Company:
INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA
Interested in joining a winning team? A team whose employees are empowered to make a difference?
Interested in joining a winning Team? A team whose employees are empowered to make a difference?
Company:
Olefins and Polymers USA LLC
Job title
Relief Valve Technical Authority
Grade
37
Offer Range
$161,100 - 200,365 (commensurate with experience)
Location
TBD - (Hybrid)
How the Role fits in:
The Relief Valve Technical Authority is the recognized enterprise steward for relief system integrity and pressure protection performance across INEOS O&P USA. Reporting to the Process Safety Manager & Technical Authority, this role owns the central relief device strategy, governs technical standards, maintains the enterprise relief valve database, and leads enterprise assurance of relief system health and program effectiveness across more than 4,000 pressure relief devices. Pressure protection programs stewarded by this role directly support process safety, regulatory compliance, and the company’s license to operate.
Within the discipline of pressure relief, the Relief Valve Technical Authority defines enterprise expectations for relief device design, sizing, inspection, testing, repair, and data management. Site-based RV engineers and process safety personnel operate within the relief system framework established by this role and rely on it for technical leadership, calibration, and program assurance. While the position has no direct line authority over site personnel, its functional leadership and structured technical guidance establish how relief system decisions are made across all O&P USA sites.
The role spans three major manufacturing sites and the O&P USA pipeline business, providing functional leadership across all site-based RV engineers and shaping the relief valve portion of $175MM+ in annual maintenance and inspection spend. Through stewardship of the enterprise relief valve database, vendor and shop oversight, and program assurance, the role drives both reliability outcomes and pressure protection compliance across the enterprise.
The Relief Valve Technical Authority sits at the intersection of equipment integrity and process safety, working closely with site RV engineers, the Equipment Integrity team, the Chief Inspector, maintenance organizations, and internal and external RV repair shops. The role is recognized as a technical authority on relief systems within INEOS and is expected to actively participate in relevant industry forums and technical committees, ensuring that O&P remains aligned with emerging codes, testing technologies, and best practices in pressure relief engineering.
Job Accountabilities
Enterprise Stewardship of Relief Systems & Lifecycle Management
Most important activities:
- Serve as the enterprise senior technical resource for all pressure relief devices (PRDs) across INEOS O&P USA, providing authoritative guidance on relief system design, device selection, set pressure determination, inspection requirements, and testing protocols.
- Govern technical expectations and assure compliance with API 520 (sizing and design), API 521 (disposal systems), and API 576 (inspection of pressure-relieving devices).
- Own the end-to-end relief valve lifecycle management process, including how RVs are selected, how inspection and testing intervals are determined, how inspection results and records are maintained by site mechanical integrity groups, and how intervals are optimized to ensure RVs are cost-effectively managed across the enterprise.
- Define and maintain enterprise standards for relief valve program management, ensuring consistency across all sites.
- Champion long-term stewardship of pressure protection, balancing near-term operational needs with enterprise risk.
Relief Valve Data Management & System Integrity
Most important activities:
- Maintain the enterprise relief valve database (Salus or equivalent) as the authoritative source for RV inventory, sizing documentation, set pressure records, and test history across all O&P USA sites.
- Ensure data integrity, completeness, and accessibility to site engineers, inspection leads, and process safety personnel.
- Lead system improvement efforts, including potential integration of relief valve data into PCMS or other enterprise mechanical integrity platforms.
- Coach site-based engineers and technicians on proper data management practices, system utilization, and record-keeping standards consistent with enterprise expectations.
Cross-Site Collaboration & Technical Assurance
Most important activities:
- Partner with site-based RV engineers and accountable technical resources to coach, align, and support program execution across all locations.
- Collaborate with Process Safety teams to ensure relief systems are aligned with PHA/LOPA outcomes, SIL requirements, overpressure scenario analyses, and other risk assessments.
- Provide technical review and oversight for relief-related changes, including Management of Change (MOC) and capital project scoping reviews.
- Lead or support failure investigations and root cause analyses involving relief device performance issues.
- Functionally calibrate site-based RV engineers to ensure alignment on enterprise standards, technical expectations, and decision-making practices in the field.
Maintenance Interface, Shop Quality & Vendor Oversight
Most important activities:
- Maintain technical relationships with internal and external RV maintenance and repair shops, whether local site shops or third-party facilities, to monitor program performance, repair quality, and testing accuracy.
- Ensure RV shop vendor quality is maintained through regular engagement, technical audits, and clear performance expectations for testing, repair, and refurbishment work.
- Work with site mechanical integrity teams as they develop and continue to evolve best practices in RV testing, inspection management, and record-keeping.
- Provide input on vendor capability and performance as part of contract strategy and assurance, partnering with Procurement where appropriate.
- Stay current on testing technologies, repair procedures, and failure analysis methodologies relevant to pressure relief devices.
- Drive continuous improvement in RV shop quality, repair traceability, and vendor performance across the enterprise.
Turnaround & Capital Project Support
Most important activities:
- Support turnaround planning to ensure relief valve scope is appropriately prioritized, scheduled, and aligned with enterprise standards.
- Support site RV engineers as they provide technical input on capital projects involving new or modified pressure relief systems, including sizing verification, device selection, and disposal system design.
- Provide technical input on relief system implications of major operational changes, debottlenecks, or process condition shifts.
- Ensure post-turnaround findings are captured and fed back into relief valve program updates, testing strategies, and shop quality processes.
- Influence the relief valve portion of $175MM+ in annual maintenance and inspection spend across approximately 20 distinct turnaround events on rotating multi-year cycles.
RV Engineer Discipline Development & Coaching
Most important activities:
- Provide functional development and coaching to site-based RV engineers across the enterprise, growing technical capability in pressure relief design, inspection, testing, and program management.
- Develop and contribute to competency standards for the relief valve engineering domain within the future INEOS O&P Business Competency Management System.
- Build and sustain a network of site-based RV engineers and process safety personnel to share technical learnings, emerging issues, and consistent practices across the enterprise.
- Mentor site engineers in the application of API 520, 521, and 576, supporting development of sound technical judgment in relief system decisions.
- Coach site engineers and process safety teams on the integration of relief system requirements with PHA/LOPA outcomes, SIL verification, and operational risk management.
Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement
Most important activities:
- Develop and maintain enterprise KPIs for relief valve program execution, including testing currency, repair quality, set pressure compliance, and database integrity.
- Track relief device failures and in-service events; drive corrective actions into program updates, testing strategies, and shop quality processes.
- Drive continuous improvement in relief valve program maturity across all sites, integrating lessons from incidents, turnarounds, audits, and peer benchmarking.
External Standards & Regulatory Alignment
Most important activities:
- Ensure the INEOS O&P USA relief systems program aligns with applicable RAGAGEP, including API 520, 521, and 576, and stays current with evolving industry practices.
- Monitor changes in API standards, OSHA guidance, ASME pressure relief standards, and relevant case studies to inform internal expectations and program adjustments.
- Support audit preparation and regulatory engagement related to relief systems and pressure protection.
- Participate in external industry forums and technical committees related to pressure relief engineering, representing INEOS interests and bringing learnings back into the enterprise.
Skills and Knowledge Requirements
Level of education & Experience in general
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
- 15 years of experience in pressure relief systems engineering, mechanical integrity, or related technical disciplines in refining, petrochemical, or large-scale process industries.
- Strong familiarity with API 520, 521, and 576; additional certifications or training in pressure relief engineering preferred.
- Experience with Salus or similar relief device management systems, with proven track record driving data quality.
- Familiarity with PCMS or other enterprise mechanical integrity platforms is a plus.
- Demonstrated credibility and technical judgment in high-consequence mechanical integrity and process safety decisions.
- Active participation in external industry forums (e.g., API committees) preferred.
Technical skills
- Recognized company authority on pressure relief systems, with deep expertise in relief device design, sizing, and selection for diverse process applications
- Extensive knowledge of pressure relief codes and standards, including API 520, 521, 576, ASME Section VIII and Section XIII, and applicable RAGAGEP
- Strong knowledge of relief device types, operating principles, failure modes, and testing methodologies
- Experienced in relief valve program management, including inventory management, test scheduling, and compliance tracking
- Strong understanding of the interface between relief systems and process safety requirements, including PHA/LOPA, SIL verification, and overpressure scenario analysis
- Skilled in interpreting test data, failure analysis results, and inspection findings to inform relief system strategy
- Knowledge of disposal system design (flares, vents, containment) and its interaction with relief device performance
- Strong working knowledge of OSHA 1910.119 (PSM) as it relates to relief system management and Mechanical Integrity programs
- Actively engages with external industry networks and applies new technologies or practices to improve relief system performance and reduce risk
Behavioral skills
- Strong communicator, able to provide clear, defensible technical recommendations to engineers, process safety teams, and leadership
- Builds credibility through technical depth, data rigor, and consistency in decision-making
- Builds strong, trust-based relationships with site engineers, process safety teams, and shop personnel
- Persistent and detail-oriented in maintaining data quality and tracking relief system program performance
- Steers sites toward standard relief system 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 process safety, inspection, maintenance, operations, and project teams
Our culture is one of honesty and integrity with an emphasis on safety, health and environmental performance. On our team, people are acknowledged for embracing new practices that help create real value for customers.
