Plant Maintenance Engineer

Job Summary:

The Maintenance Engineer has the primary objective of assisting in the maintenance, troubleshooting, and inspection of plant equipment and refinery processes. The Maintenance Engineer will work with in-house and contract resources in the design, engineering, and construction process of current and future projects and assist in the development of the facility PSM program. This person will become the technical lead of the maintenance technicians and contractors by providing guidance and oversight during routine and non-routine repairs of rotating and fixed equipment, instrumentation and electrical devices, piping, and other equipment to ensure jobs get completed safely and as per Vertex and manufacturer standards. This person must be able to adapt to changes rapidly and make decisions based on information available to resolve equipment or process-related issues. This position reports to the Facility Manager.

Responsibilities:

• Support the maintenance group by troubleshooting equipment failures and abnormal operating conditions, developing work plans, identifying spares for equipment, and procuring parts and equipment quickly during times of need.
• Support the operations group by troubleshooting and resolving abnormal process conditions and providing guidance for proposed changes to the process.
• Develop comprehensive knowledge of refinery and refinery equipment to become technical expert/mentor for maintenance and operations personnel.
• Identify, scope, and execute projects to improve the safety, reliability, and productivity of the facility.
• Coordinates engineering and construction projects. This includes the process and operational review, installation, and operation/evaluation of the installed assets.
• Has knowledge of design and operating parameters of equipment, reviews equipment health data and analyzes the data to identify problems, diagnoses equipment problems and communicates need for maintenance work orders.
• Strives to determine root cause of failure (RCFA) and assists in the implementation of improved operations and maintenance procedures.
• Apply the principles of pipe system design with respect to fluid mechanics, valves, and pump operations. Working knowledge of basic structural piping design principles, pipe system dynamics and failure analysis.
• Coordinates engineering and construction projects. This includes the process and operational review, installation, and operation/evaluation of the installed assets.
• Ensures Vertex Energy Corporate Standards for piping, vessels, and equipment fabrication and repair are adhered to and develop standards for work not covered by pre-existing standards.
• Observes and monitors maintenance and capital work activities for safety and operability throughout the design and construction phases of assigned projects.
• Responds during unit upsets, adverse conditions, or serious situations, participates in troubleshooting all equipment-related unit problems, and assists in determination of root cause when the source of an upset or problem is not immediately obvious.
• Play an integral role in turnaround scoping, budgeting, planning and execution.
• Maintain equipment files and documentation for all facility equipment.

Training:

• Improving and maintaining mechanical engineering and inspection skills by identifying performance gaps and training needs for self.
• Additional training as identified by employees or management to meet the goals and objectives of job responsibilities.
• Identify training needs for operations and maintenance department employees and develop procedures, drawings, forms, etc. as needed to convey information adequately to ensure success.

Health, Safety, and Environmental:

• Performs duties in compliance with all regulatory activities, including Process Safety Audits, Process Hazard Analysis Audits, Management of Change Process, and corporate compliance auditing.
• Responsible with unit supervision for unit process safety, including the effective use of the Recommended Good Practices manuals and Process Safety Standards and Guidelines.
• Responsible for compliance with refinery safety policies.
• Assists with development of unit-specific safety materials such as Lockout/Tag out, etc.
• Works within established guidelines to ensure best practices are being implemented.
• Complies with facility emergency response plan in the event of an emergency at the facility.[BG

• Bachelor’s degree (B.S.) in Mechanical Engineering from an ABET accredited college or university.
• 5-10 years of experience in a refinery or other continuous process manufacturing facility.
• Experience with operation and maintenance of fixed and rotating equipment including but not limited to pumps, blowers, piping, pressure vessels, steam boilers, fired heaters, thermal fluid heaters, etc.
• Familiar with codes and standards regarding vessel/piping design, inspection, and repairs.
• Familiarity with control systems and instrumentation is preferred.
• Be available to respond to calls on off-hours, nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Strong proficiency with PC’s and Microsoft Office.
• Project management – must have experience reading and developing Gantt Charts and determining critical path.
• Ability to lead a diverse workforce. Delegation, leadership and influencing skills are critical.
• Must have the ability to write reports, business correspondence, and standard operating procedures.
• Must be able to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

Note: This list is not intended to be all inclusive, other duties may be assigned.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Upon request, reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.