Engineer Senior - Reliability

Hecla Mining Company; Mullan (ID); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Hecla Mining Company is seeking a Senior Reliability Engineer to monitor equipment condition and assess performance against plan, providing consultation and technical support to reduce equipment costs through defect elimination and maintenance improvements.

The role emphasizes downtime analysis, CMMS oversight, PM optimization, FMEA on maintenance tactics, RCA facilitation, and collaboration with maintenance and operations to boost reliability across surfaces and underground mining operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or electrical engineering or related field.
• Minimum of five years’ experience in reliability engineering, mechanical engineering, or electrical engineering.
• Mining industry experience preferred, with knowledge of surface, underground and mill operations.
• Proficient in Excel, Word, and Outlook.

Responsibilities

• Lead and conduct downtime analyses for critical equipment to identify reliability improvements and cost reductions.
• Produce reliability metrics for monthly operations reports (cost impact, KPIs).
• Maintain asset hierarchy oversight in the CMMS ensuring accuracy and consistency.
• Perform cyclical asset criticality analyses to prioritize initiatives.
• Coordinate site condition monitoring, providing guidance on OA, VA, MPI/UT, thermography.
• Oversee Defect Elimination processes to address repetitive failures and promote preventive maintenance.

Skills

Reliability engineering

Maintenance planning

Root cause analysis

FMEA

CMMS

Condition monitoring

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical or electrical engineering

Tools

Excel

Word

Outlook

Job description

Summary

The Senior Reliability Engineer monitors equipment condition and reviews equipment performance against plan, provides consultation and technical support targeting equipment reliability and the reduction of equipment costs. This is, at a high level, through the identification and elimination of sources of defects and the implementation of maintenance and operational improvements.

Summary

The Senior Reliability Engineer monitors equipment condition and reviews equipment performance against plan, provides consultation and technical support targeting equipment reliability and the reduction of equipment costs. This is, at a high level, through the identification and elimination of sources of defects and the implementation of maintenance and operational improvements.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Lead and conduct regular and formal downtime analysis for critical equipment – including but not limited to, crushers, pumps and conveyors, hoists, chiller plant, mechanical mining equipment and underground mobile fleet. Use that information to identify, quantify and prompt the implementation of initiatives that will improve overall equipment reliability, cost outcomes and performance.


• Produce reliability-based content for the site monthly operations report. Include metrics such as cost impact of plant reliability, work management KPIs, etc.


• Work with the maintenance planners and foremen to maintain oversight and stewardship of the Asset Hierarchy in the site CMMS, ensuring completeness, accuracy, and consistency throughout.


• Perform cyclical asset criticality analysis reviews with inputs from key maintenance and operations personnel and use this analysis to prioritize reliability and work management initiatives.


• Coordinate the site Condition Monitoring program, providing technical guidance in the areas of OA, VA, MPI/UT, thermography etc.


• Oversee and use a formal Defect Elimination process to identify repetitive equipment failures and promote pro‑active maintenance activities designed to maximize sustained reliability performance and to ensure preventive maintenance activities support the overall reliability program.


• Monitor and report the Leading and Lagging Maintenance Key Performance Indicators.


• Owns the Mobile Fleet Defect Elimination Processes.


• Lead maintenance cost reduction and reliability improvement projects.


• Continuously seeks ways to improve the ease of maintenance, reliability and availability of the equipment using both formal and informal Reliability Engineering techniques.


• Perform FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) on all changes to maintenance tactics (PM’s).


• Manage a formal ongoing PMO (Preventative Maintenance Optimization) program.


• Facilitate/lead root cause failure analysis as required, using relevant systematic RCA techniques. Identify and support the implementation of resultant corrective actions ensuring all analyses and activities are appropriately documented.


• Alert the Maintenance and Operations Foremen to situations of equipment abuse and operations practices which induce failures, reduces reliability or increases the equipment maintenance cost.


• Provide technical guidance to the maintenance and operations departments on equipment and reliability issues and technologies.


• Work with peers at other Hecla operations to collaborate and share good practices across the group.


• Remain abreast of current and new technologies applicable to the Lucky Friday Mine and champion those that will benefit the operation.


• Cultivate productive partnerships with key OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to drive improvement in equipment performance and reliability.


• Work with purchasing, engineering, and operations to ensure equipment reliability is considered throughout all planning, equipment procurement and changes, spare part selection and inventory control.


• Develop, adapt and publish Standards and Guidelines that improve equipment reliability, including but not limited to areas such as PM, equipment procurement, inventory parts, installation, and work execution.


• Audit and maintain the equipment structure lists in IFS (Hecla’s ERP) ensuring the data is accurate and the hierarchies are suitable.


• Provide guidance to junior level department engineers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering or a related field.


• Minimum of five years’ experience in reliability engineering, mechanical engineering, or electrical engineering.


• Experience in mining industry preferred, including a general knowledge of surface, underground and mill operations.


• Must be computer literate and proficient in Excel, Word, and Outlook.