Engineering Lead Mechanical & Reliability at Sasol

Purpose of Job

• Lead and manage a plant support team within mechanical and reliability engineering, who is accountable for equipment health assessment to reduce unintended downtime as well as to restore, maintain and/or improve equipment integrity.
• Accountable for risk decisions taken on service damaged petrochemical or utility process equipment to determine whether equipment is fit for service (long term or only safe to operate for a limited period until a better planned shutdown opportunity).
• Provide technical expertise and governance to implement continuous improvement and best practices for equipment at the lowest life cycle cost for the value chain as well as for the Sasol group when required.
• Applying asset management principles to enable the safe and cost effective utilisation of our assets throughout their life cycle.  Asset management is inclusive of maintenance and production management.
• Key Accountabilities
• Equipment Maintenance Strategy (EMS) development and implementation through the application of Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM), Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA).
• Risk Based Inspection (RBI) application on pressure vessels and piping.
• Deviation Management (DM) and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) inclusive of quality reporting of the outcomes and health of the management system.
• Reliability Performance Tools & Techniques (RPTT) which relates to the use of SAP (CMMS) functionality and sources of data to be used in reliability, failure and data analysis as well as the reporting of bad actor equipment Integrity studies to identify the root of the bad actors and recommend possible (AMIP(Asset management improvement plans) solutions to resolve the bad actors.
• Supply reliability metrics inputs into the RAM studies like MTBF.
• Perform inherent risk analysis on equipment through conversion from RBI or facilitated sessions.
• Integrate the outcome of Operate within Agreed Parameter (OWAP) monitoring initiatives by all engineering disciplines in support of managing the risk of equipment failure.
• Assist with the justification of optimal critical spares holding as well as assessing optimal maintenance interventions through life-cycle costing (LCC) analysis using the Salvo DST software.
• Use RBI outcomes for pressure equipment and piping or facilitated contact sessions for electrical, instrumentation and rotating equipment to indicate end of live and recommend renewal of the equipment.
• Facilitate the Operate within Agreed Parameter (OWAP) discussions with all engineering disciplines so that the risk of equipment failure can be averted.
• Ensure that reliability engineers issue a quality monthly report after a thorough data analysis from various data sources, including progress on the major reliability processes
• Promote the utilisation of effective and efficient reliability practices by Operations
• Play an integral role with Operations in the prioritisation of activities and projects within the business unit
• Ensure that processes are effective and efficient by adding value and relating to the asset management model
• Ensure reliability engineering process governance within the MOR value chain
• Be the custodian of reliability business processes, procedures, work instructions, and practices.
• Ensure that processes governed by reliability engineering are understood by all role players.
• Ensure that the relevant personnel in operations departments has the necessary competence in reliability practices through training, facilitation, and coaching.
• Play an integral role in the prioritisation of improvement activities and projects within the operations department based on the potential benefits in OEE improvements.
• Track the health of reliability governance processes in operations department and influence proper application of such governance.
• Ensure that reliability metrics are established, optimised and the trends reported on to drive the continuous improvement of sustainable operations.
• Report on critical next steps from incident investigations of significant operations impact (typically R100 million).
• Deliver integrated and in-time discipline-specific mechanical engineering support to the Secunda complex to improve stability of the Secunda operating units.
• Responsible for equipment health assessment, including monitoring, troubleshooting, optimising, diagnosis and technical solutions to reduce unintended downtime, operate within design intent as well as to restore, maintain and/or improve equipment integrity.
• Responsible for equipment re-rating, re-designs, retrofits, fitness-for-service ratings and integrity evaluations.
• Develop technical solutions and determine the extent and nature of repairs stemming from the Inspection Authorities’ recommended repair scopes.
• Input into medium- and long-term mechanical equipment and piping renewal and maintenance strategies.
• Compilation of memorandums, engineering recommendations, engineering bulletins, technical purchase specifications, repair procedures, QCP’s, refurbishment philosophies, concessions, material substitutions, pressure test philosophy in complex systems.
• Responsible for front-end loading of projects up to technical justification.
• Set the standard to monitor, measure and facilitate legal compliance and risk management.
• Analyse, consolidate and interpret unique, Sasol-specific combinations of equipment, materials, processes and failure mechanisms, as well as stakeholder inputs, so as to provide an integrated view of the risks present on each operating unit.
• Develop/support directives, procedures, specifications and works instructions.
• Interpret OSH Act, PER, ASME, API, SANS and other health and safety requirements and set work procedures to achieve required compliance.
• Input into shutdown planning and execution in regard to Engineering modifications and optimisation.
• Keep Sasol abreast of new developments through management and benchmarking of mechanical engineering technologies nationally and internationally.
• Mechanical engineering knowledge and competence relating to mechanical equipment (vessels, piping, rotating equipment etc) design/fabrication/testing to be installed in process plants.
• Lead, direct and develop engineering resources to ensure optimal business performance, operational delivery and functional sustainability.
• Contribute to the development and management of the project execution plan with respect to mechanical engineering.
• Legal accountability for in-house engineering recommendations in regard to repairs, technical philosophies, work practices, decisions involving designs, equipment specifications, technical requirements, concessions, consulting based on Health and Safety Standards.
• Translate and cascade goals and long-term plans through effective two-way communication in the organization.
• Support and implement functional engineering standards and processes to govern all engineering and project work.
• Development, training and performance management of team.
• Manage multi-level interfaces and integrate across functions such as engineering, maintenance and production within Secunda Operations as well as across Sasol companies such as Projects & Engineering (P&E), Regional Operations and Asset Services (ROAS), Sasolburg & Ekandustria Operations (SEO), Energy Business Services (Secunda Tank farm Operations), etc.
• Accreditation of engineers on a continuous basis.
• Coach, mentor and guide engineers and technicians.
• Accountable for employee wellness.
• Achieve the diversity targets.

Formal Education

• University Bachelor's Degree (BSC or B Engineering Mechanical)

Working Experience

• Experience: 10+ relevant years
• Certification and Professional Membership
• ECSA professional registration (strong wish)