Reliability Engineer - US Remote (West)

Company Overview

Imagine Everything. Build the Future with Hexion.

At Hexion, we push boundaries, rethink possibilities, and create real impact. We activate science to deliver progress—developing breakthrough solutions that strengthen industries, protect communities, and drive a more sustainable future.

This is where bold thinkers, problem-solvers, and innovators come together to shape what’s next. Whether you're engineering advanced materials, transforming manufacturing technologies, or leading strategic innovation, your ideas and actions leave a lasting mark. We cultivate an inclusive culture of growth, collaboration, and accountability, ensuring every contribution propels us forward.

We don’t follow the status quo—we challenge it, disrupt it, and improve it.  Every role at Hexion is part of something bigger.

We invest in innovation, sustainability, and continuous development—equipping you with the tools, training, and opportunities to excel. With an unwavering commitment to safety, partnership, belonging, and impact, we empower you to lead change and strengthen industries worldwide.

Your Future Starts Here.

If you’re ready to push limits, reimagine what’s possible, and create the extraordinary, Hexion is where you belong. 

Anything is possible when you imagine everything.  

Role Impact

Remote / Multi-Site – North America (Travel Required) 

Alternate Titles : Network Reliability Engineer | Plant Reliability Engineer | Maintenance & Reliability Engineer

The Reliability Engineer is an individual contributor on a centralized reliability team supporting a network of small manufacturing plants across North America. This role drives the transition from reactive maintenance to a proactive, data-driven reliability culture by leading bad actor elimination, root cause analysis, and preventive/predictive maintenance improvement across multiple sites. 

This position directly contributes to reduced unplanned downtime and improved asset performance by identifying the top failure drivers at each site, facilitating root cause analysis, and embedding sustainable reliability practices into the maintenance work management process. The Reliability Engineer serves as a key point of technical leadership and cross-site learning — replicating proven solutions across the plant network to prevent recurring failures and closing the loop between reliability data and executed work. 

What You Will Do

Drive Bad Actor Elimination & Downtime Reduction 

• Pull and review downtime, failure, and repeat-work data from each site to identify the top 3–5 bad actors by highest loss or repeat failure 
• Focus reliability efforts on the largest sources of unplanned downtime, transitioning sites from reactive to controlled, planned maintenance 
• Monitor the effectiveness of corrective actions and system modifications to confirm sustained reliability improvement 

Lead Asset Criticality Assessment & Ranking 

• Establish and maintain an asset criticality register across the plant network, ranking equipment by the safety, environmental, operational, and financial consequences of failure 
• Facilitate cross-functional criticality workshops with site operations, maintenance, and HSE to calibrate rankings and ensure a consistent, defensible standard across all sites 
• Use criticality rankings to prioritize maintenance strategy, PM coverage, spare parts stocking, and bad actor focus — directing limited central resources to the highest-consequence assets first 
• Periodically review and update criticality rankings as equipment, processes, and failure data change 

Lead Root Cause Analysis & Failure Elimination 

• Lead or facilitate lightweight root cause analysis (RCA) for top bad actors and recurring failures 
• Determine the failure mode — design, operation, maintenance practice, or PM gap — and develop lasting corrective actions 
• Conduct Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to proactively identify and mitigate potential equipment failures before they occur 

Develop Preventive & Predictive Maintenance Strategies 

• Audit PM compliance and lubrication routes per site; flag gaps and update PM frequencies based on failure data 
• Lead lubrication excellence initiatives including lubrication strategy development, route optimization, contamination control, lubricant selection, storage and handling standards, lubrication PM optimization, and lubrication KPI tracking. 
• Apply predictive and condition-based maintenance techniques (e.g., vibration analysis, thermal imaging, ultrasonic testing) to anticipate failures and extend asset life 
• Apply Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) principles to determine the optimal maintenance strategy for critical assets 

Translate Reliability Actions into Executable Work 

• Assign corrective actions to the Site Reliability Owner or Local Work Owner and enter PM changes and job plan updates into the CMMS 
• Feed bad actor corrective actions into the weekly scheduling backlog to close the loop from data to execution 
• Maintain reliability data quality in the CMMS — asset hierarchy, failure codes, and work-order history — so criticality, bad actor, and KPI analysis rest on accurate data 
• Participate in weekly planning and scheduling reviews to ensure reliability actions, bad actor corrective work, PM improvements, and failure elimination activities are properly prioritized, planned, and scheduled for execution. 

Drive Cross-Site Learning & Standardization 

• Share repeat failure patterns across the plant network and replicate proven solutions to prevent recurrence at other sites 
• Apply reliability engineering principles and best practices consistently across sites, projects, and processes 
• Support standardization of reliability processes, tools, and the monthly reliability cadence across the network 

Build Site Reliability Capability & Culture 

• Train and coach Site Reliability Owners, Local Work Owners, and technicians on reliability fundamentals — defect identification, basic equipment care, and quality failure reporting — building lasting capability at each site 
• Champion the shift from reactive to proactive reliability, reinforcing planned-over-reactive work and data-driven decision-making across the network 
• Promote operator-driven reliability and basic-care routines so frontline teams catch early warning signs before they become failures 

Track Performance & Report Results 

• Monitor key reliability KPIs — Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), Mean Time To Repair (MTTR), asset availability, planned vs. reactive work ratio, and repeat failure rate per site 
• Apply statistical and life-data analysis (e.g., Pareto and Weibull) to quantify failure risk, set maintenance intervals, and prioritize improvement effort 
• Report reliability trends and improvement results to Maintenance Managers and Corporate Leadership 
• Establish and maintain data and records for tracking performance failures and improvement measures 

Support Asset Lifecycle & Continuous Improvement 

• Support asset lifecycle management and life-cycle cost analysis to guide repair, replace, or redesign decisions 
• Analyze maintenance data to optimize spare parts inventory for critical components while controlling cost 
• Apply design-for-reliability principles to new installations and equipment modifications — setting reliability and maintainability specifications, supporting commissioning, and providing reliability input to the Management of Change (MOC) process 
• Ensure reliability activities align with site safety, environmental, and regulatory standards 

What You Bring

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or a related Engineering discipline (or equivalent technical experience) 
• Experience in reliability, maintenance, or engineering within an industrial or manufacturing environment 
• Working knowledge of reliability methodologies — root cause analysis (RCA), FMEA, and preventive and predictive maintenance 
• Experience using CMMS/EAM systems (e.g., SAP PM, Maximo, Infor) 
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret failure and downtime data 
• Strong communication and collaboration skills to work effectively across multiple sites and functions 
• Willingness to travel across the plant network as required 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP) or Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE) certification 
• Experience with predictive/condition-monitoring technologies (vibration analysis, thermal imaging, ultrasonic testing) and lubrication programs 
• Familiarity with Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) 
• Experience performing asset criticality assessments and risk-based prioritization 
• Experience supporting multiple sites or a multi-plant network 
• Proficiency with statistical analysis tools and reliability KPIs (MTBF, planned vs. reactive ratio, repeat failure rate) 
• Experience leading cross-functional reliability or continuous improvement initiatives 
• Experience developing training or capability-building programs for site maintenance and operations teams 
• Familiarity with process safety management (PSM) and mechanical integrity requirements in a chemical or process manufacturing environment 

Legal & Employment Notices

We are an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, pregnancy, race, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, status as a qualified individual with a disability or any other characteristic protected by law.

To be considered for this position candidates are required to submit an application for employment through our career site and, be at least 18 years of age. Any offer of employment will be conditioned upon successful completion of a drug test and background investigation, as well as authorization for the Company to conduct additional periodic background checks as required by the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) or regulations adopted by the department of Homeland Security or other regulatory agencies. A prior criminal record is not an automatic bar to employment, and the Company will conduct an individualized assessment and reassessment, consistent with applicable law, prior to making any final employment decision. 

This job description outlines the general nature and key responsibilities of the role but is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Job duties may change based on business needs. Nothing in this job description creates a contract of employment, express or implied.