Mechanical / Rotating Equipment Engineer (ES Refineries)

Summary of Role

GFL Environmental Services is focused on reducing, reusing, recycling, recovering, and maximizing value from industrial waste with customers in a broad range of industry sectors. At the North Vancouver Refinery, we specialize specifically in oil recycling.

We are seeking a driven Mechanical Engineer / Rotating Equipment Engineer (or Technologist) to join our team. In this role, you will bridge the gap between engineering theory and practical plant operations. Although this role does not entail millwright duties or mechanical maintenance, you will be expected to actively engage in firsthand troubleshooting, crawling into machinery/equipment, and demonstrating a strong drive to learn about all facets of refinery maintenance and operations.

Your core focus will be driving a cultural shift toward proactive reliability, optimizing fixed and rotating equipment, and helping lead the implementation of our Eptura CMMS software.

This is a full-time, permanent position based at our North Vancouver Oil Refinery. The regular work schedule consists of 8-hour days between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. Candidates must be willing and able to work shifts, evenings, and weekends on-call as assignments are determined by operational needs.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

• Safety: Maintain an uncompromising safety mindset, participating in safety meetings and ensuring all engineering activities adhere to safety standards.

• Troubleshooting & Technical Support: Investigate, diagnose, and troubleshoot issues with refinery equipment (with a heavy focus on rotating equipment).

• Practical Field Engineering: Actively engage with equipment in the field to understand failures and performance. You aren't doing the physical millwright labor, but you are "hands-on" with the data, inspection, and diagnosis.

• Proactive Reliability: Champion the transition to Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) and optimize Preventative Maintenance (PM) checklists.  Identify and implement small-scale process improvements and equipment upgrades to enhance the reliability and efficiency of the refining environment.

• CMMS Implementation: Assist in leading the migration to, and data optimization within, the Eptura CMMS software.

• Project Management: Plan, schedule, and execute small-to-medium refinery projects, ensuring they are completed safely, on time, and within budget.

• Cross-Functional Learning and Collaboration: Demonstrate a strong drive to learn and expand your knowledge base into other operational areas of the refinery. Collaborate closely with operations departments to identify and mitigate bottlenecks or equipment constraints that limit production. 

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, or a relevant Engineering Technology Diploma.

• Professional Alignment: Registration (or eligibility for registration) with EGBC is a strong asset; prior Red Seal certification is another strong valuable asset.

• Experience: Ideally 3 to 7 years of experience working in an industrial, refinery, or heavy processing environment.

• Technical Knowledge: Strong knowledge of mechanical and rotating equipment with foundational base around safety and reliability culture

• Software: Hands-on experience or strong knowledge of CMMS software (Eptura, Maximo, SAP, etc.) is a major asset.

• Project Management: Prior experience managing technical projects is highly desirable.

• Mindset: We are looking for someone with a solid knowledge base who lacks "super maintenance" bias, but possesses a high drive to learn, adapt, and explore different facets of the plant and solutions to problems.

Working Conditions & Physical Demands

• Environment: Split between office (planning/engineering analysis) and field work. Must be comfortable being out in the plant, climbing ladders, inspecting equipment, and facing exposure to heat, noise, odors, and chemicals common to a refinery.

• Schedule: Primarily business hours, but requires on-call availability for plant upsets and turnarounds (TAR). Must be willing to work scheduled night shifts and extensive overtime (consecutive days working 12–14 hours per day) during TAR or upsets.

This is a safety sensitive position. 

We thank you for your interest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

GFL is committed to equal opportunity for all, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic. If you are interested in applying for employment and need special assistance or an accommodation to apply for a posted position, please contact [email protected]

Please note that GFL does not provide visa sponsorship for this position. Valid work authorization in the country where the job is located is required. Successful candidates will be required to provide valid documentation confirming their eligibility to work in the country where the job is located prior to their start date.

This hiring process may utilize machine-based systems to assist in screening and assessing applicants. Final selection decisions are made by our recruitment team.