Although chemical engineering is not as high in demand as some other jobs in the tech industry, it is still a lucrative and promising career. Some of the highest-paying chemical engineering companies offer professionals in this field a stable career and comfortable compensation. If this interests you, read on to learn about the best companies for chemical engineers.
What Is a Chemical Engineer?
A chemical engineer manufactures and produces products through chemical processes. Their role encompasses designing equipment and systems for refining, compounding, and processing raw materials. In addition, companies hire them for their expertise in designing and troubleshooting production methods for producing pharmaceuticals, fuels, and chemicals.
The role of a chemical engineer varies from one company to another. However, they all have basic responsibilities that cut across different industries. They are responsible for compliance efforts, incorporating safety procedures, and estimating production costs. They can work in research laboratories, pilot plant facilities, and manufacturing plants.
How to Get a Chemical Engineering Job
If you are wondering how you can get a job as a chemical engineer, the steps illustrated below may help. Landing a job in the field can be made simple with clear guidelines to help you succeed in your efforts.
- Earn a bachelor’s degree. A chemical engineering degree will help you pave the way to entry-level job positions in the chemical industry. By getting a bachelor’s degree you will learn the basic concepts of biology, physics, chemistry, and kinetics. If you want to increase your prospects of landing a chemical engineering job, you can acquire a master’s degree.
- Attend a chemical engineering internship. Chemical engineering internships provide excellent opportunities to gain real-world experience and boost your resume. Through the program, you will apply the acquired knowledge from your undergraduate degree to real-world projects.
- Select a specialty. The chemical engineering field is broad. There is a wide range of job positions you can attain after acquiring your degree and internship experience. Specializing in a particular niche will help you land better positions.
- Get certified. To prove your knowledge in a particular area, you should consider getting certified in your specialty. There are chemical engineering professional certifications available. For instance, you can acquire Certified Chemical Engineer, Certified Reliability Engineer, or EMC Design Engineer.
- Get an entry-level job. Once you have acquired the necessary skills and education, you should consider applying for an entry-level job position. You can look into the company that offered you an internship position, if they are hiring. If there are no available positions, look on job boards like Indeed, Glassdoor, or LinkedIn.
Top 10 Highest-Paying Chemical Engineers Companies
| Company | Salary for Chemical Engineer |
|---|---|
| ExxonMobil | $123,381 |
| Chevron Phillips | $119,223 |
| Dow Chemical | $109,609 |
| Dupont | $108,976 |
| Boeing | $105,952 |
| Westlake Chemical | $104,263 |
| Eastman | $93,904 |
| Honeywell | $92,953 |
| US Army | $82,475 |
| HEXPOL | $64,382 |
ExxonMobil
This oil and gas multinational corporation is the largest refiner of petroleum products. Due to the vastness of the company, there are several open positions. You can land a job in engineering, finance, geoscience, information technology, or operations.
What Does ExxonMobil Pay Its Chemical Engineer?
ExxonMobil pays its chemical engineers a salary of $123,381 per year, according to Indeed. Different cities pay their chemical engineers differing salaries, though. For instance, Pensacola pays $120,000 per year, while those in Portland earn an average salary of $107,333. Aside from location, you can improve your salary prospects by acquiring more skills and education.
ExxonMobil Reviews
A current employee on Glassdoor gives advantages of working at ExxonMobil. They say that the company provides great pay benefits, multiple career paths suitable for career growth, and a fast-paced environment.
Chevron Phillips Chemical
Chevron Phillips Chemical is a Texas-based company that provides manufacturers with petrochemical products. Aside from chemical engineers, there are multiple career opportunities at the company. Some available job positions include data engineers, operations engineers, or data scientists.
What Does Chevron Phillips Chemical Pay Its Chemical Engineers?
Chevron Phillips Chemical pays its chemical engineers an annual wage of $119,223. This is 35 percent higher than the national average. If you want to increase your salary potential, you should consider pursuing higher education, certifications, or experience.
Chevron Phillips Chemical Reviews
According to Indeed, Chevron Phillips Chemical reviews state that the company has a clear sense of purpose, fair pay, and a general feeling of appreciation. This gives it a high rating of four out of five stars.
Dow Chemical
Dow is a leader in providing innovative solutions for clients in packaging and infrastructure. In addition to chemical engineers, the company also has opportunities across different departments. You can land a job as a customer service specialist, senior reliability engineer, or production engineer.
What Does Dow Chemical Pay Its Chemical Engineers?
Glassdoor indicates that Dow Chemical pays its chemical engineers a salary of $109,609, annually. On average, the salary of a chemical engineer at the company can range from $70,898 to $143,869, each year. Often the company offers additional compensation and bonuses to its employees. This adds up to the total pay of $109,609, annually.
Dow Chemical Reviews
Over 3,258 Dow Chemical reviews on Glassdoor give the company a rating of 4.1 out of five stars. As well, 85 percent of the employees say that they would recommend the company to a friend.
Dupont
Dupont is an American company that manufactures pharmaceuticals and chemicals. The company expanded and started manufacturing building materials, lubricants, and agricultural chemicals. Currently, the company seeks chemical operators, technical service consultants, chemical engineers, and sales account managers.
What Does Dupont Pay Its Chemical Engineers
According to Indeed, Dupont pays its chemical engineers an annual salary of $108,976. It also gives its employees bonuses and relocation assistance. Dupont employees record a 71 percent salary satisfaction.
Dupont Reviews
A current employee indicates that Dupont has a great work-life balance on Glassdoor. The site further displays a rating of nearly four out of five stars. In general, 78 percent of the employees would recommend Dupont to a friend.
Boeing
This American-based company manufactures and sells airplanes, satellites, telecommunications, and rockets. To complete all these innovations, the aerospace manufacturer relies on chemical engineers, data scientists, and cyber security analysts.
What Does Boeing Pay Its Chemical Engineers?
According to Glassdoor, Boeing chemical engineers earn an average of $105,952 each year. The highest-paid chemical engineer earns $107,948, per year. The salary of a chemical engineer at the company heavily depends on skills, experience, and education.
Boeing Reviews
According to Boeing reviews on Glassdoor, the company offers a great work-life balance and solid benefits. In general, the company has been rated nearly four out of five stars by its employees.
Westlake Chemical
Westlake Chemical is a global manufacturer of plastics and chemicals. It caters to healthcare, automotive, and construction products. To supply to all its clients, the company has 14,700 employees working collaboratively. Aside from chemical engineers, the company also has opportunities for technical analysts, operation technicians, and data analysts.
What Does Westlake Chemical Pay Its Chemical Engineers?
Westlake Chemical pays its chemical engineers $108,188 yearly, according to Glassdoor. The salary range of a chemical engineer at the company is between $81,885 and $159,872, annually. Often the company gives its employees additional compensation. Therefore you can easily take home a salary of $110,310, annually.
Westlake Chemical Reviews
Westlake Chemical reviews on Indeed indicate a rating of 3.7 out of five stars. A former employee states that the company is a clean and safe place to work. The colleagues worked collaboratively on projects and communicated well with each other.
Eastman
Eastman is a global company that manufactures chemicals and advanced materials. The company produces paint, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and even medical devices. At this company, you can become a quality analyst, mechanical project engineer, enterprise architect, or cyber security analyst.
What Does Eastman Pay Its Chemical Engineers?
Glassdoor indicates that Eastman pays its chemical engineers a salary of $93,904, annually. In addition to the base salary, the company also offers its employees bonuses and additional compensation.
Eastman Reviews
Eastman employee reviews on Indeed rate Eastman 3.7 out of five stars. A former employee indicates that it’s a good company to work for with a lot of opportunities for growth.
Honeywell
The American company deals with aerospace, performance materials, productivity solutions, and building solutions. Globally, the company has over 110,000 employees. You can land a job as an enterprise data architect, lead network security architect, advanced application engineer, or advanced cloud developer.
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What Does Honeywell Pay Its Chemical Engineers?
Honeywell pays its chemical engineers $92,953 per year, according to Indeed. This is eight percent higher than the national average. 65 percent of chemical engineers working at Honeywell indicate that they are satisfied with their pay.
Honeywell Reviews
According to Glassdoor, Honeywell employees rate the company nearly four out of five stars. They state that the company has a good work environment. In general, 74 percent would recommend Honeywell to friends and 82 percent approve of the CEO.
US Army
As a branch of the United Armed Forces, the US Army’s main purpose is to defeat the ground enemy. The branch relies on vehicles, aircraft, and weapons to see its mission to completion. They also employ highly qualified professionals to work towards the mission. They employ human intelligence collectors, critical nurses, and special forces candidates.
What Does the US Army Pay Its Chemical Engineers?
The US Army pays its chemical engineers a salary of $82,475 each year, according to Glassdoor. The lowest-paid chemical engineer at the company earns a salary of $42,638, while the highest-paid earns $120,492 each year.
US Army Reviews
Former and current employee reviews on Indeed recall the pros of working in the US Army, saying that they were able to meet personal objectives, master new concepts, and have a sense of purpose. These advantages attract a high rating of four out of five stars.
HEXPOL Compounding
This company is a global leader in the manufacturing of polymer products. HEXPOL provides synthetic rubber compounding, silicone compounding, and special product additives. To provide high-quality services, HEXPOL relies on a powerful workforce. The company hires production operators, maintenance mechanics, customer service representatives, and quality engineers.
What Does HEXPOL Compounding Pay Its Chemical Engineers?
HEXPOL Compounding pays its chemical engineers an average annual salary of $64,382. This is significantly lower than the national average for chemical engineers but is still a decent salary depending on the work you undertake.
HEXPOL Compounding Reviews
According to Indeed’s HEXPOL Compounding reviews, the company is rated three out of five stars. Reviewers indicate that the company has a sense of belonging, time and location flexibility, and support from managers.
Why You Should Become a Chemical Engineers in 2023
You should become a chemical engineer in 2023 because of the current demand the career path has. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports the job outlook of chemical engineers is at nine percent. This means that between 2020 and 2030, there will be over 2,400 new job positions for chemical engineers across different industries.
Aside from job growth, becoming a chemical engineer will attract better incentives. BLS indicates that the average pay of a chemical engineer is $108,540, annually. To acquire this high salary compensation, you will need to earn a four-year degree in chemical engineering or a related discipline. Once you have the right set of skills, education, and experience, you can easily increase your salary potential.
Best Companies for Chemical Engineers FAQ
Chemical engineers can work in manufacturing, healthcare, food processing, electronics, biotechnology, or in the pharmaceutical industry. Their expertise and knowledge are not limited to the mentioned industries. As a chemical engineer, you can specialize in any area of interest to streamline your career path.
The companies with the highest chemical engineers job rating in the US are PepsiCo, Johnson & Johnson, Micron Technology, Jacobs, and General Motors. According to Indeed, these top companies have a rating exceeding 3.5 stars.
According to Indeed, a senior chemical process engineer earns the highest salary in the field. This professional earns an average salary of $95,000 to $129,000, annually.
Yes, becoming a chemical engineer is worth it. There are numerous benefits to choosing this career path. Chemical engineers enjoy excellent pay, good work-life balance, additional compensation, and insurance coverage.
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