Principal Rotating Equipment Engineer

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.; Beaumont (TX); On-site; USD 125,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance day one

401(k) immediate vesting

Paid vacation and holidays

Parental leave

Adoption assistance

Flex Spending Accounts

Health Savings Account

Life Insurance (AD&D)

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. is seeking a Principal Rotating Equipment Engineer to lead troubleshooting, root-cause investigations, and optimization of machinery across U.S. facilities in the La Porte and Baytown region.

The role requires deep expertise in compressors, turbines, pumps, and gearboxes, with travel up to 30%. The ideal candidate has a strong background in vibration diagnostics, RCA, and hands-on leadership for large equipment turnarounds, with flexible location options

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering is required.
• 5+ years of experience with rotating equipment; 10 years preferred.
• Experience in an operations environment and maintenance leadership is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Troubleshoot machinery issues and failures; review operating trends and define inspection scopes.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) and develop long-term reliability improvements.
• Provide technical supervision during overhauls, turnarounds, and outages of large rotating machinery.
• Drive reliability and efficiency improvements across the network through projects and best practices.
• Support re-rating and optimization of existing machinery to meet plant needs.
• Mentor operating and maintenance teams as a technical expert.

Skills

Rotating equipment

Vibration diagnostics

Root cause analysis

Communication skills

Independent worker

Organization skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Job description

We are seeking a Principal Rotating Equipment Engineer to join our Americas Operations Machinery team. This role is a critical technical leadership position responsible for troubleshooting, maintenance support, and optimization of rotating machinery across our U.S. facilities. You will lead troubleshooting, root‑cause investigations, and optimization of machinery assets at sites in the La Porte and Baytown areas.

Our Americas operations organization serves approximately 23,000 customers from around 300 gas plants—including air separation, hydrogen, HyCO, and helium plants. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in compressors, turbines, expanders, blowers, gearboxes, cooling towers, fin‑fans, pumps (including cryogenic), and other rotating equipment.

This position requires up to 30% travel within the La Porte and Baytown area. The preferred office location is La Porte, TX, though alternative locations (Houston, Port Arthur, Beaumont) may be considered.

Benefits

• Affordable medical, dental, and vision insurance available day one of employment
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with immediate vesting of company match and core contributions
• Paid vacation, holidays, and sick time
• Paid parental leave
• Adoption assistance
• Flexible Spending Accounts (medical, dependent daycare)
• Health Savings Account
• Life Insurance (AD&D), Supplemental AD&D
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Key Responsibilities

• Troubleshoot machinery issues and failures, including review of operating trends, defining inspection scopes, developing repair plans. Own and lead root cause analysis (RCA) and develop long‑term reliability improvements.
• Lead technical support and supervision during overhauls, turnarounds/outages of large rotating machinery.
• Project work including lead and implement reliability and efficiency improvement initiatives and best practices.
• Support re‑rating and optimization of existing machinery to meet evolving plant needs.
• Act as a technical mentor and subject matter expert for operations and maintenance teams.
• Drive measurable improvements in equipment reliability, availability, and lifecycle performance across the operating network.

Required Skills & Abilities

• Strong technical expertise in rotating equipment including compressors, expanders, turbines, pumps, and associated systems.
• Proficient in machinery vibration diagnostics and troubleshooting techniques.
• Experienced in conducting and leading root cause analysis (RCA).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and make sound engineering decisions.
• Strong organizational, planning, and interpersonal skills.

Minimum Hiring Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience (10 years preferred) supporting rotating equipment within an operations organization.

Working Conditions

• The preferred working location is La Porte, TX; however, we may consider allowing qualified candidates to be based out of Houston, Port Arthur, or Beaumont, TX.
• Travel is required to support operations. Most routine travel will involve daily driving to plants or shops within the La Porte and Baytown area, with overnight or week‑long travel occurring approximately 2–3 times per year. Turnaround support could extend to a few weeks but would not require overnight stay. Travel requiring overnight stay is expected to be under 10%.
• Work is conducted in both industrial plant environments, shops, and in‑office.
• Typical hours: Monday–Friday business hours, but may vary due to flexibility of work from office, plants, and shops. Occasional after‑hours support will be required.
• This is a full‑time, salaried position.
• This role offers a path toward increased technical scope, including broader plant responsibility and opportunities to influence machinery strategy across the Americas. For those interested, there are also opportunities to pursue people leadership roles over time.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer (U.S.). You will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, citizenship, gender, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or veteran status.

Air Products is committed to working with and providing a reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you have a disability and you believe you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or to submit an online application, please e‑mail us at [e-mail].