Reliability Engineer - Electrical & Instrumentation

Location: Richmond, VA

Overview:

The Reliability Engineer - Electrical & Instrumentation - at the Richmond, Virginia site is responsible for improving and sustaining the reliability, availability, and maintainability of instrumentation, electrical, and safety systems at the site. This role drives proactive reliability improvement initiatives, supports safe and reliable plant operations, and ensures compliance with Process Safety Management (PSM), Mechanical Integrity (MI), Environmental, Quality, and Corporate Reliability requirements.

Responsibilities:

Reliability Strategy & Asset Management

• Develop and implement preventive, predictive, condition-based, and failure-finding maintenance strategies for instrumentation and electrical assets.
• Identify and eliminate chronic equipment issues through bad actor analysis and reliability improvement programs.
• Monitor and analyze equipment performance and reliability metrics to identify improvement opportunities.
• Support Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) and other reliability studies to optimize maintenance programs.
• Develop and maintain critical equipment strategies for instrumentation and electrical systems.

Failure Analysis & Continuous Improvement

• Lead Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) investigations for significant instrumentation and electrical failures.
• Develop corrective and preventive actions and track effectiveness through completion.
• Identify and implement reliability improvements using engineering principles and data-driven decision making.
• Drive initiatives to eliminate high-consequence and repeat failures.

Technical Support

• Provide advanced troubleshooting support for instrumentation, electrical, and control system issues in a 24/7 manufacturing environment.
• Support maintenance and operations teams during critical equipment outages and plant upsets.
• Serve as the site's technical resource for instrumentation and electrical reliability issues.

Process Safety & Compliance

• Own and manage the Safety Instrumented System (SIS) program in accordance with Celanese requirements and ISA/IEC standards.
• Participate in Process Hazard Analyses (PHA), Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA), and other process safety reviews.
• Support Management of Change (MOC) activities by providing technical evaluations and reliability assessments.
• Conduct and document annual Mechanical Integrity self-audits for instrumentation and electrical systems.
• Ensure compliance with applicable company standards, regulatory requirements, and industry codes.

Capital Projects & Engineering

• Develop technical specifications for instrumentation and electrical equipment.
• Review engineering designs, vendor proposals, and project submittals for new installations and upgrades.
• Provide technical leadership during capital projects and major turnarounds.
• Support commissioning, startup, and performance verification of new systems.

Team Leadership & Development

• Coordinate technical activities of I&E technicians and contractors.
• Identify workforce competency gaps and develop training plans.
• Deliver technical training related to instrumentation, electrical systems, SIS, and reliability best practices.
• Manage contractor resources supporting reliability initiatives and project work.

Spare Parts & Vendor Management

• Identify critical spare parts requirements and optimize inventory strategies.
• Evaluate vendors and equipment solutions to ensure compliance with site standards and reliability expectations.
• Support procurement activities for critical instrumentation and electrical components.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or equivelant industrial experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
• 5+ years of instrumentation and/or electrical reliability experience in a manufacturing, chemical, refining, petrochemical, or industrial environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading reliability improvement initiatives.
• Experience performing Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA).
• Experience implementing preventive, predictive, and condition-based maintenance programs.
• Working knowledge of Process Safety Management (PSM), Management of Change (MOC), and Mechanical Integrity (MI) programs.
• Deep understanding of industrial instrumentation and electrical distribution systems.
• Knowledge of safety instrumented systems and functional safety concepts.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously.
• Strong technical writing, communication, and presentation skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) experience.
• Experience with SAP PM or equivalent CMMS systems.
• Experience using reliability analytics and maintenance data to drive improvements.
• Familiarity with ANSI/ISA-84, IEC 61511, and functional safety standards.
• Knowledge of API, ISA, NFPA, NEC, and other relevant industry standards.
• Experience supporting chemical, petrochemical, polymer, or refining operations.

Pay is based on several factors which vary based on position. These include labor markets, work experience, and qualifications. The expected salary range for this Virginia position is between $130,000 and $170,000.