Chemical Engineering Co-op Program (Fall 2023)

About Lubrizol  
The Lubrizol Corporation, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is committed to enabling a sustainable future. Our unmatched science unlocks immense possibilities at the molecular level, driving sustainable and measurable results to help the world Move Cleaner, Create Smarter and Live Better. Our solutions are used by people every day, improving billions of lives around the world. 

We value diversity in professional backgrounds and life experiences. By enabling a consistent, unbiased, and transparent recruitment process, Lubrizol seeks to create a positive experience for candidates so we can get to know them at their best. We recognize unique work and life situations and offer flexibility, ensuring our employees feel engaged and fulfilled in every aspect of life. 

Chemical Engineering Operations Co-op Program 

Job Description 

The Lubrizol Corporation is looking for highly motivated Chemical Engineering sophomores for our Operations Co-op Program to start in our program in the Fall 2023 semester. 

What will you gain from this opportunity? 

Lubrizol believes in providing you with a wide variety of experiences and increasing your responsibilities as you progress through the program. As a Lubrizol Operations Co-op, you will rotate through a number of different assignments based on your interests and opportunities in the company. Assignments will challenge you in an effort to promote professional growth while being an integral part of the company’s business. Lubrizol’s commitment to providing a rewarding experience for you is guaranteed to pay dividends in your career development. 

Lubrizol’s co-op programs have been around for over five decades. Many of our senior leaders began their own careers as Lubrizol co-ops; this list includes former Lubrizol Presidents and CEOs. Each Lubrizol Chemical Engineering Co-op is regarded as a potential future leader. 

What will you do in the Operations Co-op Rotations? 

Students are recruited, interviewed, and selected to join the Operations Co-op Program. Our program offers a wide range of locations and responsibilities. Each assignment will challenge you to build on the knowledge you gain in the classroom.  The following provides a brief description of some of the available work terms: 

Lubrizol Additives 

The co-op students in the Additives division of Lubrizol can choose between Wickliffe, OH; Painesville, OH; Deer Park, TX; Bayport, TX and Spartanburg, SC. Wickliffe is Lubrizol’s global headquarters and is home to our R&D, mechanical testing, and pilot plant facilities. Deer Park, Bayport, Painesville and Spartanburg are the manufacturing homes to many of Lubrizol Additives’ specialty products. You will be exposed to a variety of assignments with the three core sessions being Operations, Production, and Process Development. These three core assignments are designed to develop you as a well-rounded engineer by exposing you to various departments and sites throughout the company.  

Lubrizol Advanced Materials 

The co-ops in the Advanced Materials division of Lubrizol will have assignments at our Avon Lake, OH site, our Brecksville, OH site, and terms at our other manufacturing sites across the United States. Avon Lake is home to our process development group, pilot plant facilities, and production of many of Advanced Material’s specialty products. Our other sites offer manufacturing of various products in different markets. The sites offering co-op terms include: Bowling Green, OH; Calvert City, KY; Clifton, NJ; Corona, CA; Franklin, WI; Gastonia, NC; Louisville, KY; Paso Robles, CA; Pedricktown, NJ; Victor, MT; and Wilmington, MA, with more opportunities continually opening up at other sites. During your time in the Advanced Materials program, you will have assignments in each of the three core areas: Operations, Production, and Process Development. These three core assignments are designed to develop you as a well-rounded engineer by exposing you to various departments and sites throughout the company.  

1st term Chemical Operations (Wickliffe, Avon Lake, Deer Park)  

You will work alongside chemical operators who run a wide variety of chemical processing equipment. This is a great introduction to manufacturing equipment, basic chemical engineering unit operations, and Lubrizol’s work processes. While learning about safe chemical processing in the field, you will be given projects that reinforce on that knowledge and reflect actual work done by full time engineers at Lubrizol. This assignment provides the strong base from which your future assignments will build. 

Manufacturing – Production and Ops Support (Any of our 12 U.S.-based manufacturing facilities) 

Co-ops will assist to ensure smooth day-to-day operation of production units and help solve technical issues encountered in manufacturing. You will work on projects involving process optimization (increasing capacity, reducing batch cycle time, etc.), safety improvements, new process and equipment start-ups, system troubleshooting, capital project design, and recommending and/or implementing equipment changes. In this role, you will be exposed to a wide variety of projects that will develop your troubleshooting and problem-solving skills while applying the knowledge you have learned in the classroom. You will have the opportunity to interact with a variety of departments within the plant, throughout Lubrizol, and in outside organizations. You will also be introduced to the variety of tools and methods that are used by production engineers to help keep production moving.  

Process Development (Wickliffe, Avon Lake, Brecksville) 

Our Process Development group is responsible for developing and scaling up new products and assisting the plants in optimizing the quality and processing of existing products. In this term, you will be asked to design lab and pilot scale experiments, implement equipment changes, develop and evaluate analytical tests, collect and analyze data, and then make recommendations based on your results. In this assignment you will be challenged to expand on your classroom studies and to think outside of the box to help expand Lubrizol’s technology base as we develop new and innovative products.  

Other Available Terms 

To provide a variety of opportunities for our co-ops, many other terms are available depending on student interest and business need. Previous additional terms have included Safety, Environmental, Capital Project Management, Research & Development, Commercial, New Product Development, and Quality. These terms are spread across a wide range of applications including Skincare, Pharmaceuticals, corporate-wide functions, and much more. This is an excellent way to explore a diverse array of potential career paths and challenge yourself to try new roles while you are still in school. 

Benefits of Lubrizol’s Chemical Engineering Co-op Program:  

• Rewarding your hard work! 
  • Competitive pay 
  • Holiday pay for holidays that fall within your work period 
  • Tuition reimbursement for fees associated with co-oping 
  • Housing assistance and relocation assistance is offered to students with a permanent residence that is greater than 35 miles from their assigned work location(s) 
• Diverse experiences with the stability of one employer. We ask co-ops to visit one of our many locations across the country for one of their work sessions; this provides a deeper understanding of different businesses, products, processes, and people. 
• FUN! We a variety of events and activities for our students. Past events include attending sports events, paid volunteering days, and even a picnic hosted by our CEO! 
• Grow professionally. All co-ops present their work at the end of each work session. This is an excellent opportunity to improve your public speaking skills and hear what other co-ops are doing. 
• Full-time opportunities after graduation. Our engineering co-op program is an important vehicle for hiring full-time engineers at Lubrizol. In fact, more than 70% of co-ops come to Lubrizol after graduation. Two of our most well-known former co-ops include former Lubrizol Presidents and CEOs. 

Who are we looking for? 

• Students who are interested in working in a chemical manufacturing environment. 

• Students currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from an accredited university, with a graduation date up to 2026. 

• Ability to complete three or more co-op work terms (preferred) 

• Students with GPA > 3.0 will be given priority consideration. 

• Must be authorized to work in the United States without requiring work authorization sponsorship by our company for this position now or in the future.  

Location Pay Differentials

Like many companies with employees in multiple geographic areas, Lubrizol uses geographic pay differentials (regional salary structures). Salary structures for geographic areas with higher prevailing salary rates for comparable jobs have higher salary ranges than structures for areas with lower prevailing rates.

• Pay Range: $22.04 - $31.43 

How do you learn more or apply? 

Lubrizol partners with universities across the country to recruit for the Chemical Engineering Operations Co-op Program. Talk to your university career services department to find out when we will be on your campus. Then, visit us at our information session and at your university career fair. You will also need to submit an online application - click "Apply Now." 

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If you’re interested in the position, we encourage you to apply. Lubrizol is always looking for candidates who embody our cultural beliefs in everything they do. If you’re All In, Lead Decisively, Take Action, Think External, and can Be Courageous, Lubrizol could be the place for you.