Maintenance and Reliability Engineer

Location: Harris

Job Title:
Maintenance & Reliability Engineer (Rotating Equipment Focus)
Location: Houston, TX;
Gonzales, LA;
Delaware City, DE;
Cincinnati, OH; or Linden, NJ
Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time
Travel: Approximately 40-50%
Industry: Chemical Manufacturing / Industrial Processing

NES Fircroft is a leading global technical recruitment company providing professional contract and permanent staff to a diverse worldwide client base within the energy, chemicals, and process industries. Our client, a growing Chemicals Operator, has a permanent opportunity for a Maintenance & Reliability Engineer to be based in Houston, TX;
Gonzales, LA;
Delaware City, DE;
Cincinnati, OH; or Linden, NJ.

Overview
Our client is a leading industrial manufacturing organization seeking a Maintenance & Reliability Engineer with deep expertise in rotating equipment reliability.
This position will serve as the subject matter expert for rotating machinery across multiple manufacturing sites, driving reliability improvements, asset effectiveness initiatives, maintenance strategy development, and equipment lifecycle management. The successful candidate will work closely with operations, maintenance, engineering, and project teams to improve equipment performance, reduce downtime, and support long-term asset reliability.
This role is best suited for an engineer with significant experience supporting rotating equipment within chemical, petrochemical, refining, industrial gas, or other heavy manufacturing environments.

Key Responsibilities
Reliability & Asset Strategy

• Develop and implement reliability strategies for critical rotating equipment, including:
  • Centrifugal compressors and blowers
  • Turbines
  • Process fans
  • Pumps
  • Motors
  • Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs)
  • Gearboxes
  • Air compressors
• Establish and optimize predictive, preventative, and condition-based maintenance programs.
• Evaluate equipment condition, reliability performance, and lifecycle status, updating asset strategies accordingly.
• Develop equipment replacement plans and long-term asset life strategies.
• Create and manage common spare parts and spare equipment programs across multiple facilities.

Reliability Improvement & Failure Analysis

• Conduct reliability studies and identify opportunities to improve equipment performance and availability.
• Lead Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) investigations for equipment failures and reliability events.
• Analyze equipment history, failure trends, and operating data to identify recurring issues and implement corrective actions.
• Evaluate failure modes and develop mitigation strategies to improve long-term equipment reliability.
• Lead incident investigations involving mechanical integrity or equipment reliability concerns.

Engineering & Project Support

• Provide reliability input during equipment design reviews and capital project development.
• Review engineering drawings, specifications, and equipment selections to ensure reliability best practices are incorporated.
• Recommend design modifications that improve equipment performance, maintainability, and lifecycle costs.
• Lead and support reliability-focused improvement projects and minor capital projects.
• Manage assigned projects through applicable Management of Change (MOC) processes.

Maintenance & Operations Support

• Partner with maintenance and operations teams to support equipment repairs, installations, and reliability initiatives.
• Provide technical guidance regarding repair strategies, quality assurance requirements, and maintenance execution.
• Support planned turnarounds, outages, shutdowns, and emergency repair activities.
• Assist with field contractor coordination and administration.
• Ensure equipment reliability programs support all applicable safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications
Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering required;
  Mechanical Engineering preferred.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years of rotating equipment reliability engineering experience.
• Minimum 5 years supporting manufacturing, industrial, chemical, petrochemical, refining, or related process operations.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing maintenance and reliability programs for critical rotating assets.

Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of:
  • Rotating equipment reliability
  • Predictive and preventive maintenance methodologies
  • Condition monitoring technologies
  • Reliability-centered maintenance principles
  • Mechanical and electrical systems
• Experience with Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS).
• SAP experience preferred.
• Knowledge of Process Safety Management (PSM) requirements.
• Experience supporting Management of Change (MOC) processes.

Preferred Experience

• Vibration analysis and condition monitoring.
• Lubrication systems and oil analysis programs.
• Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA).
• Mechanical Integrity programs.
• High-hazard or highly regulated manufacturing environments.
• Continuous improvement methodologies and reliability optimization initiatives.

Professional Skills

• Strong analytical and troubleshooting capabilities.
• Excellent planning,…