Reliability Engineer

Job Highlights

Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is an international manufacturer and marketer of transportation fuels and petrochemical products.

Job Profile

The company is hiring a Reliability Engineer who will provide technical support to improve fixed equipment reliability with a heavy focus on Mechanical Integrity Programs to comply with company and OSHA PSM standards.

Education Level

• Bachelor’s Degree (or higher degree) in Engineering (required)
• Degree in Mechanical or Chemical Engineering (preferred)

Work Experience

• Minimum 2 years of related engineering experience (required)
• Project management experience (preferred)
• Experience in ethanol production, chemical processing, food processing, oil refining, or the power plant industry (preferred)
• Experience with fixed equipment fitness-for-service evaluations (preferred)

Duties/Responsibilities

• Assists site Maintenance Managers with adhering to the VRF pump inspection manual.
• Categorizes and records leaks and other mechanical integrity failures. Obtains sufficient information so that meaningful corrective action and potential common problem areas can be identified. Where consequence or frequency warrants, facilitate a formal root cause investigation seeking assistance and input from multiple disciplines, as well as internal or external SMEs when necessary.
• Generates equipment-specific inspection plans. The inspection plans must include a thorough damage mechanism review based on service, metallurgy, and any process variability that could impact corrosion rates or susceptibility to cracking mechanisms. NDE methods, where required, and the extent of coverage shall be identified. Systems and circuits shall be reviewed to ensure that common corrosion environments are identified properly.
• Identifies potential and known fixed equipment failures and makes appropriate recommendations to reduce vulnerability to equipment damage across the fleet. Recommendations could include inspection type and frequency, equipment or metallurgy changes, process changes, or variables to be aware of, or some other appropriate measure. The means to communicate these recommendations may include bulletins, group presentations, or other effective communication tools. A formal means to archive these recommendations for future reference is to be maintained.
• Performs fixed equipment component minimum thickness calculations, fitness-for-service evaluations, and remaining life assessments when needed.
• Provides onsite assistance with turnaround inspection scopes. On-site assistance for other significant inspection scopes outside of turnarounds may also be required.
• Provides recommendations related to coating work and specifications throughout the fleet.
• Provides site assistance for plant-initiated MOC mechanical integrity action items.
• Provides site support and guidance related to applicable codes and standards as they pertain to fixed equipment material selection, design, fabrication, construction, repairs, alterations, welding processes, inspection, and testing.
• Provides site support for temporary repairs to ensure they are designed and installed for the intended service and to recognized standards and codes. Maintains systems to track and inspect these temporary repairs until permanent repairs are performed.
• Provides technical support to sites for any deferral evaluations.
• Reviews corrosion rates combined with optimizations to CML counts, locations, and intervals to ensure that we have adequate CMLs to characterize corrosion without performing excessive inspections on equipment with a low risk of localized metal loss.
• Reviews welding activities and associated documentation periodically for equipment covered under the VRF MI program to check for adherence to the applicable codes.
• Works with site Maintenance Managers as needed to assist with reliability improvement efforts associated with equipment outside the scope of the mechanical integrity program.

Skills/Knowledge/Abilities

• Able and willing to work on-site and in-person, required.
• Asset performance management
• Data analysis and statistical modeling
• Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)
• Reliability-centered maintenance (RCM)
• Root cause analysis

Work Environment

• Collaboration with maintenance, engineering, and operations teams
• Exposure to machinery, noise, and operational environments during site visits
• Primarily office-based with regular visits to industrial or manufacturing sites
• Standard full-time hours, with occasional overtime or on-call duties
• Use of analytical tools and software in a structured, technical setting

Employer’s Statement

Valero is an Equal Opportunity Employer.