Senior Reliability Engineer

Aspen Aerogels Rhode Island LLC; East Providence (RI); On-site; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Tuition Reimbursement

Paid Holidays

Sick Time

PTO

401k Employer Match

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Job summary

Aspen Aerogels Rhode Island LLC is seeking a Senior Reliability Engineer at our East Providence facility. You will lead a plant-wide reliability program, mature RCFA/RCM processes, and develop KPIs to drive plant availability and cost-efficient maintenance execution.

You will champion predictive maintenance, asset criticality, and change management while working closely with maintenance and operations to deliver reliable, compliant production assets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering.
• 8+ years of reliability, maintenance, or process/equipment engineering experience in continuous-process manufacturing.
• Experience establishing or maturing a reliability program (RCM, FMEA, RCFA, criticality ranking) in an industrial setting.
• Working knowledge of rotating and stationary equipment reliability practices (pumps, ovens/furnaces, etc.) and predictive maintenance technologies.
• Familiarity with process safety and environmental compliance considerations relevant to thermal processing and air emissions control equipment.
• Strong analytical and data skills; ability to build and interpret reliability metrics and business cases for capital investment.
• Excellent cross-functional communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders without direct authority.
• Master's Degree a plus
• Computer skills: Microsoft Office Suite; Project Management Software; Maintenance Management Systems, ERP systems

Responsibilities

• Design and lead a staged, multi-year roll-out plan for a plant-wide reliability program.
• Establish the plant's formal asset criticality ranking and risk-based reliability strategy (RCM, FMEA/FMECA).
• Define reliability KPIs (MTBF, MTTR, OEE/attainment, PM compliance) and provide reporting cadence to leadership.
• Lead RCFA on chronic and high-consequence failures.
• Develop and implement engineered solutions addressing single-point-of-failure risks.
• Evaluate and implement predictive maintenance and condition-monitoring technologies.
• Drive defect elimination and precision maintenance practices to reduce failure rates.
• Build maintenance and reliability documentation, procedures, and records to withstand audits.
• Ensure compliance with codes and permits relevant to plant equipment (NFPA 86, RIDEM).
• Establish change management and MOC discipline for reliability-driven modifications.
• Execute small capital or opex reliability projects with contractors/OEMs/consultants.
• Adopt Aspen’s core values in daily work.
• Performs other related duties as assigned by management.

Skills

Reliability engineering

RCM/FMEA/RCFA

Data analysis

Cross-functional communication

Maintenance optimization

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering

Master's degree (MA) a plus

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Project Management Software

Maintenance Management Systems

ERP systems

Job description

East Providence, RI 02914, USA

Aspen is a technology leader in sustainability and electrification solutions. The Company's aerogel technology enables its customers and partners to achieve their objectives around resource efficiency, e-mobility, and clean energy. Aspen's PyroThin® products address thermal runaway challenges within the electric vehicle (EV) market. The Company's Cryogel® and Pyrogel® products are valued by energy infrastructure companies. Aspen partners with world-class industry leaders to leverage its Aerogel Technology Platform® into additional high-value markets. Aspen is headquartered in Northborough, MA.

What we value-

At Aspen, our values reflect who we are and how we work with each other, our customers, suppliers, and communities. They guide our decisions and inspire us to bring our best in all interactions.

Aspen’s CORE Values

• We Do the Right Thing
• We are Problem Solvers
• We are Allies
• We Drive Forward

What you will do

The Senior Reliability Engineer is a key technical leader responsible for advancing the reliability and long-term performance of the East Providence aerogel manufacturing plant’s assets. Working closely with the Maintenance Manager, the Senior Reliability Engineer champions the plant's reliability culture and models disciplined preventative and predictive maintenance execution. The initial focus is on deploying structured procedures and analytical tools to strengthen the data integrity of the CMMS, mature the spare parts program, and improve the Plant Availability KPI. Success is measured by the plant availability KPI and the delivery of the annual maintenance capital program.

How will you do it

• Design and lead a staged, multi-year roll-out plan for a plant-wide reliability program, sequencing quick wins, foundational systems, and longer-term predictive/proactive capability.
• Establish the plant's formal asset criticality ranking and risk-based reliability strategy (e.g., RCM, FMEA/FMECA) covering production and utility systems.
• Define reliability KPIs (MTBF, MTTR, OEE/attainment, PM compliance, backlog, bad-actor lists) and set up the reporting cadence to plant leadership.
• Lead root cause failure analysis (RCFA) on chronic and high-consequence failures.
• Develop and implement engineered solutions (design upgrades, redundancy, materials/spec changes, control upgrades) that address mechanical single-point-of-failure risks in aging assets.
• Evaluate and implement predictive maintenance and condition-monitoring technologies (e.g., vibration analysis, infrared thermography, oil analysis, IoT-enabled monitoring) appropriate to plant assets.
• Drive defect elimination and precision maintenance practices (lubrication, alignment, balancing) to reduce failure rates plant-wide.
• Build maintenance and reliability documentation, procedures, and recordkeeping to a standard that withstands customer and Tier 1/OEM audits, recognizing Aspen's status as a Tier 2 automotive supplier and the likelihood of IATF 16949-aligned audits over time.
• Ensure reliability and PM programs support compliance with applicable codes and permits relevant to plant equipment, including NFPA 86 and RIDEM air permitting requirements tied to ECU and oven bypass systems.
• Establish change management and management-of-change (MOC) discipline for reliability-driven equipment modifications.
• Execute small capital or opex reliability projects, including management of contractors, OEMs, and third-party consultants.
• Adopt and follow Aspen’s core values — We do the right thing, We are problem solvers, We are allies, and We drive forward.
• Performs other related duties as assigned by management.

Why you are right for the job

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 8+ years of reliability, maintenance, or process/equipment engineering experience in a continuous-process chemical, petrochemical, or specialty materials manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience establishing or maturing a reliability program (RCM, FMEA, RCFA, criticality ranking) in an industrial setting, ideally at a site with aging infrastructure.
• Working knowledge of rotating and stationary equipment reliability practices (pumps, ovens/furnaces, pressure equipment, baghouses/scrubbers, RTOs) and predictive maintenance technologies.
• Familiarity with process safety and environmental compliance considerations relevant to thermal processing and air emissions control equipment.
• Strong analytical and data skills; ability to build and interpret reliability metrics and business cases for capital investment.
• Excellent cross-functional communication skills with the ability to influence maintenance, operations, and engineering stakeholders without direct authority.
• Master's Degree (MA) a plus
• Computer skills required: Microsoft Office Suite; Project Management Software; Maintenance Management Systems, ERP systems

Preferred

• Experience in a chemical manufacturing or automotive supply chain environment (Tier 1 or Tier 2) with familiarity with IATF 16949 quality system expectations as they relate to maintenance and equipment reliability.
• Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP) or equivalent certification.
• Experience with thermal oxidizers, high-temperature ovens/furnaces, baghouse/scrubber systems, or supercritical process equipment.
• Experience working in a plant undergoing active culture change or lean daily management transformation.
• Experience with combustible dust hazard programs and dust collection systems.

What to expect

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• Frequently stand, walk, and sit
• Occasionally work near moving mechanical parts and around fumes, airborne particles, or toxic chemicals
• Occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions
• Noise level in the work environment is usually loud
• Occasionally lift and/or move more than 10 pounds

The above is intended to describe the general content of the job. It is not exhaustive. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Perks of joining our team

Aspen is committed to offering a comprehensive benefits package, a positive work environment, work-life balance, and opportunities for growth in a culture focused on inclusion and solving global challenges.

Aspen offers a competitive benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Tuition Reimbursement, Paid Holidays, Sick Time, PTO, 401k Employer Match, Life and Disability Insurance, and other benefits.

Expected Compensation: Between $130,000 and $150,000 USD/year based on experience.

Aspen Aerogels, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. If you need a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the employment process, please email [e-mail] or call [phone] for assistance.

For Our Rhode Island Applicants
Aspen Aerogels, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. The East Providence, RI facility is subject to Rhode Island laws regarding worker’s compensation.

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Licenses & Certifications

Equal Opportunity Employer. This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.