Lead Engineer (Instrument)

Job summary

This role is focused on delivering fast, accurate engineering support to refinery operations so that abnormalities are resolved quickly, downtime is reduced, and plant productivity is improved. The position also contributes to cost reduction, asset efficiency, and continuous improvement across engineering and operations.

Communication

• Internal: Work closely with the reporting line on a regular basis, share information, follow relevant policies, and review KPIs and performance parameters. The role also supports other internal teams as needed.
• External: No external communication is specified.

Key responsibilities

• Build and apply engineering approaches that help lower costs, raise equipment effectiveness, and improve overall productivity.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that reduce waste, shorten cycle times, and make better use of plant assets and equipment.
• Assess proposed changes and prepare design modifications approved through the management of change process or project team.
• Develop design packages for internal modifications and MOCs, including the necessary calculations and supporting documentation.
• Make regular plant rounds and work with operations and maintenance teams to resolve issues, improve performance, and support equipment reliability.
• Take part in troubleshooting discussions involving failures, process upsets, and system abnormalities, and coordinate with technicians, engineers, reliability teams, and shift operations staff.
• Study equipment, processes, and systems to identify the causes of poor performance and recommend practical corrective actions.
• Investigate equipment or system failures, determine root causes, and suggest preventive measures to avoid repeat incidents.
• Contribute to root cause analysis activities for plant asset malfunctions and help prepare related reports and feedback.
• Stay current with industry practices, lessons learned, and emerging technologies by reading technical publications and taking part in professional development.
• Participate in plant acceptance tests and verify that any equipment additions or modifications meet requirements.
• Assess risks linked to plant assets and possible system failures, and help ensure compliance with applicable standards and regulations.
• Support the development and revision of standards, procedures, and objectives, and implement solutions in line with approved manuals and standards.
• Assist operations and maintenance teams during planned shutdowns, emergency shutdowns, or disaster situations by providing technical guidance and troubleshooting support.
• Review failure reports and shutdown incident reports and issue engineering recommendations where needed.
• Contribute to the development and enhancement of engineering studies, designs, technical documents, calculations, bulletins, work instructions, guidelines, and procedures.
• Carry out engineering studies, including standards reviews, to strengthen plant integrity and reduce costs.
• Support maintenance strategy improvement, including maintenance planning, capital spare strategy, and updates to preventive and predictive maintenance task lists.
• Evaluate engineering proposals to confirm they meet company standards and support key business priorities such as HSE, reliability, profitability, and continuous improvement.
• Follow all applicable safety and environmental requirements and take part in HSE activities such as near-miss reporting, safety suggestions, and safety quizzes when required.
• Perform other job-related duties assigned by the supervisor.

Education and certification

• A bachelor’s degree in Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field is required.
• Professional Engineer certification from a recognized engineering institute is required.

Experience

The role requires 10 years of relevant work experience.

Additional information

This position is based in Yanbu, Al Madinah, Saudi Arabia, and is intended for onsite work. The job is part of the refinery engineering function and emphasizes operational support, reliability improvement, asset integrity, and compliance with safety and environmental standards.