Rotating Equipment Inspector

HF Sinclair•Tulsa, OK

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 serves as a liaison among Operations, Maintenance, the Machine Shop, vendors, and Reliability Engineering to help identify equipment issues, ensure quality repairs and successful startups, and prevent repeat failures. The role drives improvements in equipment reliability, repair quality, 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 Inspector monitors equipment condition and performance, investigates concerns, validates work notifications, helps develop repair scopes, and oversees repair quality. The position also supports installation, commissioning, startups, root cause investigations, corrective actions, turnaround activities, and reliability improvement projects. It includes coaching Operations and Maintenance personnel and fostering collaboration among internal teams and vendors. Special assignments may be assigned by the supervisor at their discretion. The work is office- and field-based, with up to 5% travel by land and air. Work settings include petroleum refineries, warehouses, outdoor areas, and confined spaces. Potential exposures include chemicals, rotating equipment, electrical hazards, and varying weather and road conditions. The role requires routine work in process units, maintenance shops, and outdoor environments, including climbing stairs, ladders, and elevated structures and wearing required personal protective equipment. Physical requirements include standing, walking, sitting, twisting, stooping, crouching, kneeling, talking or hearing, visual inspections, precise hand and finger movements, reaching or grasping, lifting and/or carrying up to 40 pounds, pushing and/or pulling up to 40 pounds, climbing up to 180 feet, perceiving color differences, and operating and driving company vehicles. A valid driver’s license and insurance are required; beards are not permitted when wearing required PPE. The role has no supervisory or managerial responsibility, though it may provide guidance or training to less experienced personnel.

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 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, a strong ownership mentality, and focus on 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; wear required PPE; and perform field inspections in varying weather conditions.
Ability to stand, walk, sit, twist, stoop, crouch, kneel, talk or hear, make visual inspections, make 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, perceive color differences, and wear PPE.
Ability 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 and positive displacement pumps.
Knowledge of mechanical seals and seal support systems.
Knowledge of steam turbines, centrifugal compressors, and reciprocating compressors.
Knowledge of lubrication systems, couplings and alignment, vibration analysis fundamentals, and precision maintenance practices.
Knowledge of root cause failure analysis methodologies, rotating equipment repair practices, equipment reliability principles, and reliability-centered maintenance (RCM).
Familiarity with API 610, API 611, API 612, API 617, API 618, and API 682 standards.

Responsibilities

Monitor the health and performance of refinery rotating equipment; investigate performance concerns and abnormal operating conditions; respond to field reliability issues; assess condition using operating data, vibration information, process conditions, and repair history; and identify bad actors and recurring failure mechanisms.
Review and validate rotating equipment notifications, ensure they contain sufficient technical detail, own rotating equipment work requests before planner assignment, review relevant operating data and equipment history to support repair decisions, and assist with prioritizing reliability-related work.
Participate in equipment teardown inspections; develop and review routine repair scopes; work with Maintenance and Machine Shop personnel to determine repair requirements; review vendor recommendations and reports; escalate complex technical issues to Rotating Engineering; and recommend improvements to repair quality and reliability.
Monitor repair execution, verify repairs meet refinery reliability standards, review repair documentation and inspection reports, support quality control for in-house and outsourced repairs, and participate in repair reviews to identify reliability improvements.
Support equipment installation and commissioning; participate in startup and return-to-service field reviews; verify adherence to startup procedures and best practices; identify and communicate risks of premature failure; and support startup and commissioning troubleshooting.
Support MTBF and reliability improvement initiatives; participate in root cause investigations and failure analyses; support corrective actions; maintain and document repair history; identify upgrade and reliability project opportunities; and support turnaround planning and execution.
Coach Operations and Maintenance personnel, conduct equipment reliability awareness training, participate in vendor-supported training and technical reviews, foster cross-functional collaboration, and promote rotating equipment reliability and repair quality best practices.
Meet performance expectations involving assigned-equipment MTBF improvement, fewer repeat failures, startup success, notification quality, repair quality and warranty performance, timely reliability action completion, customer feedback, bad actor elimination, and support for reliability improvement projects.
Perform special assignments or tasks as assigned by the supervisor.