Root Cause Failure Analysis Specialist

About the role

At CF&I Steel, L.P., our strength starts with our people! As a team we collaborate to solve problems, contribute ideas and challenge each other to ensure growth and ultimately success for the business and our employees.

Reporting to the Reliability Manager but working under limited supervision, the RCFA Specialist is responsible for leading and facilitating structured root cause failure analysis processes to improve asset health and eliminate recurring failures across mechanical, electrical and process systems. This role ensures that failures are not only resolved but fully understood and prevented, linking equipment condition, process performance, and human factors.

The RCFA Specialist plays a critical role in strengthening the site's defect elimination culture by driving rigorous analysis, corrective action discipline, and organizational learning. This position works closely with Sr. Mechanical /process and Sr. Electrical/Automation Reliability Engineers, Maintenance, and Operations to sustain a long term reliability improvements.

Rocky Mountain Steel Mills is committed to maintaining and promoting a safe, healthy and injury-free environment. It is required for all jobs.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead and facilitate structured Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) investigations for significant, chronic, and high-risk failures, applying formal methodologies (e.g., 5-Why, Cause Mapping, Fault Tree, Apollo, TapRoot) to ensure clear identification of true root causes across equipment, process, and human systems.
• Drive asset health and failure elimination across systems, identifying systemic issues impacting reliability performance, partnering with reliability engineers to link failure modes to mechanical condition, control performance, electrical systems, and process variability, and leading the implementation of sustainable solutions to eliminate recurring failures.
• Lead corrective action management to ensure sustainable reliability improvements, defining, prioritizing, and driving the implementation of corrective and preventive actions, while tracking effectiveness through measurable outcomes, verifying closure, and identifying execution gaps that impact long-term asset performance.
• Analyze failure data to generate actionable reliability insights, leveraging work order history, failure trends, and equipment performance data to identify patterns, prioritize areas for deeper investigation, and support the development and refinement of key reliability KPIs (e.g., MTBF, downtime, cost of failure).
• Establish and govern RCFA program standards and processes, developing clear triggers and ensuring consistent application across departments, while supporting audit readiness and driving continuous improvement through reliability maturity assessments.
• Lead training and capability development in RCFA methodologies across Maintenance, Operations, and Engineering, coaching teams to strengthen problem-solving skills and mindset, while fostering and sustaining a culture of defect elimination across the site.
• Drive continuous improvement and knowledge capture within the RCFA and reliability program, developing and maintaining a centralized knowledge base of failure modes and lessons learned, proactively sharing insights across the organization to prevent repeat failures, and ensuring incorporation of learnings into maintenance strategies, standards, and engineering practices.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial) or related engineering degree required
• 7+ yrs of experience in maintenance, reliability, or engineering in heavy industry
• Reliability principles (RCM, defect elimination, asset health concepts)
• Interaction between process conditions and equipment performance
• Formal RCFA training (Apollo, TapRoot, Kepner-Trego, etc.)
• CMRP or related reliability certification
• Lean / Six Sigma Green Belt or higher Required or obtained within the first year of employment
• Experience building or managing RCFA programs
• Experience with CMMS/EAM systems (work order history, failure coding, analysis), Data analysis tools (Excel, basic statistical methods), Reliability and problem-solving framework

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• Strong understanding of Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) methodologies, Equipment failure modes across mechanical, electrical, and process systems, Reliability principles (RCM, defect elimination, asset health concepts), Interactions between process conditions and equipment performance
• Ability to analyze and Break down complex problems into structured analysis, Identify systemic and latent causes (not just symptoms), Use data to support conclusion and recommendations
• Strong facilitation and questioning skills (5 - Whys)
• Ability to challenge assumptions and drive accountability
• Effective communicator across all levels of the organization
• High level of objectivity and attention to detail
• Ability to influence without authority and build cross-functional alignment

Compensation Range

$90,000 - $110,000

Posting Dates: 10/15/2026 - 11/15/2026

Our total compensation package includes amazing benefits!

• Competitive wages and bonus opportunities
• Family medical, dental, and prescription coverage at minimal employee cost
• Short and long term disability programs
• Competitive retirement plans
• Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts
• Employer-provided and Voluntary Life Insurance options
• Paid vacation and recognized statutory holidays
• Apprenticeship and career advancement within the company
• Tuition reimbursement
• Wellness program

All applicants must be eligible to work in the USA.

While we thank all those who apply, only those being actively considered for employment will be contacted.