How to hire a process safety engineer

How to hire a process safety engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step process safety engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a process safety engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new process safety engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a process safety engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the process safety engineer you need to hire. Certain process safety engineer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect process safety engineer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of process safety engineers.

   Type of Process Safety Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Process Safety Engineer	Health and safety engineers develop procedures and design systems to prevent people from getting sick or injured and to keep property from being damaged. They combine knowledge of systems engineering and of health and safety to make sure that chemicals, machinery, software, furniture, and other consumer products will not cause harm to people or damage to buildings.	$26-62
   EHS Coordinator	An EHS coordinator develops and organizes environmental health and safety (EHS) programs and protocols in a company. They typically perform research and analysis to determine the ideal practices, gather and analyze data to identify problem areas and their corresponding solutions, spearheading information drives within the company, and coordinating with different departments... Show more	$20-42
   Industrial Hygienist	An Industrial Hygienist plans and conducts health programs to educate employees about cleanliness, safety, and sanitation in the workplace. They investigate adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, and other conditions that can affect employees' health, comfort, or efficiency.	$21-49

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Safety Management
   • OSHA
   • Risk Management
   • PHA
   • EHS
   • Mechanical Integrity
   • MOC
   • Risk Assessments
   • Incident Investigations
   • PSSR
   • Process Engineering
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Management System
   • NFPA

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage chemical process operations risk and EHS programs.
   • Lead troubleshooting of PLC, electrical, pneumatics, and hydraulic equipment.
   • Manage hazardous and special waste programs and profiles including audits/inspections, vendor compliance, documentation and recordkeeping.
   • Participate as an active member in the review of documentation and citation items relate to the OSHA PSM regulation.
   • Progress projects relate to environmental, health, and safety (EHS).
   • Collect thorough and detail data and write CB reports using the data and analysis.

   More process safety engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your process safety engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A process safety engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a process safety engineer in Florida may be lower than in California, and an entry-level process safety engineer usually earns less than a senior-level process safety engineer. Additionally, a process safety engineer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average process safety engineer salary

   $84,412yearly

   $40.58 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level process safety engineer salary

   $55,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average process safety engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$113,993	$55
   2	Ohio	$101,418	$49
   3	Pennsylvania	$98,250	$47
   4	Texas	$93,067	$45
   5	Minnesota	$88,132	$42
   6	Virginia	$85,862	$41
   7	Maryland	$85,711	$41
   8	Louisiana	$84,918	$41
   9	Colorado	$84,854	$41
   10	Arizona	$77,302	$37
   11	Illinois	$77,019	$37
   12	North Carolina	$72,864	$35
   13	Missouri	$70,513	$34
   14	South Carolina	$68,300	$33
   15	Florida	$67,540	$32

   Average process safety engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	California Resources	$140,969	$67.77
   2	BP America Inc	$139,623	$67.13	2
   3	Exxon Mobil	$137,890	$66.29	13
   4	Koch Industries	$131,135	$63.05	4
   5	PBF Energy	$125,504	$60.34	1
   6	Repsol Energy North America Corporation	$124,332	$59.77
   7	Bayer	$123,147	$59.21	9
   8	OMNOVA Solutions	$121,775	$58.55
   9	Occidental Petroleum	$121,174	$58.26	3
   10	Westinghouse Appliances Australia	$117,886	$56.68	3
   11	Arkema	$116,923	$56.21	3
   12	CF Industries	$116,042	$55.79	5
   13	Clean Harbors	$115,812	$55.68	16
   14	Baker Hughes	$115,744	$55.65	2
   15	Nitto Avecia	$115,291	$55.43
   16	Evonik	$114,924	$55.25	11
   17	Pfizer	$114,285	$54.94	5
   18	Ecolab	$113,451	$54.54	58
   19	Tesla	$111,673	$53.69	23
   20	Air Products	$110,916	$53.33

4. Writing a process safety engineer job description

   A process safety engineer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a process safety engineer job description:

   Process safety engineer job description example

   The Process Safety Engineer proactively applies engineering and problem solving skills to meet challenging safety and business objectives. The Process Safety Engineer partners with multiple levels of management and across multiple refinery departments to improve safety and environmental compliance in the design and operation of the refining facilities.
   PRINCIPLE RESPONSIBILITIES
   
   Program Management
   Administers and stewards elements of PBF Energy's proprietary systems for operational integrity Supports and advises on State and Federal safety programs and requirements (e.g., Environmental Protection Agency, Risk Management Program, Occupational Health & Safety Administration and Process Safety Management) Analyzes site safety incident and near miss performance and provides improvement steps
   Process Safety
   Drives site improvement in the areas of Process Safety and Loss PreventionAssists the refinery with the application of new process safety technology and risk assessment tools Responds to refinery operational events and assists the site with developing risk based solutions to novel or higher risk situations Supports major capital projects in the areas of design consulting, technical quality assurance, and start-up assistance Develops and maintains technical standards and guidelines Develops and delivers training in risk assessment, process safety in design and safe operating practices for plant engineers and key operating personnel Provides technical leadership via participation/facilitation in formal technical networks and work groups
   
   JOB QUALIFICATIONS
   
   Requirements:
   Degree in Chemical or Mechanical Engineering required Professional experience within an operating company or a major engineering contractor or other relevant petrochemical or other heavy industry experience required Experience with safety programs required Previous experience in refining/petrochemical or manufacturing facility required
   
   Preferred Qualifications:
   Knowledge of design, technical support and troubleshooting for petrochemical/refining operations Knowledge of the key hazards and process safety features of typical refinery process equipment Knowledge of process safety design and engineering practices and the relevant industry standards (e.g. API, BS, EN, NFPA) Experience in the use of appropriate analysis techniques Risk assessment and mitigation Hazard and operability review Field process safety assessments Fire protection and safe operations reviews Incident investigations Safety review of new project facilities Hazardous area classification reviews Blast protection reviews Ability to carry out dispersion modeling and flame radiation assessment.Knowledge of process hazards and safe working practices (e.g. Brittle fracture, H2S, electrostatic hazard, LPG storage, Work Permit procedures).
   
   Core Competencies & Characteristics:
   Possesses strong leadership skills and commitment to teamwork, especially in the areas of petrochemical process safety and risk management.Proactively and constructively pursues improvement Maintains high ethical standards, while still remaining results-focused.Demonstrates and accepts personal accountability for quality of work.Uses a measured risk approach and risk-value analysis methods in all business decisions.Sets high standards for safety, integrity, and operational excellence.Drives highly productive and mutually beneficial relationships with business partners, suppliers & peers.Continually improves functional knowledge & critical working skills.Effectively uses written and verbal communications to drive desired results.

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right process safety engineer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your process safety engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit process safety engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit process safety engineers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new process safety engineer

   Once you've found the process safety engineer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new process safety engineer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a process safety engineer?