Senior Quality Inspector

Job Description

Job Overview:

The Senior Quality Inspector – Coating & Painting utilizes best practices and in-depth knowledge of internal processes and external coating standards to enhance the Coating & Painting Inspection discipline within McDermott. This role acts as a technical resource and mentor for less experienced inspectors, sharing conceptual, procedural, and practical expertise specific to surface preparation and protective coatings.

The role involves solving complex coating quality problems and improving inspection outcomes related to corrosion protection, coating systems, and painting activities. The Senior Quality Inspector impacts customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and project execution by ensuring coating activities meet project, client, and regulatory requirements while adhering to company quality systems and policies.

Responsibilities

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Supervise and lead coating and painting Quality Control activities to verify product conformity with customer specifications, project requirements, and applicable standards through independent inspection and testing, in accordance with the Project Quality Plan (PQP).
• Review, implement, and enforce Inspection and Test Plans (ITPs) for coating and painting activities, including surface preparation, environmental controls, application, curing, and final inspection.
• Identify, document, and manage coating non-conformities, ensuring effective corrective actions and final resolution prior to product acceptance.
• Direct, supervise, and actively participate in coating inspections, ensuring compliance with approved coating procedures and specifications.
• Consult with the Project Quality Manager on prevention strategies, inspection resources, and the effectiveness of coating-related quality plans and procedures.
• Initiate and support evaluation of non-conforming coating work, including participation in root cause analysis and corrective action development.
• Develop and review Project Quality Plans, Coating Procedures, and Coating Inspection & Test Plans in coordination with the Project Quality Manager.
• Liaise with QC, NDT (where applicable), Coating Engineers, Welding Engineering, Certification Authorities, subcontractors, and Customers to ensure coating-related quality issues are technically resolved.
• Appraise coating and painting work against approved procedures, specifications, and standards to determine compliance or non-compliance.
• Interpret applicable coating standards and codes (e.g., NACE, SSPC, ISO, customer specifications) and ensure deviations, clarifications, or waivers are formally documented through the Site Query System.
• Coordinate interfaces with Operations, Production, Client Representatives, Certifying Authorities, and subcontractors to assure conformity of coating and painting activities with project requirements.
• Verify the effectiveness of Coating QC Inspectors through random audits, surveillance, and review of Coating Inspection Reports (CIRs).
• Adopt a proactive approach to coating quality by interfacing with Production, Engineering, and Project Management to prevent coating defects and rework.
• Liaise with Customer Representatives to ensure coating conformity, obtain stage releases, and achieve acceptance at key hold, witness, and review points defined in the PQP and ITP.
• Monitor and verify environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, dew point) and surface preparation standards prior to and during coating application.
• Ensure coating materials, consumables, and equipment are approved, traceable, and handled in accordance with project and manufacturer requirements.
  
  

Qualifications

Essential Qualifications and Education:

• Senior high school graduate or degree/diploma in a relevant technical or engineering field.
• Ten (10+) years of experience in Quality Control inspection, with significant experience in coating and painting activities within oil & gas, construction, fabrication, or offshore/onshore projects.
• Strong working knowledge of coating standards, such as NACE/AMPP, SSPC, ISO 12944, and client specifications.
• Relevant coating inspection certifications (e.g., NACE/AMPP Level 2 or 3, FROSIO, or equivalent) are highly preferred.
• Proficient in the use of inspection tools for coating thickness, surface profile, adhesion, and environmental monitoring.
• Competent in using computers and Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook) for reporting, documentation, and communication.
• Strong communication and leadership skills, with the ability to mentor junior inspectors and interface effectively with clients and project stakeholders.
  
  

About Us

Our ingenuity fuels daily life. Together, we’ve forged some of the most trusted partnerships across the energy value chain to make what was once just an idea a reality: laying subsea infrastructure thousands of feet below sea level, installing platforms hundreds of miles from shore, using our expertise to design and build offshore wind infrastructure, and reshaping the onshore landscape to deliver the energy products the world needs safely and sustainably.

For more than 100 years, we've been making the impossible possible. Today, we're driving the energy transition with more than 30,000 of the brightest minds across 54 countries.