Electrical Engineer

INEOS is a global manufacturer of petrochemicals, specialty chemicals and oil products. Our products touch every aspect of modern‑day life. INEOS comprises 36 businesses each with a major chemical company heritage. Our production network spans 196 sites in 29 countries throughout the world. INEOS Joliet is part of the INEOS Enterprises portfolio. INEOS Enterprises is a global market leader in the production of intermediary chemicals that are used as an essential input into chemical value chains across a broad variety of end markets and sectors.

At our ~775-acre site in Channahon township, (about 40 miles southwest of Chicago) we produce three products - Purified Isophthalic Acid (PIA), Trimellitic Anhydride (TMA) and Maleic Anhydride (MAN).

Main Purpose

The Electrical Engineer role focuses on both improving the strategic long‑term reliability of the site’s electrical systems and supporting the site’s day to day operation with electrical expertise. The primary focus is providing technical knowledge and analysis to support the individual asset managers and engineers. This includes analyzing performance and breakdown data, maintenance findings, field inspections, and operations notes to identify upcoming risks to the assets and recommend short term mitigations and long‑term solutions.

The Electrical Engineer will be the electrical Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the site and will provide support to the I&E craft and Asset Managers as needed to increase the effectiveness of troubleshooting efforts, precision maintenance, and scope recommendations for equipment repair, replacement, or upgrade. This role will work with Process Area Teams (PAT) members to provide technical support during upset conditions, including leading and providing technical support for Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) investigations, troubleshooting of complex electrical issues, and Management of Change (MOC). It is crucial for the Electrical Engineer to have a good working relationship with operations and maintenance to ensure the best possible coverage for all equipment.

The position is part of the Reliability Technical Group (RTG). The team has the responsibility of managing and overseeing the site’s mechanical integrity programs.

RESPONSIBILITIES and ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Act as the electrical SME for the site.
• Responsible for the Electrical Mechanical Integrity (EMI) program for the site, to include grounding/bonding.
• Assure completion of assigned EMI compliance actions on time or get appropriate extensions prior to their due date.
• Clearly communicate to the rest of the organization findings, recommendations, and points of view that have both a clear technical basis as well as the relevant business perspective.
• Lead or participate in investigations into electrical equipment failures that resulted in lost production when requested.
• Provide decision making support to Asset Managers and Engineers to ensure compliance with all applicable codes and regulations for the site.
• Approve engineering drawings and designs for compliance with the National Electrical Code (NEC)
• Work with vendors to select the most economical and effective electrical solutions for asset and site needs.
• Develop, recommend, and implement strategies that maintain and improve electrical system reliability at the site to prevent process unit interruptions.
• Provide oversight for routine system and infrastructure checks on the site’s substations, MCCs, switchgear, transformers, and grounding systems.
• Develop or revise maintenance and reliability procedures and PM tasks for electrical equipment in the EMI program to match industry best practices and site learnings.
• Complete required Audits of the EMI Program and reports on time or get appropriate extensions prior to their due date.
• Provide scope support for unit outages and projects based on site risks and equipment history.
• Complete all reliability electrical engineering deliverables on assigned capital projects.
• Maintain site electrical engineering specifications, ensuring they stay current with industry codes and standards.
• Assume responsible engineer role for MOC’s. Become certified as the NFPA 70E competent or senior authorized person for electrical work and elevated risk permitting at the site. Provide oversight that all electrical work is properly risk analyzed and managed to comply with NFPA and site safety policies.
• Maintain the site arc flash study.
• Develop, implement, and oversee site policies and procedures to remain compliant with INEOS Guidance Notes and safety principles.

Skills & Knowledge Required

Education/Experience

• 5+ years’ experience in a petro‑chemical manufacturing environment
• 10+ years’ experience in electrical engineering, to include experience with 480V to 13.8kV systems.
• Knowledge of reliability processes (Failure Analysis, Reliability Analysis).
• Computer skills in spreadsheets, word processing, and database software
• Knowledgeable of electrical engineering codes and best practices (NFPA, IEEE, IEC, etc.)
• Excellent interpersonal skills and advanced communication skills, both written and verbal
• Strong capability of conscious mental effort or concentration required. Complexity of tasks is high due to uncertainty and unpredictability, in the plant setting, and in a plant outage. Considerable attention required, possibly for extended periods of time.
• High level of responsibility: The Electrical Engineer (EE) is a skilled level engineering position. The EE must be able to manage multiple conflicting priorities with little or no day‑to‑day supervision. The EE is responsible for developing and maintaining good relationships with a wide portion of the organization and must act as the senior electrical engineering discipline representative on the site.
• The EE is responsible for providing technical evaluations and recommendations that the asset managers and their teams rely on to make key decisions. The EE makes numerous decisions when developing scope for repairs and selecting designs and technologies to be used for projects and new installations that will have long term effects on asset reliability and process safety. The EE makes decisions regarding the safety of electrical work on the site that directly impacts personal safety for the electrical craft on the site.
• High level of communication required. Must be able to communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences, to include hourly employees, fellow engineers, and management.

Physical Requirements:

This job is performed mainly in a temperature‑controlled office environment.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and perform tasks requiring repetitive use of hands. The employee is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures on a computer monitor. The employee must walk, stand and travel by car or other means. They must be able to work in a variety of environments that include both fieldwork and deskwork. Minimum requirements include:

• Maintaining constant awareness of personal safety and the safety of all other personnel. This includes knowledge of unit operation, procedures, and rules.
• Being able to work in a data sensitive environment that includes large rotating equipment and hazardous chemicals.
• Must be able to withstand both winter and summer temperatures while wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment.
• Must be comfortable working in a loud environment that could include exposure to fumes / odors or vibration from surrounding equipment.
• Being able to ascend and descend a barrel ladder with continuous vertical length of up to 35 feet.
• Being able to climb and descend stairs up to a total structure height of 80 feet.
• Being physically able to wear and navigate through the unit with a respirator if needed.