Pipeline Chief Inspector Jobs in Houston, TX (NOW HIRING)

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

Chief Inspector

Grade

37

Offer Range

$161,100 - 200,365 (commensurate with experience)

Location

TBD - (Hybrid)

How the job fits in:

The Chief Inspector is the most senior functional leader for fixed equipment inspection across INEOS O&P USA. Reporting to the Equipment Integrity Manager & Technical Authority, this role designs, implements, and assures the inspection programs that protect the mechanical integrity of piping, pressure vessels, and storage tanks across $15B+ in enterprise replacement value assets. Inspection programs stewarded by this role directly support the company's license to operate.

Within the discipline of fixed equipment inspection, the Chief Inspector defines enterprise expectations for inspection planning, RBI methodology application, field execution quality, and inspection data management. Site inspection leads operate within the inspection program framework, methodologies, and standards established by this role and rely on it for technical leadership, calibration, and assurance. While the position has no direct line authority over site inspection personnel, its functional leadership and structured assurance activities establish how inspection programs are executed 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 inspectors and RBI analysts and shaping the inspection portion of $175MM+ in annual maintenance and inspection spend. Through inspection program optimization, focusing inspection resources on the highest-risk equipment and reducing low-value activity, the role drives both reliability outcomes and cost efficiency across the enterprise.

The Chief Inspector is also the role group leader for inspectors across O&P USA, defining inspector competency expectations, development pathways, and what good looks like for the inspector role at every level. The role is recognized as a technical authority on inspection within INEOS and is expected to actively participate in relevant industry forums and committees, including API and AFPM Mechanical Integrity Subgroup activities, ensuring that O&P remains aligned with emerging standards, NDE technologies, and best practices in inspection program management.

A significant intervention to address this structural threat to the Business has been defined and actioned by the O&P USA Board and endorsed by INEOS Capital. Central to this intervention is creation and implementation of a corporate Operations Management System (OMS) that will define, at a corporate level, how all elements of engineering, operations and technology will be defined, structured, standardised and managed going forward.

Critical to the successful delivery of the OMS is creation of a Corporate Engineering & Technology Organization, and population of that organization with senior, competent and experienced discipline leaders, with the technical capability and gravitas to design, communicate and manage their engineering / operational discipline to significantly improved and consistent standards across the entire O&P USA Business.

The E&T organization will hold all discipline engineering Technical Authorities in the Business, who will set corporate standards, practices, procedures and competency requirements across all operating locations. This is a purposeful and complete reversal in structure to previous / current where personnel at the operating Sites had an assumed authority for all technical discipline policies, practices, structures and standards at their individual location; an approach that has not worked and is the root cause of the many performance issues encountered today.

The post holder must have deep understanding of their engineering discipline and have successful experience of setting policy and driving compliance to required standards across a large and diverse manufacturing organization. The post holder must be a proven and resilient agent for change.

Inspection programs designed, executed, and assured by this role directly support the company's regulatory compliance posture, the early detection of emerging integrity threats, and the avoidance of asset failures with potential for major safety, environmental, and financial impact. This person serves as the enterprise single point of contact for all fixed equipment inspection program matters across the O&P USA Business.

Job Accountabilities and Responsibilities

Inspection Program Stewardship & Optimization

Most important activities:

• Own the enterprise-wide approach to inspection program management, including programs governed by API 510 (pressure vessels), API 570 (piping systems), and API 653 (storage tanks).
• Define and maintain expectations for risk-based inspection (RBI) methodology application across all O&P USA assets, including damage mechanism reviews, inspection planning, and corrective action management.
• Continuously optimize inspection programs to ensure the enterprise is inspecting the right equipment, in the right areas, at the right intervals, focusing inspection resources where risk is highest and reducing low-value inspection activity.
• Ensure inspection programs are aligned with applicable API codes, ASME standards, corporate mechanical integrity expectations, and OMS requirements.
• Drive standardization of inspection planning, documentation, and reporting practices across all sites.

Site Engagement & Technical Leadership

Most important activities:

• Provide technical leadership and functional guidance to site-based inspection leads, ensuring consistent program execution across all locations.
• Engage regularly with site teams to assess inspection program health, resolve technical challenges, and drive consistent execution across diverse asset bases and site cultures.
• Lead or participate in internal audits of inspection programs and mechanical integrity practices, identifying systemic gaps and driving corrective actions to closure.
• Functionally calibrate site inspection leads to ensure alignment on enterprise expectations, risk tolerance, code interpretation, and decision-making practices in the field.

Inspector Development & Role Group Leadership

Most important activities:

• Lead the inspector role group across O&P USA, defining what good looks like for the inspector role at every level, from field inspectors to site inspection leads.
• Establish clear expectations for inspector competency, field performance, technical judgment, and professional development, and serve as the accountable owner for these standards within the future INEOS O&P Business Competency Management System.
• Develop and maintain a structured inspector development framework, including progression pathways, technical training requirements, certification milestones, and on-the-job development standards.
• Assess the capability of site-based inspection personnel and identify gaps in knowledge, experience, or certification that require targeted development or external support.
• Champion a culture of professional growth and technical excellence within the inspection community, support succession planning for critical inspection roles, and ensure inspectors are equipped to make sound, risk-informed decisions in the field.

Risk Profiling & Inspection Strategy

Most important activities:

• Tailor inspection programs to recognize the different risk profiles of manufacturing, utilities, pipeline, and storage assets across the O&P USA portfolio.
• Ensure inspection intervals, damage mechanism reviews, and corrective action plans are risk-based, defensible, and grounded in current asset condition data.
• Work closely with the Corrosion & Materials Engineer to ensure inspection strategies reflect known degradation threats, material vulnerabilities, and corrosion control document requirements.
• Collaborate with the Fixed Equipment Specialist to align inspection findings with asset care strategies, lifecycle planning, and capital investment priorities.
• Coach site inspection teams through RBI-, FFS-, and damage-mechanism-based decision making, ensuring consistency across the enterprise.
• Continuously monitor industry incident trends, NDE technology developments, and emerging damage mechanisms to identify potential threats before they are realized within O&P USA, and update inspection strategies accordingly.

Third-Party Vendor Management & Technical Stewardship

Most important activities:

• Maintain technical relationships with inspection service providers and NDE contractors, setting clear expectations for field execution quality, data management, and reporting standards.
• Lead the technical review and endorsement of new inspection vendors, NDE technologies, or inspection methods before adoption.
• Participate in vendor qualification and performance evaluation processes, with focus on inspection-specific outcomes such as NDE quality, data accuracy, and reporting reliability.
• Ensure third-party inspection work is consistent with enterprise standards, delivers reliable high-quality results, and is appropriately integrated into site inspection program records.
• Partner with Procurement to shape vendor strategies that support the enterprise's mechanical integrity and inspection goals, including opportunities to reduce complexity and improve consistency through vendor consolidation.

Turnaround Inspection Support

Most important activities:

• Support turnaround inspection scope development across the enterprise ensuring alignment with RBI priorities, asset care strategies, and known degradation threats.
• Provide technical oversight of inspection execution during turnarounds, including NDE methods, fitness-for-service evaluations, and quality assurance of vendor-executed work.
• Endorse turnaround inspection scope from a risk-based perspective, confirming appropriate risk reduction relative to the value of work and identifying residual risk for site leadership awareness.
• Ensure inspection findings from turnarounds are documented, analyzed, and fed back into asset care strategies, RBI program updates, and damage mechanism reviews.
• Influence the inspection portion of $175MM+ in annual maintenance and inspection spend through risk-based scope selection and execution quality across approximately 20 distinct turnaround events on rotating multi-year cycles.

Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement

Most important activities:

• Develop and maintain enterprise KPIs for inspection program execution, including overdue inspections, RBI plan currency, asset health indicators, inspection coverage, and vendor performance metrics.
• Track inspection-related incidents, gaps, and near-misses; lead and support incident investigations involving mechanical integrity failures, contributing technical expertise on inspection practices and program effectiveness; and drive corrective actions into program updates.
• Drive continuous improvement in inspection program maturity across all sites, integrating lessons from incidents, turnarounds, audits, and peer benchmarking to advance enterprise inspection performance.

External Engagement & Industry Benchmarking

Most important activities:

• Participate in, and where appropriate lead, INEOS Group inspection discipline networks to ensure alignment, knowledge sharing, and adoption of best practices across the enterprise.
• Actively participate in external technical forums, including API committees and the AFPM Mechanical Integrity Subgroup, representing INEOS interests and bringing industry learnings back into the organization.
• Monitor regulatory changes, evolving inspection codes and standards, NDE technology developments, and external incidents to ensure INEOS inspection programs remain credible, current, and defensible.
• Foster a network of site-based inspection professionals to align execution, share emerging threats and learnings, and drive adoption of external best practices where they strengthen internal programs.

• Certified API 510, API 570, and API 653 Inspector; additional certifications such as AWS CWI, NACE/AMPP, or RBI Analyst preferred. Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field preferred.
• 15-20 years of experience in inspection management, mechanical integrity, or asset reliability in refining, petrochemical, or pipeline operations.
• Deep familiarity with relevant inspection codes and standards, including API 510, 570, 653, 579, 580/581, and applicable ASME standards.
• Proven track record building and operating Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) programs, conducting damage mechanism reviews, and managing inspection planning.
• Proven ability to engage, influence, and coach inspection teams across multiple operating sites.
• Strong working relationships with inspection service providers and familiarity with contracting models.
• Active participation in external mechanical integrity networks (e.g., API, AFPM Mechanical Integrity Subgroup) preferred.

• Recognized company authority in fixed equipment inspection, with deep expertise in applying inspection codes and methodologies to achieve business outcomes
• Extensive knowledge of inspection codes and standards, including API 510, 570, 571, 580, 581, 653, and relevant ASME codes
• Deep understanding of best practices in Risk-Based Inspection (RBI), damage mechanism reviews, asset criticality, and inspection planning, including the application of fitness-for-service (FFS) evaluations
• Experienced in NDE methods, including their selection, application, and interpretation of results
• Strong working knowledge of OSHA 1910.119 (PSM) as it relates to Mechanical Integrity programs, with experience in chemical, refining, or petrochemical operations
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