process engineer

engineer

scheduler

mechanical engineer

controls engineer

Motiva Enterprises LLC

As with most entities that get too big,  Motiva has serious issues with checks and balances.  I overhead a lead engineer talking saying, "Motiva is like a boat taking on water and operations is trying to pump pail the water out, but the boat is taking on more water than we will EVER be able to get rid of".  The plant itself is rather safe compared to most but at what cost?  Financially this place is a nightmare.  Waste is a huge part of Motiva from the 10k dollar palm trees that line the streets inside the plant to the constant stealing that the employees do.  Motiva is also very top heavy as there is at least one salary personnel for every hourly employee.  There are dozens maybe hundreds of employees who sit at computers all day long browsing youtube,  personal social networking sites, and watching bootleg movies.  This company's future was promising at the beginning of the infamous CEP project but after going FAR over budget,  looks gloomy now in comparison.  The USW (the only union on site) has even turned into a "do nothing union".  I'm told by many that the union leadership can be found in the back pocket of the company and getting them to appropriately litigate when the time is necessary may be rather difficult.  The only positive thing about this plant is the pay as it is comparable to others in the surrounding area.  But, really, why wouldn't it be?  If seeking employment here,  good luck to you.

The work life in a refinery can be demanding and the workload often very heavy. It is a constant job to balance, and rebalance the tasks daily if not hourly. The facility runs 24 hours a day which at times allows for a very flexible work schedule. 

Management is in a state of transition and typically is more worried about themselves and careers than those below them. If a development opportunity comes up it is typically because the employee sought it out and fought to get to do it. There are many on the job chances to learn, but require a drive to take on more task on an already heavy workload and extra time at the office. 

That being said, because of the amount of hours put in it is acceptable to take an afternoon off or run to an appointment as necessary and not have to burn vacation time.  Also, the autonomy of the job is great in some ways. It allows for getting involved in many different aspects of the business if you want to and not be micromanaged. But, it would be nice at review time for the managers to better understand just what the job entails on a daily basis. 

The company is in a state of figuring out who they are since the Joint Venture they were in split. It has created a company with little opportunity for advancement and people trying to figure out what success looks like.

Motiva does offer a good job environment with many opportunities available to learn a significant amount about refining and trading.  The salaries are competitive with really good benefits, but you must be more in the 1st half of your career.  When transitioning to an independent company, separating from Shell as a co-owner, it was very clear that cost was a factor.  There was a period where assets were being divided between Shell and Motiva, and depending on which asset you were on dictated if you went back to Shell or remained with Motiva.  Those who were not clearly aligned with an asset, Motiva often chose to let go of the lesser performers and older employees.  Motiva had hired many younger and less experienced people prior to the split and then cast off the unwanted, thus cutting costs.  They seemed to follow the Shell model where those over 50 were being positioned for retirement close to age 55.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Safety systems and standards 
World of opportunities in operations, maintenance and engineering 
Benefits,  salaries and bonuses very competitive 
Technical development and training 
People and management systems 
Field and office exposure 


What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
High risk businesses / management Hydrocarbons 
Emergency Management and response 
Exposure to noise, fire and explosions 
Hazards


What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Diverse Cultures 
Environment standards 
Safe environment to work 


What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Comply with the rules and standards 
Follow company guidelines & standards
Meet with people, Management/ supervision 
Direct and follow the agenda 
Execute actions and report 
Communication with stakeholders 
Plan ahead 
Attention to detail

Motiva Enterprises is one of the best places I've ever worked. I've learned the downstream/petrochemical refining industry literally from the ground, up.

I help develop the software tools for the Data & Document control department to administrate the archival and updating of technical drawings, manuals, procedures and certificates for the Port Arthur refinery. 

Management at the plant is top-notch, and promotes safety like no other place I've worked.

The most enjoyable part of my job is figuring out how to create software solutions to the tasks carried out by my department, such as tracking the check-in & check-out of technical documents and drawings, providing statiscal reports to my line manager, etc.

They have replaced CEO, CFO--the expat they retired who would say one thing and do another, some directors.  Some Managers are new and poorly trained.  HR was ineffective and that group was revamped as well.   

That said if you can work hard under a good manager (there are a few) you'll have lots of opportunities.  Beware they've adopted the Enron style of employee forced rankings which leads to some serious back stabbing. 

Pay is excellent, safety is paramount, and the parent company Saudi Aramco is a behemoth.  The Saudis will continue to pump money into their growth.  Diversity is important to them.  If management sees a problem they will address it.

Motiva was a well diverse and pleasent company to be employed by.I worked 12 hour shifts with a fair amont of over time.Mangement was helpful an understanding to work for and always placed safety at the highest priority.My co-workers were very professional an team oriented.A typical day for me was to maintain 3 production units by making adjustments to stay on test.The hardest part of my job would consist of start-ups an shutdowns of the units without any complications.The most enjoyable part of the job was the day to day enter actions with my co-workers/friends.

Motiva is a great place to work if you don't mind being located on a manufacturing site.  The atmosphere is casual, and the access between new hire graduates, senior management, and everyone in between is very easily initiated and welcomed. The benefits are great, and the pay increases (bonus and raises) grows quickly.  Opportunity to move to another geographical area is constrained (Houston or Louisiana at this point in time).  Training and development is a large focus, and hours are reasonable 40-50 per week.

It was quite a experience working for motiva. Company is Fairly new and needs a lot of work in their IT Department. 

Typical Day:
Trade Floor Support
Application Deployment and Scripting
SCCM Development and Test
Distribution Center Management and Support for Central/Eastern US
OS development and Deployment
PXE Server Development and Testing
Batch Scripting

Hardest part was the lack of support from other IT teams during the Handover.

Enjoyable part was ability to work with different projects.

Fantastic benefits, compensation, and working hours. Laid back culture. 9/80 schedule, fairly casual dress allowed. Plenty of opportunity. Great people and supportive managers, generally. Only complaints are some disorganization, issues with direction from parent company, and having to live in Houston.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Process engineer 3 salaries reported	$122,000 per year
Engineer 4 salaries reported	$132,250 per year
Scheduler 4 salaries reported	$91,300 per year
Mechanical engineer 3 salaries reported	$99,833 per year
Controls engineer 3 salaries reported	$126,000 per year

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