Senior Reliability Engineer

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

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

Tuition Reimbursement

Paid Holidays

Sick Time

PTO

401(k) Employer Match

Life and Disability Insurance

Job summary

Aspen Aerogels, Inc. in East Providence, RI, seeks a Senior Reliability Engineer to lead plant reliability and long‑term asset performance.

You will partner with the Maintenance Manager, champion the reliability culture, and implement structured procedures to improve CMMS data, spare parts, and the Plant Availability KPI. The role requires 8+ years in reliability or process engineering in continuous‑process environments, with strong analytical skills and experience in RCFA, RCMM, and predictive

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering.
• 8+ years of reliability, maintenance, or process/equipment engineering experience.
• Experience maturing a reliability program (RCM, FMEA, RCFA) in an industrial setting.
• Knowledge of rotating and stationary equipment reliability and predictive maintenance technologies.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead a staged, multi-year plant reliability rollout.
• Establish asset criticality ranking and risk-based strategy.
• Define reliability KPIs and reporting cadence.
• Lead RCFA on chronic high-consequence failures.
• Develop engineered solutions addressing single-point failures.
• Evaluate predictive maintenance and condition-monitoring tech.
• Drive precision maintenance to reduce failure rates.
• Build maintenance documentation and recordkeeping.
• Ensure compliance with codes and permits (NFPA 86, RIDEM).
• Establish MOC discipline for reliability-driven mods.
• Manage small capital or opex reliability projects.
• Align with Aspen's core values.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Reliability engineering

Maintenance planning

RCM

FMEA

RCFA

Predictive maintenance

Data analytics

Cross-functional comms

Industrial engineering

Project management

Education

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

Master's degree (MA) a plus

Tools

Maintenance Management Systems

Microsoft Office Suite

ERP systems

Project Management Software

Job description

What We Do

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

What We Value

At Aspen, our values reflect who we are and how we work both with each other and our customers, suppliers, and communities. They shape our interactions, guide our decisions, and inspire us to bring our best. Whether collaborating internally or externally, our values drive us to make a meaningful impact within Aspen and in all our relationships.

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 in close partnership with the Maintenance Manager, the Senior Reliability Engineer champions the plant's reliability culture and serves as a role model for disciplined preventative and predictive maintenance execution. The initial focus of the role will be 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 in this position is measured by the plant availability KPI and successful 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 stand 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 the mechanical single‑point‑of‑failure risk in aging‑asset vulnerabilities.
• Evaluate and implement predictive maintenance and condition‑monitoring technologies (e.g., vibration analysis, infrared thermography, oil analysis, IoT‑enabled monitoring such as oven monitoring systems) 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 will withstand customer and Tier 1/OEM review, 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 (oven and furnace systems) and RIDEM air permitting requirements tied to the 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, OEM’s 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.
• Perform 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 standing up or significantly 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 (e.g., NFPA combustion/oven standards, air permitting basics).
• Strong analytical and data skills; ability to build and interpret reliability metrics, Pareto/bad‑actor analyses, and business cases for capital investment.
• Excellent cross‑functional communication skills, with the ability to influence maintenance, operations, and engineering stakeholders without direct authority over them.
• Master's Degree (MA) a plus.
• Computer skills required: Microsoft Office Suite; Project Management Software; Maintenance Management Systems; Enterprise Resource Planning Systems.

Preferred

• Experience in a chemical manufacturing or automotive supply chain (Tier 1 or Tier 2) environment, including 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 point‑source/ambient dust collection systems.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• Frequently required to stand.
• Frequently required to walk.
• Frequently required to sit.
• Occasionally works near moving mechanical parts.
• Occasionally works around fumes, airborne particles, or toxic chemicals.
• Occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the work environment is usually loud.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move more than 10 pounds.

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or physical requirements. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Perks of Joining Our Team

Aspen is committed to offering a comprehensive benefits package, a positive and productive work environment, encouraged work/life and family balance, and opportunities for growth and development, in a culture that is focused on inclusion, sustainability, and working together to solve the world’s toughest challenges.

Aspen is proud to offer a competitive benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Tuition Reimbursement, Paid Holidays, Sick Time, and PTO. In addition, we also offer 401(k) 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 committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please send an e‑mail to [e-mail] or call and leave a voice message at [phone] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information and we will return your message.

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 of Aspen Aerogels is subject to Title 28, Chapter 29‑6.2 of Rhode Island General Laws, which governs Worker’s Compensation.