have been mentioned below:
- Biomedical Engineer
- Chemical Technician
- Architectural Manager
- Engineering Manager
- Chemist
- Material Scientist
- Nuclear Engineer
- Safety Specialist and Technician
- Energy Engineer
- Petroleum Engineer
- Product Development Scientist
- Process Development Scientist
- Environmental Engineer
- Manufacturing Engineer
- Quality Engineer
- Agricultural Engineer
- Plant Operator
Some work profiles of a Chemical Engineer have been listed below are described below:
Materials Scientist
Those who wish to establish a career in Research can choose this area. Based on your interest, you can conduct research in areas like Biochemistry, Materials Sciences, Catalysts, Nanomaterials, and Reaction Engineering amongst others.
Process and Equipment
In this type of Chemical Engineering job, you will work on varied controlled chemical processes as well as design efficient procedures and better quality equipment. Filtration techniques, ensuring equipment productivity, etc will also be your responsibility.
Safety Designing
In large-scale industrial plants that deal with heavy and dangerous chemicals, precaution and safety are of paramount importance. Chemical engineers see to it that safety in such plants is not compromised by designing safety plans according to the plant’s needs.
Product Planning and Testing
In the corporate sector as well as in research organizations, Chemical Engineers deal with the planning and testing of new materials related to a specific product. In such a role, you will assess the suitability and efficiency of various chemicals and materials.
Byproduct Treatment
Many industries need to find new ways to treat and use byproducts. Like in the Oil Industry, byproducts of petroleum are also treated to be used by the consumers.
Skills Required
There are certain technical skills that you must have.
- Pharmaceuticals and Plastic engineering
- Microfluidics
- Environmental Science
- Materials and Metallurgy engineering
- Separation Processes
- Inorganic Chemical Technology
- Semiconductor Device Fabrication
- Process Dynamics and Control
- Polymers and Paper engineering
- Modern Methods of Separation
- Molecular engineering
- Management and Economics of Chemical Processes
- Organic Chemical Technology
Must Read: Best Undergraduate Programs in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Internships Opportunities
In the field of chemical engineering, you can easily attend an internship while pursuing your chemical engineering degree in the second or third year. Both research aspirants and job aspirants can attend an internship to add to their resumes. There are several government internships and jobs for freshers that you can apply for.
- Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) Internship Scheme
- MoEFCC Internship Scheme
Top Recruiters
There are several chemical engineering companies around the world and in India.
India
- Indian Oil
- Tata Chemicals
- Aditya Birla Group
- Bharat Petroleum
- Reliance Industries
- Honeywell
Abroad
- BASF
- DowDuPont
- Secco Petrochemical facility
- SABIC
- Formosa Plastics
- ExxonMobil
- LyondellBasell Industries
Chemical engineers receive excellent compensation packages from top-tier firms. Chemical engineering is one of those fields where most chemical engineers are placed in previously established organizations. Across all industries, government-owned businesses provide the highest value.
Chemical Engineering Government Jobs
Several government jobs are available for chemical engineers at a fresher and more experienced level.
- Oil and Natural Gas Corporation(ONGC)
- Indian Oil Corporation Limited(IOCL)
- Tata steel company
- Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL)
- ITC Limited
- Indian Farmers Fertilizers Cooperative Limited (IFFCO)
- Procter & Gamble(P&G)
- Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL)
- Saint Gobain
- Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)
Average Salary
The remuneration package for Engineering experts is determined based on the candidate’s performance and how well he or she performed in the interview. It is up to the company to decide how much the applicant should be paid depending on their overall performance.
| Job Profile | Average Annual Salary |
| Market Analyst | Rs. 4 to 7 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.) |
| Chemical Engineer | Rs. 3 to 6 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.) |
| Site Engineer | Rs. 3 to 5 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.) |
| Quality Manager | Rs. 7 to 9 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.) |
| Energy Manager | Rs. 6 to 8 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.) |
Public Sector
Chemical engineers benefit from working in the government sector. These are some of the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) that have a lot of job openings for chemical engineers.
| PSUs | Payscale |
| Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL) | INR 24,900 to 50,500 |
| Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) | INR 20,600 to 46,500 |
| Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) | INR 24,900 to 50,500 |
| Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) | INR 24,900 to 50,500 |
| Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) | INR 40,000 to 75,000 |
| Coal India Limited (CIL) | INR 20,600 to 46,500 |
| National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) | INR 24,900 to 50,500 |
| Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) | INR 16,400 to 40,500 |
| National Aluminum Company Ltd. (NALCO) | INR 16,400 to 40,500 |
| Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) | INR 20,600 to 46,500 |
Private Sector
The best private Chemical Engineering recruiters are listed below.
| Schlumberger Limited | Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited |
| Indian Oil Corporation | GlaxoSmithKline |
| Reliance Industries Ltd. | Gujarat Alkalies & Chemicals Ltd |
| Johnson Matthey | Deepak Fertilizers and Petrochemicals Corp. Ltd |
| Essar Oil Limited | Profile Polymers Ltd |
| Gazprom Industries | Nippon Paints |
Future Scope
Chemical engineering is one of the disciplines concerned with the design and processing of industrial chemical manufacture. Chemical engineers are in high demand in the area of Chemical Engineering, and the scope of the course is expanding as more applicants express interest in pursuing it since it allows students to experiment with novel materials. Chemical engineering is an excellent degree for those interested in a career in applied chemistry. It is one of India’s oldest branches, offering work possibilities in the commercial, public, and government sectors. This course provides professional chances, and the breadth of the course continues to expand, creating work opportunities in the sector.
Career Advancements
An average entry-level Chemical Engineering job in a company requires you to be well-versed in a diverse set of skills. Recruiters look for a mix of academic expertise and problem-solving skills. Advanced decision-making and communication skills are also extremely valuable. With relevant work experience, a Chemical Engineer can look to earn progress up the ladder into senior and executive roles which also pay competently.
Higher Education Prospects
There are plentiful postgraduate courses in Engineering that you can choose from. An advanced degree like an MSc in Biochemistry or an MBA from any of the top engineering institutes can position you for a higher salary package. An increasing number of students are also opting for a cross-disciplinary MS in Engineering Management. You can also consider research assistant jobs that pay a little lower but offer rewarding career prospects. During any course (be it bachelor’s or master’s), you must supplement your degree with internship experiences, research projects, software skills, and communication skills amongst others.
FAQs
Ans. Chemical Engineers do the following jobs:
Do research to create fresh, better production methods.
Develop safety protocols for individuals handling hazardous materials.
Create regulated chemical processes to separate the components of liquids and gases or to create electrical currents.
Ans. The range of career opportunities available to chemical engineering majors with various manufacturers throughout the world, many of which can offer high wages, can make this degree programme intriguing to people who are interested.
Ans. Chemical engineers are always in demand because they frequently produce goods for other industries, which means there is always work available in fields related to manufacturing.
In the coming years, the demand for chemical engineers will increase along with the work requirements. The career has continually evolved and prospective engineers need to keep updating their skills to land top chemical engineering jobs. The best way to do that is to attain an advanced degree such as a master’s which will gear you for a senior-level role. You can take the help of the AI-enabled algorithm at Leverage Edu that lets you find a perfect mix of courses and universities suited to your interests and aspirations. Call us immediately at 1800 57 2000 for a free 30-minute counselling session.
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