Headquartered in Houston, Texas, TPC Group is a leader in providing highly specialized lines of chemical products to major chemical and petro chemical-based companies worldwide.

As North America’s largest producer of finished butadiene and the largest producer of butene-1, companies around the globe rely on us as their dependable supplier for hydrocarbon processing and other specialty chemicals. We are the sole producer of chemical grade diisobutylene in North America and the second largest active merchant producer of high purity isobutylene in North America. Our products are sold to a wide range of performance, specialty and intermediate segments, including synthetic rubber, fuel additives, plastics and surfactants. Put simply, we make the products that go into making the world’s tires, carpets, gasoline additives and many other essential items used in our daily lives.

TPC Group operates manufacturing facilities in the industrial corridor adjacent to the Houston Ship Channel, the heart of the world’s largest chemical processing center. In addition, we operate facilities in Port Neches and Baytown, Texas, as well as a product terminal in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Position Summary

The Reliability Engineer position is an excellent opportunity for someone who has experience in Mechanical Maintenance / Reliability Engineering in the chemical, refining, or petroleum industries. Strong focus on fixed equipment design and maintenance as well as a solid experience base with rotating equipment will be required.

He/she will have a firm understanding of industry standards associated with fixed and rotating equipment and piping assets and drive improvement in the overall mechanical integrity and reliability efforts. This position will be required to collaborate with other working teams and demonstrate good judgment in seeking ownership of Fixed and Rotating Equipment Programs and processes as they pertain to PSM. This position will be located at our Houston Site but will support all company locations.

Duties And Responsibilities

  • Application and support of TPC’s Mechanical Reliability Programs
  • Support company SME’s in rotating, inspection and fixed equipment to drive programs and long range strategic plans
  • Ensure repairs completed per code or applicable standards.
  • Specify and implement Fixed and Rotating Equipment Inspection and Maintenance strategies including preventive/predictive plans, repair strategies, and critical spares
  • Participates in plant assessments studies, projects, and efforts to implement corrective action to maintain or improve plant conditions.
  • Champion fixed and rotating equipment improvement initiatives.
  • Capable of acting as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for fixed and rotating equipment and drive improvement in the overall reliability programs by establishing case for change (life cycle costs, etc.)
  • Contribute to designing reliability and QA/QC programs into projects.
  • Uses reliability engineering principles and tools (Weibull, RCA, FMEA, RCM, RBI, Modeling, etc..) to increase asset capability, asset mechanical reliability and cost savings opportunities
  • Recommend and implement changes in fixed and rotating equipment systems to improve reliability and safety.
  • Execute fixed and rotating equipment programs and processes; evaluate engineering standards and define mechanical repair work scopes for fixed and rotating equipment assets; providing technical support as needed those repairs as needed, ensuring that TPC and industry standards are met.
  • Lead proactive failure analysis (FMEA) and root cause investigations and educate both Maintenance and Operation personnel upon completion of failure analysis.
  • Provide technical support for fabrication, installation, operation, application, maintenance, and repair of mechanical systems ensuring proper QA/QC.
  • Manage special projects with the purpose of improving equipment performance, reliability, and quality.
  • Provide strategic action plans to address chronic reliability issues

Minimum Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from accredited university or institution
  • 10+ years of experience in either pressure equipment or reliability engineering in the chemical / refining / petroleum industries
  • Solid understanding of relevant industry codes such as ASNT (American Society Non-Destructive Testing), AWS (American Welding Society) Certifications, API and PIP standards .
  • Solid background in rotating equipment (pumps, compressors, turbines, gearboxes,.) troubleshooting, design, repair, improvements, and PM/PdM strategies.
  • Complex problem-solving and analytical skills.
  • Excellent communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills.
  • Computer skills related to Microsoft Office Products and knowledge of computer-managed maintenance systems (Oracle).
  • Field equipment troubleshooting skills.
  • Thorough working knowledge of applicable codes and standards is required (ASME Section VIII, API 510 & 570, ANSI, etc.).
  • Proven track record in diagnosis, prognostics, and condition based maintenance.
  • Strong ability to influence organization to implement changes
  • Highly motivated, self-starter capable of achieving results with minimal direction #IND1

Desired Skills and Experience

See application page for details