Senior Refractory Maintenance Engineer

About the role

The Senior Refractory Maintenance Engineer is responsible for developing process routes for mineral projects and implementing new methodologies to improve refractory equipment availability and productivity. The role focuses on proactive, safe, and high‑quality maintenance while monitoring innovative technological solutions.

Key responsibilities

• Create inspection and preventive maintenance plans for refractory activities.
• Support and elaborate scopes of work for specialized execution during cold shutdowns and for refractory material acquisition.
• Conduct failure analysis of refractory components and define activities for shutdowns.
• Improve refractory lifecycle, ensure proper waste discharge, and define standards aligned with health and safety guidelines.
• Perform maintenance in accordance with Vale Production System (VPS) and HSE policies, maintaining daily reports and checklists.
• Participate in budget preparation, cost‑efficiency monitoring, and KPI analysis.
• Prepare and evaluate contract scopes of work, technical proposals, and purchase requests.
• Manage spare‑part availability, provide technical advice to junior staff, and develop new materials and technologies.

Required profile

• Senior‑level experience in refractory maintenance within industrial or mining environments.
• Strong knowledge of preventive maintenance planning and failure analysis.
• Familiarity with Vale Production System, HSE guidelines, and contract management processes.
• Proven ability to prepare budgets, analyze KPIs, and drive cost‑efficient solutions.

Required skills

• Preventive Maintenance Planning
• Failure Analysis
• Budgeting and Cost Control
• KPI Analysis
• Contract Management
• Spare Parts Management
• Technical Proposal Evaluation

What we offer

• Opportunity to work on cutting‑edge refractory technologies.
• Collaborative environment aligned with Vale’s values and ethics.
• Professional development in a global mining leader.