Maintenance & Reliability Engineer

Maintenance & Reliability Engineer
Location: Darrow, LA (Greater Baton Rouge Area)
Job Type: Permanent/ Full-Time
Work Schedule: Onsite

NES Fircroft is a leading global technical recruitment company providing permanent and contract staffing solutions across the Energy, Chemicals, Power, Renewables, Life Sciences, Mining, Manufacturing, and Infrastructure sectors. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we combine global reach with local expertise to connect top engineering and technical talent with industry-leading employers.
Our client is seeking a Maintenance & Reliability Engineer for a permanent-hire position to support a chemical manufacturing facility located near Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Position Summary
The Maintenance & Reliability Engineer is responsible for providing maintenance, reliability, and operational engineering support for a complex continuous manufacturing facility. This individual will serve as the site's reliability engineering subject matter expert, leading initiatives to improve equipment performance, reduce downtime, and enhance asset integrity across both rotating and fixed equipment.
Working closely with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and Process Safety teams, the successful candidate will drive reliability improvements, lead root cause investigations, support Mechanical Integrity (MI) and Quality Assurance (QA) programs, and ensure equipment reliability aligns with safety, environmental, and production objectives.
This is an excellent opportunity for an engineering professional with expertise in mechanical integrity, rotating equipment, and reliability engineering to play a key role in improving asset performance, plant reliability, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the site's technical expert for reliability engineering across mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and control systems.
• Lead reliability studies and develop strategies to improve equipment performance, asset utilization, and long-term reliability.
• Identify, plan, and execute reliability improvement initiatives and capital improvement projects while managing the Management of Change (MOC) process.
• Lead the site's Reliability Program for rotating and fixed equipment, including pumps, compressors, turbines, valves, pressure vessels, piping systems, and heat exchangers.
• Conduct Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) and lead incident investigations related to Mechanical Integrity and Quality Assurance.
• Evaluate equipment failure modes and implement engineering solutions to eliminate recurring failures.
• Monitor equipment performance, analyze maintenance history and failure trends, and develop improvement plans.
• Develop and manage Predictive and Preventive Maintenance programs, including condition monitoring strategies.
• Participate in design reviews and provide reliability recommendations for new and existing equipment.
• Review engineering drawings and specifications, recommending design improvements that enhance reliability and maintainability.
• Develop, monitor, and improve Mechanical Integrity and Reliability KPIs while driving corrective actions.
• Coordinate with maintenance personnel and contractors on repair strategies, equipment installations, quality assurance, and field execution.
• Provide technical support for equipment and operational issues, including troubleshooting and problem resolution.
• Support plant operations during equipment failures and process upsets.
• Ensure equipment complies with all applicable safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead minor capital projects from concept through execution.
• Serve as an active member of the site's Process Safety Management (PSM) Committee, supporting Mechanical Integrity and Quality Assurance initiatives and audit action items.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering required (Mechanical Engineering preferred).

• Minimum of 5 years of manufacturing maintenance and/or reliability engineering experience, preferably within the chemical process industry.
• Minimum of 3 years supporting Mechanical Integrity (MI), Quality Assurance (QA), Reliability Engineering, or Maintenance Supervision.
• Experience supporting continuous process manufacturing environments.
• Experience leading equipment reliability improvement initiatives and failure investigations.

Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of Process Safety Management (PSM).
• Experience with rotating and fixed equipment reliability.
• Knowledge of preventive, predictive, and condition-based maintenance methodologies.
• Experience utilizing Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS); SAP experience preferred.
• Familiarity with Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) methods and inspection programs.
• Experience conducting Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA).
• Working knowledge of reliability engineering principles and asset management strategies.

Preferred Experience

• Familiarity with applicable industry standards including:
  • API 510, API 570, API 653
  • ASME B31.1 and B31.3
  • NBIC
  • NACE SP0294
• Experience with:
  • Vibration Analysis
  • Ultrasonic Testing (UT)
  • Radiographic Testing (RT)
  • Magnetic Particle Testing (MT)
  • Liquid Penetrant Testing (PT)
  • Thermal/Infrared Inspection
• Knowledge of welding processes and repair methods.
• Experience working with highly hazardous chemical processes.
• Strong understanding of safety, quality, continuous improvement, and maintenance best practices.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Certifications

• TWIC Card required or ability to obtain upon hire.

Work Environment

• Combination of office and manufacturing plant environments.
• Regular field presence supporting plant operations and maintenance activities.
• Ability to climb ladders and stairs, work at heights, enter confined spaces, bend, kneel, crawl, and stand for extended periods.
• Ability to lift up to 30 pounds.
• Must be able to wear required PPE, including a full-face respirator (clean-shaven requirement).
• Availability for on-call support as required by plant operations.
• Up to 10% travel to support other manufacturing facilities.

Why Work Here

• Join a well-established chemical manufacturing operation with a strong commitment to safety, reliability, and operational excellence.
• Take ownership of the site's reliability engineering function and make a measurable impact on plant performance.
• Lead meaningful reliability, mechanical integrity, and capital improvement initiatives with high visibility across the organization.
• Work alongside experienced operations, maintenance, engineering, and process safety professionals in a collaborative environment.
• Build your career within a stable manufacturing organization that values technical expertise, continuous improvement, and long-term employee development.

With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.