Home / Careers / Coatings Inspector III (AMPP CIP Level 3) / Rio Rancho, NM
Now hiring · Rio Rancho, NM 87124 · $55–$75 / hour
Coatings Inspector III (AMPP CIP Level 3) — Rio Rancho, NM
A Coatings Inspector III is the senior authority on protective coatings across projects: reviewing and writing coating specifications and inspection and test plans, investigating coating failures, auditing applicators and coating suppliers, supervising Level 1 and 2 inspectors, and advising owners and engineers on coating system selection and quality requirements. AMPP (NACE) CIP Level 3 is required; failure analysis experience and a Protective Coatings Specialist credential are strong pluses.
This is a project-site position supporting programs in and around Rio Rancho, New Mexico, staffed through the Denver, CO regional hub on a project basis with travel as assigned.
A Rio Rancho route runs through collapsible basin soils, caliche horizons, and high-desert concrete, with variety that builds a career, not a resume.
What you'll do
- Review and write coating specifications, inspection and test plans, and quality requirements
- Investigate coating failures: field evaluation, sampling, laboratory coordination, and the written finding
- Audit applicators and coating suppliers; qualify inspection subcontractors
- Supervise and develop Level 1 and 2 inspectors across projects; calibrate their acceptance standards
- Advise owners and engineers on coating system selection, service life, and maintenance planning
What we're looking for
- AMPP (NACE) CIP Level 3 certification, current, with 8+ years of coatings inspection including supervision
- Coating failure investigation experience; AMPP Protective Coatings Specialist (PCS) preferred
- Broad experience across industrial, water/wastewater, marine, and infrastructure coatings
- Writes specifications and findings that hold up with owners, applicators, and manufacturers
What a week in this job looks like
Less gauge work, more judgment: a failure investigation on a tank lining that blistered after two years, an applicator audit before a bridge repainting package is awarded, a specification review where the engineer picked a system that will not survive the service, and a Level 2 inspector's report that needs a second look before it goes to the owner. You still get in the tank when the question demands it.
You are also the practice's coatings reference — the systems that work in Gulf Coast humidity, the applicators that hold profile, and the specifications that keep failing for the same reason.
Certifications, training, and where this leads
Coatings Inspector III is a senior technical seat. The path from here is leading the coatings inspection practice, or coatings quality management embedded with an industrial or municipal owner.
Pay, schedule, and travel
Pay runs $55 to $75 an hour depending on certifications held, verified experience, and the program you are assigned to. Coating schedules follow the weather and the outage calendar: early starts to catch the dew point window, night shifts on some industrial turnarounds, and extended days when a tank has to go back in service.
Texas positions are dispatched from the Sugar Land headquarters; project-site positions elsewhere are staffed on a project basis with travel and per diem as assigned, and the listing for your city says which one it is.
Safety, quality, and the standards we work under
Coatings inspection is performed to the project specification and the SSPC/NACE and AMPP standards it references, and reported under our documented AASHTO R18 quality system. Readings are reported as taken; a hold point is not released on a promise.
The safety side includes confined-space entry, respiratory protection around blasting and solvents, and work at height; the training is provided and the requirements are not optional.
How hiring works, and our commitment
Apply with your AMPP certification number and level, the coating systems and projects you have inspected, and your instrument experience. Expect a direct conversation with the people you would work for, references that get called, and a written offer consistent with this posting. The role requires a valid driver's license and the ability to be present on active jobsites, with pre-employment screening consistent with jobsite and client requirements.
We are an equal opportunity employer and consider every applicant without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status.
Apply for this position — upload your resume and we fill in the form
The work behind this job in Rio Rancho
Materials Testing in Rio Rancho · Geotechnical in Rio Rancho · Forensic in Rio Rancho
Other levels of this role in Rio Rancho
Coatings Inspector I (AMPP CIP Level 1)Coatings Inspector II (AMPP CIP Level 2)
Nearby openings
Coatings Inspector III — Albuquerque, NMCoatings Inspector III — Las Cruces, NMCoatings Inspector III — Santa Fe, NMCoatings Inspector III — Roswell, NM
FAQ
Working in Rio Rancho — common questions
Is the Coatings Inspector III (AMPP CIP Level 3) position in Rio Rancho an office job or a field job?
Field. Coatings inspectors work where the coating is applied — inside tanks and vessels, on structural steel, on pipe in the yard or the ditch, and in fabrication and blasting shops — with report writing done on site.
Which hub covers Rio Rancho?
The Denver, CO regional hub, about 321 miles away. Work in Rio Rancho is staffed on a project basis through that hub.
Do I need to relocate to Rio Rancho?
Not necessarily. Project-site positions are staffed with travel and per diem as assigned; candidates already living near Rio Rancho are preferred when a project starts there.
What certifications does a Coatings Inspector III (AMPP CIP Level 3) in Rio Rancho need?
AMPP (NACE) CIP Level 3 is required, current; an AMPP Protective Coatings Specialist credential and failure-analysis experience are expected at this level and sponsored if not held.
What tests will I run on Rio Rancho projects?
Fresh concrete testing at the truck — slump (ASTM C143), air content (ASTM C231), temperature (ASTM C1064), unit weight (ASTM C138), cylinder casting (ASTM C31) — and nuclear density on fill lifts (ASTM D6938) against the ASTM D698 or D1557 Proctor, plus aggregate and soil sampling for the laboratory.
What should I include in my application?
Years of experience, any certifications (ACI, NICET, ICC, nuclear gauge), and either a resume file or a short work history in the form. Applications without certifications are welcome for entry-level roles.