Maintenance Process Reliability Specialist

Westlake Chemical; New Martinsville (WV); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Westlake Chemical seeks a reliability professional to drive plant reliability programs, perform data analysis, and troubleshoot in the field. You will identify failure patterns, develop PM/PdM strategies, and support maintenance initiatives to reduce downtime.

You will collect vibration and oil analysis data, participate in RCA investigations, and collaborate with operations on capital improvements. A mechanical engineering degree and 1 year of relevant experience are required, with on-site work

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering; at least 1 year reliability experience in a chemical environment, or 5 years without a degree.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and database software.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Experience with FMEA, RCFA, and predictive maintenance technologies (vibration analysis, oil analysis, thermography, and non-destructive testing).
• Working knowledge of piping systems, rotating equipment, ASME/API codes, and Process Safety Management (PSM).
• Six Sigma and/or Lean certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Identify and manage asset reliability risks that could impact operations, safety, production, quality, costs, or regulatory compliance.
• Analyze equipment failure data, reliability metrics (e.g. MTBF, MTTR, failure rates), and SAP records to identify patterns and failures.
• Lead or participate in root cause analysis investigations for significant failures or incidents.
• Develop and optimize preventative (PM), predictive maintenance (PdM), and condition-based maintenance strategies; use vibration analysis, thermography, oil analysis, infrared scans, and ultrasonic testing.
• Provide technical input for shop rebuilds, capital projects, turnaround planning, and spare parts strategies.
• Collaborate with maintenance and operations to implement reliability improvements and participate in Six Sigma/LEAN projects.
• Monitor and report on key performance indicators related to reliability including vibration and oil analysis.

Skills

Data analysis

Root cause analysis

Communication skills

Six Sigma

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering

Tools

MS Office

SAP

FMEA tools

Job description

Westlake offers you the potential to enrich your work life and career experience in an entrepreneurial environment. We work together to enhance peoples' lives through our products and presence in the communities in which we operate.SUMMARYResponsible for driving various reliability programs in the plant. Provides technical expertise to solve problems and eliminate recurring issues across the site. The role is a mix of desk-based analysis (data analysis and reporting) and work in the field (troubleshooting, data collection, site observations, supervising).DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIESMay include, but are not limited to, the following:Identify and manage asset reliability risks that could impact plant operations, safety, production output, quality, costs, or regulatory compliance.Analyze equipment failure data, reliability metrics (e.g. MTBF, MTTR, failure rates), and historical records from SAP to identify patterns, bad actors, and repetitive failures.Analyze vibration data to identify causes of reliability issues.Lead or participate in root cause analysis (RCS) investigations for significant failures, near-misses, or incidents.Develop and optimize preventative (PM), predictive maintenance (PdM), and condition-based maintenance strategies; Use tools like vibration analysis, thermography, oil analysis, infrared scans, and ultrasonic testing.Provide technical input for shop rebuilds, capital projects, turnaround planning, and spare parts strategies.Recommend engineering solutions to eliminate repetitive failures, improve equipment design, or upgrade materials for better reliability.Collaborate with maintenance and operations to implement reliability improvements, support troubleshooting, and participate in Six Sigma/LEAN or continuous improvement projects.Monitor and report on key performance indicators related to reliability including vibration and oil analysis.Contribute to the development of training, procedures, and best practices for reliability-focused activities.EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONSBachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and at least 1 year of relevant experience; candidates without a degree must have a minimum of 5 years of reliability experience in a chemical manufacturing environment.Proficiency in Microsoft Office and database software.Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.Experience with FMEA, RCFA, and predictive maintenance technologies (vibration analysis, oil analysis, thermography, and non-destructive testing).Working knowledge of piping systems, rotating equipment, ASME/API codes, and Process Safety Management (PSM).Six Sigma and/or Lean certification preferred.PHYSICAL DEMANDSThis job is performed mainly in an office setting; physical presence is required. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; stand; walk; have full use and range of motion of arms, hands and fingers to reach, grasp, hold, push or pull, twist, and work with tools; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to perform tasks that may require bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, lying down or working from elevated platforms. The employee must be able to move safely over uneven terrain or in confined spaces. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 5 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. The employee must be able to see details of objects that are more/less than a few feet away, see differences between colors, shades and brightness and determine the distance between objects. This job requires response to audible emergency alarms inside of the plant. Employee must be able to evacuate when required.WORK ENVIRONMENTThe employee must be able to work in a normal factory environment, including enclosed spaces and exposure to various hazards. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate as normally based in an office. Some of the work may be required in the operating units, which can require usage of required PPE including safety glasses, hearing protection, flame retardant clothing, etc. May also result in exposure to outside elements and may require usage of stairs and elevators. Travel including air travel or auto travel may occasionally be required.Westlake is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristics protected by applicable legislation.If you are an active Westlake employee (or an employee of any Westlake affiliates), please do not apply here. You will apply via the Jobs Hub application in Workday.