About the Company: At UPS Industrial Services excellence isn't just a goal, it is our baseline. It is our mission to be the industry standard by delivering results, adding value, and earning trust. We have built a reputation of excellence and integrity by creating a team of respected professionals who are passionate to be the best. We believe that our people are our greatest asset. Come join our winning team today!
About the Role: UPS Industrial Services is currently seeking an experienced Lead Instrument Technician to join our safety conscious team. The Lead Instrument Technician will provide hands-on instrumentation support and technical leadership at a live, operating facility. This project-based position will help backfill maintenance vacancies while training and mentoring newly hired, entry-level technicians.
The Lead Instrument Technician will be responsible for calibrating, troubleshooting, maintaining, and repairing process instrumentation and control equipment while ensuring all work is performed safely and with minimal disruption to plant operations. The successful candidate must have extensive instrumentation experience in an active refinery, petrochemical, chemical, or similar industrial facility.
Project Details
- Project duration: Through December 18, 2026
- Schedule: Approximately 50–80 hours per week, depending on operational needs
- Overtime: Available
- Per diem: Available for eligible employees
- Mileage: Paid for authorized travel to and from the jobsite
- Work environment: Live, operating industrial facility
- Assignment focus: Backfilling maintenance positions and training newly hired technicians entering the industry.
Essential Responsibilities
Leadership and Training
- Provide day-to-day technical leadership and direction to instrumentation technicians.
- Train, mentor, and support newly hired technicians, including recent college and technical-program graduates.
- Demonstrate proper calibration, maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, testing, and documentation procedures.
- Evaluate trainee progress and provide constructive coaching to improve technical proficiency and safe work practices.
- Help assign and prioritize daily work based on plant needs, equipment criticality, and maintenance schedules.
- Serve as a technical resource for instrumentation-related issues and complex troubleshooting activities.
- Promote teamwork, accountability, professionalism, and continuous improvement.
Instrumentation Maintenance and Repair
- Calibrate, troubleshoot, maintain, and repair instrumentation in a live, operating facility.
- Perform preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance to improve equipment reliability and minimize downtime.
- Service pressure, temperature, flow, and level transmitters, analyzers, switches, control valves, positioners, actuators, and related control equipment.
- Diagnose and correct problems involving process instrumentation, control loops, signal transmission, and associated electrical components.
- Test repaired equipment and verify proper operation before returning it to service.
- Respond to instrument failures and other urgent maintenance needs while minimizing disruption to plant operations.
Installation and Calibration
- Install, calibrate, test, loop-check, and commission instrumentation and control equipment.
- Use calibration tools, communicators, meters, test equipment, and diagnostic software safely and accurately.
- Verify instrument ranges, alarms, interlocks, trip points, and control functions.
- Support new installations, system upgrades, equipment replacements, shutdowns, and maintenance outages.
- Ensure instrumentation work complies with manufacturer requirements, site procedures, and applicable industry standards.
Systems and Documentation
- Work with DCS, PLC, SCADA, and other industrial control or automation systems.
- Read and interpret P&IDs, loop drawings, wiring diagrams, instrument data sheets, control schematics, and technical manuals.
- Maintain accurate records of calibrations, inspections, repairs, equipment conditions, and completed work.
- Document identified deficiencies and recommend corrective or reliability-improvement actions.
- Coordinate with operations, engineering, electrical, reliability, and maintenance personnel to safely complete assigned work.
Safety and Compliance
- Follow all company, client, environmental, and site-specific safety requirements.
- Perform work in accordance with lockout/tagout, hot-work, confined-space, fall-protection, and other applicable procedures.
- Participate in pre-job planning, job safety analyses, toolbox meetings, hazard assessments, and safety training.
- Recognize changing process conditions and stop work when unsafe conditions exist.
- Maintain a strong safety presence and reinforce safe work practices among technicians and trainees.
Required Qualifications
- High school diploma or GED.
- Current NCCER certification in Instrumentation or an acceptable instrumentation training certificate.
- Significant hands-on instrumentation maintenance experience in a live refinery, petrochemical, chemical, oil and gas, or comparable industrial facility.
- Demonstrated experience calibrating, troubleshooting, maintaining, and repairing a broad range of process instruments and control equipment.
- Previous lead, supervisory, mentoring, or technical-training experience.
- Ability to work approximately 50–80 hours per week, including overtime, weekends, holidays, or extended shifts when required.
- Proficiency with calibration tools, electronic test equipment, diagnostic devices, and instrument communicators.
- Working knowledge of DCS, PLC, SCADA, and industrial process-control systems.
- Ability to interpret P&IDs, loop sheets, wiring diagrams, schematics, and technical documentation.
- Strong troubleshooting, communication, leadership, and organizational skills.
- Ability to work independently while coordinating effectively with operations and maintenance teams.
Preferred Qualifications
- Associate degree in instrumentation, electrical technology, industrial technology, or a related discipline.
- NCCER Plus, ISA, NICET, or other advanced instrumentation certification.
- Experience training recent graduates, apprentices, or entry-level technicians.
- Experience working in a refinery maintenance environment.
- Familiarity with computerized maintenance management systems and electronic calibration records.
- Experience with control valves, analyzers, safety instrumented systems, and advanced process-control equipment.
Physical and Work Requirements
- Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
- Ability to climb ladders and stairs and work from elevated platforms.
- Ability to bend, kneel, crouch, stand, and walk for extended periods.
- Ability to work in confined spaces and wear required respiratory protection.
- Ability to work outdoors in heat, cold, rain, noise, and other industrial conditions.
- Ability to wear all required personal protective equipment.
- Must be able to work safely around operating process equipment and potentially hazardous materials.
- Must satisfy all client and site-access requirements.
Equal Opportunity Employer Statement
UPS Industrial Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, or any other status protected by applicable law.
Pay: $56.00 per hour
Experience:
- Training & development: 4 years (Preferred)
- Calibration: 4 years (Required)
- E & I: 8 years (Preferred)
License/Certification:
- NCCER Certification (Required)
- NICET (Preferred)
Shift availability:
- Overnight Shift (Required)
- Night Shift (Required)
- Day Shift (Required)
Willingness to travel:
Work Location: On the road
