Senior Electrical Maintenance Specialist

Title: Senior Electrical Maintenance Specialist

Location: Pasadena, TX

Who we are:

Voted one of the Nation's Best and Brightest Companies to Work for, Kuraray America, Inc. (KAI) is a global leader in specialty chemical, fiber, and resin production. With top-of-the-line research and production facilities and a vast network of supplies from around the world, Kuraray leads the industry in specialty dental, fiber, resin, and elastomer products. Kuraray America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuraray Company, Ltd. Based in Tokyo, Japan. Kuraray has operations in 32 countries and employs more than 11,000 employees, including over 800 in the United States.

Why Kuraray:

Kuraray is building a better tomorrow, today. Our team members are dedicated to expanding our business with committed professionals who share essential values such as integrity, excellence, teamwork, and accountability.

As a part of Kuraray America, Inc., our team shares the advantages of working for the leader in specialty chemicals, resins, and fibers. Our international presence and resources allow us to be a world-leading innovator in the industries we service. Yet, despite our size, our people are more than just a number. As a new team member, you can expect to earn responsibility quickly. Our commitment to our people is visible in our comprehensive benefits package. As a Kuraray team member, you will have the opportunity to enjoy competitive salaries and benefits, incentive opportunities, and an excellent work environment.

Position Summary:

The Senior Electrical Maintenance Specialist provides advanced technical expertise in maintaining, troubleshooting, and improving the plant's electrical, instrumentation, and control systems to ensure safe and reliable operations. This hands-on role supports daily maintenance activities, assists with reliability improvements, and serves as a technical resource for the operations and maintenance teams. The position requires strong problem-solving skills, practical knowledge of industrial electrical systems, and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced chemical manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities:

Maintenance & Troubleshooting

• Perform advanced troubleshooting, repair, and maintenance of electrical and instrumentation systems, including motors, drives, MCCs, transformers, sensors, analyzers, and control devices.
• Support troubleshooting of process control systems (DCS, PLCs) and related field instrumentation.
• Lead and assist in diagnosing complex electrical and instrumentation issues impacting plant operations.
• Support reliability initiatives through preventive and predictive maintenance programs, inspections, and system improvements.
• Provide field technical support during turnarounds, outages, and emergency repairs.

Electrical & Instrumentation Systems

• Install, calibrate, and maintain instruments, control valves, transmitters, and analyzers.
• Maintain and troubleshoot low- and medium-voltage electrical equipment, control panels, starters, and VFDs.
• Read and interpret electrical and instrumentation drawings, loop sheets, and wiring diagrams.
• Ensure work complies with plant safety standards and applicable codes (NEC, NFPA 70E, ISA).
• Coordinate with contractors and vendors to ensure quality, compliance, and timely completion of work.

Process Control / DCS Support

• Provide first-line support for DCS troubleshooting, loop tuning, and basic configuration updates under engineering direction.
• Maintain DCS-related field connections and signals (4-20 mA, Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus, Modbus, wireless).
• Work with engineers and system specialists to support control system reliability and performance.

Reliability & Continuous Improvement

• Participate in root cause failure analyses and implement corrective/preventive actions.
• Recommend improvements to enhance reliability, safety, and equipment life cycle.
• Support updates to equipment documentation, PM procedures, and technical standards.
• Assist in capital and maintenance project planning, installation, and commissioning.

Safety & Collaboration

• Promote and ensure compliance with all plant safety, environmental, and quality standards.
• Participate in safety reviews, job hazard analyses, and incident investigations.
• Share technical expertise and mentor maintenance technicians to build team capability.
• Collaborate closely with Operations, Engineering, and Reliability teams to resolve issues and improve plant performance.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Act as the primary technical advisor and functional lead for all I&E personnel in Maintenance.

Minimum Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in electrical and instrumentation maintenance within a chemical, refining, or industrial manufacturing environment.
• Strong working knowledge of electrical systems (low/medium voltage), drives, MCCs, and instrumentation.
• Experience troubleshooting DCS and PLC systems (Yokogawa experience preferred).
• Proven ability to read and interpret electrical drawings, schematics, and loop diagrams.
• Solid understanding of preventive and predictive maintenance practices
• Familiar with PSM concepts such as MOC and safe work permitting.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, and respond to urgent issues after hours when required.
• Strong commitment to safety and continuous improvement. Valid driver's license required.

Competencies:

• Customer Focus
  • Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Business Insight
  • Applying knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organization's goals.
• Cultivates Innovation
  • Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.
• Action Oriented
  • Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Ensures Accountability
  • Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
• Drives Results
  • Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstance
• Collaborates
  • Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Values Difference
  • Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization
• Communicates Effectively
  • Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Courage
  • Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said.
• Instills Trust
  • Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Situational Adaptability
  • Adapting approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations.

We offer a competitive compensation package that includes base pay and an annual incentive. This program is designed to reward individual performance and align overall rewards with corporate and team performance.

Our employees benefit from a robust healthcare package that includes wellness reimbursements, along with generous perks such as three weeks of paid time off, ten company holidays, paid parental leave, education reimbursement, and a matching 401k plan, among other offerings.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S.

Learn more at kuraray.us/careers/

Kuraray America, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity/disability/protected veteran status

No third-party candidates accepted.