Corrosion and Materials Engineer

INEOS•Alvin, TX

1d•$161,100 - $200,365•Hybrid

About The Position

The Corrosion & Materials Engineer is the recognized enterprise subject matter expert for metallurgy, corrosion control, damage mechanisms, and welding practices across INEOS O&P USA. Reporting to the Equipment Integrity Manager & Technical Authority, this role provides the deep technical expertise that underpins sound materials and corrosion decisions across pressure vessels, piping, storage tanks, and critical equipment representing $15B+ in enterprise replacement value assets. Technical guidance provided by this role directly protects long-term asset integrity, weld and material reliability, and the company’s license to operate. Within the discipline of materials, welding, and corrosion engineering, the Corrosion & Materials Engineer defines enterprise standards for material selection, welding procedures, damage mechanism reviews, and corrosion control. Site engineering and inspection teams operate within the technical framework established by this role and rely on it as the senior technical resource for severe or complex problems involving metallurgy, weld repair, or corrosion threats. While the position has no direct line authority over site personnel, its functional leadership and structured technical guidance establish how materials and corrosion decisions are made across all O&P USA sites. The role spans three major manufacturing sites and the O&P USA pipeline business, leading enterprise programs for damage mechanism reviews, corrosion control documents, welding procedures, and CUI inspection and mitigation. Through technical leadership in these specialized programs, the role shapes the materials, welding, and corrosion-related portion of $175MM+ in annual maintenance and inspection spend and informs the technical foundations of major capital and turnaround decisions. The Corrosion & Materials Engineer is recognized as a technical authority within INEOS and is expected to actively participate in relevant industry forums and committees, including API committees and NACE/AMPP corrosion groups, ensuring that O&P remains aligned with emerging codes, NDE technologies, and best practices in materials science, corrosion control, and welding engineering. The O&P USA Business has been and remains a very dominant contributor to INEOS Group financial performance. Although financially strong, the Business has been and remains devoid of effective operational management systems, practices, procedures and competencies, and this set of structural deficiencies, coupled with an ongoing loss of experience and ageing assets in relatively poor condition is a real and very significant threat to the continued success of the Business in the short- through long-term. The Business has operated over the long-term with a poor understanding of and compliance with many INEOS Group, regulatory, industry and performance standards. A significant intervention to address this structural threat to the Business has been defined and actioned by the O&P USA Board and endorsed by INEOS Capital. Central to this intervention is creation and implementation of a corporate Operations Management System (OMS) that will define, at a corporate level, how all elements of engineering, operations and technology will be defined, structured, standardised and managed going forward. Critical to the successful delivery of the OMS is creation of a Corporate Engineering & Technology Organization, and population of that organization with senior, competent and experienced discipline leaders, with the technical capability and gravitas to design, communicate and manage their engineering / operational discipline to significantly improved and consistent standards across the entire O&P USA Business. The E&T organization will hold all discipline engineering Technical Authorities in the Business, who will set corporate standards, practices, procedures and competency requirements across all operating locations. This is a purposeful and complete reversal in structure to previous / current where personnel at the operating Sites had an assumed authority for all technical discipline policies, practices, structures and standards at their individual location; an approach that has not worked and is the root cause of the many performance issues encountered today. The post holder must have deep understanding of their engineering discipline and have successful experience of setting policy and driving compliance to required standards across a large and diverse manufacturing organization. The post holder must be a proven and resilient agent for change. Materials, welding, and corrosion engineering decisions made by this role directly support long-term equipment reliability, the company’s regulatory compliance posture, and the avoidance of asset failures with potential for major safety, environmental, and financial impact. This person serves as the enterprise senior technical resource for all materials, welding, and corrosion matters affecting fixed equipment integrity across the O&P USA Business.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Welding Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering; advanced degree preferred.
15-20 years of experience in welding, materials, or corrosion engineering in refining, petrochemical, or heavy industrial environments.
Certified or highly proficient with API 510, 570, 579 (FFS), 582, and ASME Section IX, with the ability to apply them to varied plant environments.
Experience developing or qualifying welding procedures and reviewing contractor WPS/PQR documents.
Strong understanding of corrosion mechanisms in hydrocarbon and polymer processing, including CUI, high-temperature sulfidation, and chloride stress corrosion cracking.
Demonstrated experience with damage mechanism reviews and corrosion control document development.
Recognized company authority on metallurgy, materials selection, and fabrication methods for pressure equipment and piping in hydrocarbon and polymer service
Extensive knowledge of materials and welding codes, including API 510, 570, 571, 579, 580, 581, 582, 653, and ASME Section IX
Strong knowledge of degradation mechanisms, corrosion processes, and their interaction with materials of construction, process conditions, and operational history
Skilled in developing welding procedures, evaluating weld quality, and supporting field execution of critical repairs
Experienced in fitness-for-service assessments, failure analysis, and root cause investigations involving materials or corrosion failures
Ability to interpret inspection data and translate findings into actionable corrosion control and materials engineering strategies
Knowledge of coatings, insulation systems, and cathodic protection as they relate to corrosion mitigation
Strong working knowledge of OSHA 1910.119 (PSM) as it relates to Mechanical Integrity programs, with experience in chemical, refining, or petrochemical operations
Effective communicator, capable of providing field support, authoring technical documents, and coaching stakeholders at all levels
Builds credibility through technical depth, practical problem-solving, and consistent follow-through
Builds strong, trust-based relationships with site leaders, engineers, inspectors, and welding personnel
Persistent and thorough in resolving complex materials and corrosion challenges
Steers sites toward standard materials, welding, and corrosion practices through coaching and influence, while recognizing local constraints only where truly necessary
Prioritizes and organizes complex workloads with competing stakeholder demands
Collaborates effectively across functions, working with inspection, maintenance, operations, process engineering, and project teams
Takes a long-term stewardship view of asset integrity, balancing near-term repair needs with lifecycle risk
Sees patterns and systemic risks across sites, not just individual materials or corrosion findings
Demonstrates sound judgment in high-stakes engineering decisions affecting equipment safety and reliability
Operates with a long-term view, connecting daily materials and corrosion work to lifecycle integrity outcomes
Brings curiosity and external awareness, staying current with evolving codes, industry practices, and emerging corrosion threats
Earns trust by delivering value, not just enforcing compliance

Nice To Haves

Active participation in external industry forums (e.g., API committees, NACE/AMPP) preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the enterprise senior technical resource for materials of construction for pressure vessels, piping, storage tanks, and critical equipment across O&P USA, providing authoritative guidance on alloy selection, welding compatibility, and material upgrades.
Provide authoritative input on fitness-for-service evaluations, repair strategies, and material substitutions for severe or complex integrity challenges that exceed routine site capability.
Support site projects and Management of Change processes requiring evaluation of exotic materials, elevated service requirements, or non-routine material decisions.
Lead and support failure analyses and root cause investigations involving materials or metallurgical failures, contributing technical expertise on failure mechanisms, contributing factors, and systemic corrective actions.
Maintain enterprise materials engineering standards and reference documents that guide consistent application across all O&P USA sites.
Lead the enterprise CUI (Corrosion Under Insulation) inspection and mitigation strategy across all O&P USA sites, covering both piping and fixed equipment.
Develop and maintain the enterprise CUI inspection program, including risk-based inspection prioritization, sequencing, and coatings strategy to address susceptibility on piping, vessels, exchangers, and tanks.
Define enterprise standards for insulation systems, protective coatings, and weatherproofing as they relate to CUI prevention, inspection, and mitigation.
Track CUI program performance across sites and drive continuous improvement in inspection coverage, mitigation effectiveness, and risk reduction year over year.
Lead the identification, documentation, and management of active and potential damage mechanisms across all O&P USA assets, including high-temperature hydrogen attack, sulfidation, chloride stress corrosion cracking, amine cracking, and other common threats in hydrocarbon and polymer processing.
Conduct and maintain damage mechanism reviews (DMRs) for process units and critical equipment, ensuring DMRs are current, accurate, and reflect actual operating conditions.
Develop and maintain enterprise corrosion control documents (CCDs) that define expected degradation, inspection requirements, and mitigation strategies for each process environment.
Collaborate with the Chief Inspector and site inspection teams to ensure damage mechanisms are properly identified, monitored, and managed through appropriate inspection plans and techniques; collaborate with site process engineering and operations to understand how process conditions, upsets, and operating envelopes affect damage mechanisms and corrosion rates.
Review and interpret inspection data to identify systemic threats, emerging degradation risks, and trends that require enterprise-level attention or program updates.
Develop and approve welding procedures and repair practices used across all INEOS O&P USA assets, ensuring procedures are technically sound, code-compliant, and field-executable.
Support field execution of critical welds, fabrication methods, and in-service repairs, providing hands-on technical guidance where needed.
Ensure welding procedures comply with applicable codes and standards, including API 582, ASME Section IX, and applicable RAGAGEP.
Review and qualify contractor Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS) and Procedure Qualification Records (PQR) and ensure alignment with enterprise expectations.
Coach site engineers, maintenance leads, and welding contractors on proper welding practices, repair planning, and quality expectations.
Lead resolution of welding-related issues during turnarounds and capital projects, including hot tap evaluations, weld repair scope decisions, and quality assurance.
Provide technical support for turnaround planning and execution from a materials, welding, and corrosion perspective, ensuring high-risk equipment receives appropriate technical scope.
Support post-turnaround reviews to capture learnings related to materials, welding, and corrosion, and feed findings back into damage mechanism reviews, corrosion control documents, and welding practices.
Support capital project teams with materials selection, fabrication specifications, and quality assurance requirements for new equipment and modifications.
Provide technical input on the materials and corrosion implications of major operational changes, process condition shifts, or feedstock changes.
Influence the materials, welding, and corrosion-related portion of $175MM+ in annual maintenance and inspection spend across approximately 20 distinct turnaround events on rotating multi-year cycles.
Define and maintain technical procedures for weld repair approvals, metallurgy evaluations, fitness-for-service assessments, and material selection guidance across the enterprise for consistent application across all O&P USA sites.
Work with the Chief Inspector, site inspection leads, and site engineers to ensure programs meet risk tolerance, design expectations, and are sustainable over time.
Establish enterprise best practices for how materials engineering, welding, and corrosion control are documented, applied, and reviewed consistently across all sites.
Ensure programs and procedures align with applicable API codes, ASME standards, and corporate mechanical integrity expectations.
Drive continuous improvement and standardization of materials, welding, and corrosion control practices across O&P USA.
Provide functional coaching and mentoring to site mechanical engineers, inspection professionals, and reliability personnel on materials, welding, and corrosion topics, growing technical capability across the discipline.
Develop and contribute to competency standards for the materials and corrosion engineering domain within the future INEOS O&P Business Competency Management System.
Build a network of site-based engineering and inspection professionals to share technical learnings, emerging threats, and consistent practices across the enterprise.
Ensure alignment of internal practices with applicable codes, including API 510, 570, 582, 579 (FFS), and ASME Section IX, and stay current as those codes evolve.
Maintain visibility in external forums, including API committees and NACE/AMPP corrosion groups, representing INEOS interests in materials, welding, and corrosion discussions.
Stay current on emerging threats, NDE technologies, repair strategies, and industry incidents relevant to corrosion control, materials science, and welding engineering.
Bring external learnings into enterprise standards and practices, and drive adoption where they strengthen internal programs.