Rotating Equipment Inspector

HF Sinclair•Tulsa, OK

11h

About The Position

The Rotating Equipment Inspector is the primary field resource for day-to-day rotating equipment reliability execution and repair quality assurance. The role supports refinery Operations and Maintenance teams by providing technical oversight of pumps, compressors, turbines, fans, blowers, gearboxes, seals, and other rotating equipment throughout their lifecycle. The Inspector liaises with Operations, Maintenance, the Machine Shop, vendors, and Reliability Engineering to identify equipment issues, oversee quality repairs, support successful startups, and help eliminate repeat failures. The position drives improvements in equipment reliability, repair quality, equipment availability, and mean time between failures (MTBF), while enabling Rotating Engineers to focus on major machinery reliability, strategy, capital projects, and long-term initiatives. The role includes monitoring equipment health, investigating performance concerns, validating notifications and work requests, developing and reviewing repair scopes, overseeing repair quality, supporting installation and commissioning, and contributing to failure investigations and reliability improvements. It also involves coaching Operations and Maintenance personnel, providing equipment reliability training, and collaborating across teams. Special assignments may be assigned by the supervisor. The position is office- and field-based, with up to 5% travel by land and air. Work settings include petroleum refineries, warehouses, outdoor environments, and confined spaces, with possible exposure to chemicals, rotating equipment, and electrical hazards. The role requires working in varying weather and road conditions. Physical requirements include field inspections, climbing stairs, ladders, and structures up to 180 feet, wearing PPE, and lifting or pushing/pulling up to 40 pounds. The employee must be able to operate and drive company vehicles and maintain a valid driver’s license and insurance.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience in rotating equipment maintenance and reliability in refinery, petrochemical, chemical, power generation, pipeline, or heavy industrial settings.
Demonstrated experience with pumps, mechanical seals, compressors, turbines, fans, blowers, and gearboxes.
Experience troubleshooting rotating equipment failures.
Experience reviewing repair reports, equipment inspections, and maintenance documentation.
One of the following: an associate degree in Mechanical Technology, Industrial Technology, Reliability Technology, Engineering Technology, or a related field; journey-level rotating equipment maintenance experience; or an equivalent combination of education and refinery rotating equipment experience.
Strong troubleshooting capability and sound mechanical judgment.
Ability to interpret equipment performance data and a strong understanding of rotating equipment failure mechanisms.
Ability to work effectively with Operations, Maintenance, vendors, and Engineering.
Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to influence without direct authority.
Commitment to improving reliability performance, data-driven decision making, strong ownership, and pursuing long-term reliability solutions rather than short-term fixes.
Ability to routinely work in refinery process units, maintenance shops, and outdoor environments; climb stairs, ladders, and elevated structures; and wear required PPE.
Ability to stand, walk, sit, twist, stoop, crouch, kneel, talk or hear, visually inspect, perform precise hand and finger movements, reach or grasp, lift and/or carry up to 40 pounds, push and/or pull up to 40 pounds, climb up to 180 feet, and perceive color differences.
Must be able to operate and drive company vehicles and maintain a valid driver’s license and insurance; beards are not permitted when wearing required PPE.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience as a refinery or petrochemical rotating equipment specialist, machinist, reliability technician, rotating equipment engineer, inspector, or maintenance supervisor.
Experience working with API rotating equipment standards.
Knowledge of centrifugal pumps, positive displacement pumps, mechanical seals and seal support systems, steam turbines, centrifugal compressors, reciprocating compressors, lubrication systems, couplings and alignment, vibration analysis fundamentals, precision maintenance, root cause failure analysis, rotating equipment repair practices, equipment reliability principles, and reliability-centered maintenance (RCM).
Knowledge of API 610, API 611, API 612, API 617, API 618, and API 682 standards.

Responsibilities

Monitor the health and performance of refinery rotating equipment and investigate performance concerns and abnormal operating conditions.
Respond to field reliability issues and support troubleshooting using operating data, vibration information, process conditions, equipment history, and failure information.
Identify bad actors and recurring failure mechanisms.
Review and validate rotating equipment notifications, ensure adequate technical detail, own work requests before planner assignment, and assist with work prioritization.
Review equipment operating data, pump curves, repair history, and previous failures to support repair decisions.
Participate in teardown inspections and develop or review scopes for routine rotating equipment repairs.
Coordinate with Maintenance and Machine Shop personnel on repair requirements; review vendor recommendations and reports; escalate complex technical issues to Rotating Engineering.
Provide technical recommendations to improve repair quality and reliability.
Monitor repair execution, verify compliance with refinery reliability standards, review documentation and inspection reports, and support quality control for in-house and outsourced repairs.
Participate in repair reviews to identify reliability improvement opportunities.
Support equipment installation and commissioning, participate in startup and return-to-service reviews, verify adherence to procedures and best practices, and communicate startup risks.
Support troubleshooting during startup and commissioning.
Participate in MTBF and reliability improvement initiatives, root cause investigations, failure analyses, and corrective-action implementation.
Maintain and document repair history, identify equipment upgrade and reliability project opportunities, and support turnaround planning and execution.
Coach Operations and Maintenance personnel, conduct equipment reliability awareness training, and participate in vendor-supported training and technical reviews.
Foster collaboration among Operations, Maintenance, the Machine Shop, and Engineering, and promote rotating equipment reliability and repair quality best practices.
May provide guidance or training to less experienced personnel.
Complete special assignments as directed by the supervisor.