Glass Recycling Engineer

Job Title:   Glass Recycling Engineer

OC Business Title:  Senior Engineer

Job Code(s):     

Revision Date:   September 25, 2024

Owens Corning is on a path to transform our operations to achieve zero waste-to-landfill goals while building processes to enable us to compete in the growing circular economy. Critical to success is the development of robust recycling technologies and systems to avoid reliance on virgin materials and advance operations towards carbon neutrality.

This position has been created to build core technical expertise in glass recycling including a deep understanding of the process steps required to convert glass waste streams into usable furnace input materials.  Close collaboration with the Glass Batch and Melting teams is required to ensure that recycled materials will meet the stringent requirements of the glass melting process. Process development including glass milling, heat cleaning, contaminant removal and bulk material handling are the primary areas of focus.  The successful candidate will build knowledge of current and emerging technologies as well as equipment providers through the lens of low carbon emission potential and the avoidance of virgin raw materials.

Join an organization that believes that every employee owns a piece of our bold growth goals and ultimate success. We are a market-leading innovator that has earned a place on the Fortune 500® for 66 consecutive years. Owens Corning is devoted to delivering sustainable solutions across our three business segments while striving to ensure our people and products make the world a better place. We take pride in having an inclusive and diverse workplace with employees around the globe.  A holistic sense of community exists across our entire organization as our talent grows globally. We are a company that fully recognizes the importance of paving a path to a sustainable and safe enterprise through investing in our people. Our desire to make an impactful difference in the world flows from top down to all levels of the organization. By being a company that instills pride within every employee, we aspire to build market-leading businesses; global in scope - human in scale.

Reports to: Senior Sustainability Leader

GLASS RECYCLING PROCESS DESIGN LEADERSHIP (80%)

Develop process designs and operating systems for glass recycling projects in Composites and Insulation operations. 

• Build internal networks and leverage existing technologies, expertise and resources to execute work.

• Lead process trials both internally and externally to establish optimum designs.    

• Apply knowledge of scientific fundamentals and experimental design in projects. 
• Coordinate testing, analyze data, draw conclusions, make recommendations and implement improvements to process designs.  Recognize problems and initiate corrective actions.
• Communicate technical results to project teams.  Author summary reports on technical findings, when applicable. 
• Monitor the marketplace (technology providers, equipment suppliers, competitors, industry organizations) to identify best practices for recycling glass waste streams. 
• Collaborate with external vendors to engineer and specify process equipment.
• Understand and comply with all environmental, health and safety regulations and guidelines.
• Participate in capital delivery projects and process startups for new systems.
• Effectively transfer process technologies to plant operations.
• Manage intellectual property appropriately. 

RECYCLED RAW MATERIAL TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP (20%)

Lead the establishment and qualification of batch materials obtained from recycling processes, including both internal and external sources of recycled glass and minerals for furnace remelt.  

• Collaborate with the batch and melting teams to develop glass batch formulations to successfully integrate recycled raw materials.
• Develop and perform raw material analysis to determine the suitability for recycled materials to be incorporated into industrial manufacturing processes, including particle size analysis, contamination testing, microscopy and other techniques.
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MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• BS or MS in Material Science or Mechanical Engineering preferred.
• Ability to work safely in laboratory and production environments.
• Technical proficiency in materials science, ability to work across different technologies and applications.
• Ability to quickly learn and understand new technologies and approaches to material streams and production processes.
• Ability to travel both domestically and internationally up to 30-50% of the time (varies depending on project need).

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

• Experience in minerals or glass processing.
• Experience with recycling processes and equipment (i.e. grinding, sorting, separation and bulk material handling)
• Demonstrated track record of project leadership from concept to commissioning of new process designs.
• Demonstrated project management effectiveness in R&D and/or manufacturing environments is preferred (developing plant trials, communication plans, awareness of budget restraints, etc.).

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Self-motivated with the ability and desire to work independently to learn and apply new technical areas.
• Team oriented, with high energy and desire to build strong relationships, collaborate and drive results across multi-functional and discipline boundaries in a dynamic, multi-project environment.
• Ability to present data to multifunctional audiences and drive the decision-making process.
• Resilience and agility to adapt to an ever-changing environment and business.
• Ability to collaborate, problem-solve and execute in both the R&D and Operations environments.
• Out of the box thinking to identify new approaches to overcome obstacles.
• Practices safety-conscious behaviors in all operational processes and procedures.
• Attention to detail and dedication to documenting and embedding knowledge within the organization

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About Owens Corning

Masonite is now proudly part of Owens Corning. Owens Corning is a global building and construction materials leader committed to building a sustainable future through material innovation. Our four integrated businesses – Roofing, Insulation, Doors, and Composites – provide durable, sustainable, energy-efficient solutions that leverage our unique material science, manufacturing, and market knowledge to help our customers win and grow. We are global in scope, human in scale with more than 25,000 employees in 31 countries dedicated to generating value for our customers and shareholders, and making a difference in the communities where we work and live. Founded in 1938 and based in Toledo, Ohio, USA, Owens Corning posted 2023 sales of $9.7 billion. For more information, visit www.owenscorning.com.

Owens Corning is an equal opportunity employer.