Principal Engineer - Instrumentation and Controls

Mc Dermott; Dubai; On-site; AED 446,400 - 669,600; Full time

Job summary

Mc Dermott is seeking a Principal Engineer – Instrumentation and Controls in Dubai to lead complex engineering projects in the oil and energy sector. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience managing engineering deliverables and ensuring compliance with project specifications.

This role demands strong leadership and technical skills, directing efforts across multidisciplinary teams in both offshore and onshore environments. Contributions include overseeing automation strategies and maintaining project integrity amidst intricate challenges.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in instrumentation and controls engineering for major oil and gas projects.
• Strong command of engineering design codes and customer specifications.
• Demonstrated ability to direct engineering teams across complex project scopes.

Responsibilities

• Perform conceptual engineering, FEED studies, and technical assessments.
• Ensure engineering deliverables meet project specifications and technical integrity.
• Support the closeout of HAZOP and functional safety action items.

Skills

Instrumentation engineering

Control systems engineering

Automation system architecture

Conceptual engineering

FEED engineering

Detailed design

Engineering design basis

Control philosophies

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or related discipline

Job description

Principal Engineer – Instrumentation and Controls

Job Snapshot

Role: Principal Engineer - Instrumentation and Controls

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Industry: Oil and Energy

Function: Electrical-Electronics Engineering

Experience: Extensive senior‑level experience

Job Type: Full‑time

Job Details

Country: United Arab Emirates

City: Dubai

Industry: Oil and Energy

Function: Electrical‑Electronics Engineering

Salary: 40000-60000

Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer.

Gender: Any Candidate Nationality: Any Job Type: Full‑time

Role Context

The Principal Engineer - Instrumentation and Controls serves as a technical authority for instrumentation, automation, shutdown, fire and gas, and control system engineering. The role interprets contractual and operational requirements, converts them into technically sound design solutions, and ensures that engineering deliverables meet project specifications, recognized standards, customer expectations, and functional safety requirements. When assigned as Lead Engineer, the position takes full responsibility for discipline execution across medium or large projects. This includes directing engineers and designers, planning manpower, controlling budgets, coordinating interfaces, approving technical deliverables, resolving customer comments, and maintaining the engineering integrity of the assigned work area.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform conceptual engineering, FEED studies, technical assessments, and detailed instrumentation and control design.
• Apply advanced engineering knowledge to complex, unusual, and nonstandard project situations.
• Prepare and verify detailed design calculations, technical reports, procedures, philosophies, and engineering analyses.
• Interpret project specifications, contractual obligations, design codes, and applicable industry standards.
• Maintain a complete understanding of project scope, schedule, deliverables, milestones, and multidisciplinary interfaces.
• Identify technical concerns early and initiate corrective actions before they affect cost, quality, fabrication, or delivery.
• Define automation systems through control philosophies, technical specifications, system architecture, and safety drawings.
• Prepare, review, and approve emergency shutdown logic, fire and gas logic, and cause and effect diagrams.
• Review and approve instrumentation and control equipment specifications, data sheets, and spare parts requirements.
• Review instrumentation inputs for piping and instrumentation diagram development and vendor‑related markups.
• Approve equipment testing procedures and attend factory acceptance tests when required.
• Participate in HAZOP, safety integrity level, hazardous area classification, and related process safety studies.
• Support the closeout of HAZOP and functional safety action items.
• Participate in automation testing and provide technical assistance during construction, pre‑commissioning, and commissioning.
• Develop clash‑free engineering solutions through close coordination with process, piping, electrical, mechanical, structural, safety, marine, fabrication, planning, and project management teams.
• Provide design information required by other disciplines to progress their work without delay.
• Coordinate technical interfaces with internal departments, customers, vendors, subcontractors, certifying authorities, auditors, and third parties.
• Document communications that result in significant decisions, commitments, or assigned actions.
• Raise technical queries to obtain missing information, clarify scope, and preserve compliance with approved procedures and standards.
• Identify changes in scope and prepare supporting documentation, estimates, change notifications, and variation order inputs.
• Review fabrication and construction schedules against engineering priorities, deliverable dates, and installation sequences.
• Attend project kickoff meetings, design reviews, customer discussions, vendor meetings, engineering coordination sessions, and offshore surveys.
• Prepare, review, and approve discipline design bases, technical specifications, procedures, and deliverable registers.
• Confirm that completed deliverables meet functional, contractual, safety, and technical integrity requirements.
• Direct engineers and designers preparing instrumentation and control drawings, calculations, reports, requisitions, and technical evaluations.
• Perform and approve single‑discipline checks and inter‑discipline design checks.
• Review engineering work for technical accuracy, completeness, constructability, and compliance.
• Support procurement by preparing and approving equipment requisitions, purchase requisitions, technical queries, bid tabulations, and recommendations.
• Evaluate vendor quotations and coordinate the timely review and expediting of vendor documentation.
• Review and approve vendor and subcontractor drawings, calculations, manuals, and technical submissions.
• Confirm that final vendor data books contain all required, reviewed, and approved documentation.
• Coordinate vendor‑managed equipment and discipline‑procured items throughout the engineering and procurement cycle.
• Update weight reports and design information when final vendor data becomes available.
• Resolve fabrication queries and define suitable defect correction or rectification requirements.
• Present technical issues to customers and support the negotiation of practical solutions.
• Conduct technical quality audits in accordance with company procedures.
• Lead the discipline team during internal, customer, and third‑party audits and design reviews.
• Capture project lessons learned and record them in the approved knowledge management system.
• Maintain departmental technical guidelines, standard calculations, procedures, and engineering practices.
• Contribute to the development of global procedures, engineering software, specifications, and discipline standards.
• Participate in technical committees or industry task groups where required.
• Prepare technical papers, presentations, seminars, and knowledge‑sharing sessions.
• Identify training requirements and coach engineers in specialist techniques and proprietary software.
• Provide structured performance feedback for assigned engineers and designers.
• Support the Discipline Manager during technical interviews and candidate evaluations.
• Monitor the cost, productivity, and efficiency of assigned engineering activities.

Lead Engineering Responsibilities

• Direct a medium or large instrumentation and controls engineering team.
• Act as the discipline representative in meetings with customers, project teams, auditors, and certifying authorities.
• Plan and control discipline scope, deliverables, manpower, budget, schedule, productivity, and technical quality.
• Prepare discipline execution plans, engineering budgets, bid estimates, and man‑hour forecasts.
• Determine project staffing requirements based on workload and individual engineering competencies.
• Assign responsibilities, deliverables, deadlines, and man‑hour budgets to engineers and designers.
• Develop and maintain the detailed discipline deliverable schedule and Level4 register.
• Prepare working forecasts, recovery actions, change management plans, and real‑time schedule updates.
• Monitor discipline key performance indicators and implement corrective actions where performance falls below target.
• Coordinate with other discipline leads to ensure timely receipt of design inputs.
• Review customer and third‑party comments and guide the team in their accurate resolution and incorporation.
• Alert project management to deviations from scope, emerging risks, or requirements for change orders.
• Lead discipline participation in project audits, technical reviews, and design assurance activities.
• Support quarterly forecasting, manpower planning, and performance evaluation of project personnel.
• Anticipate future engineering needs and arrange resources, software, technical support, and specialist input accordingly.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor 's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Instrumentation Engineering, Control Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Extensive experience in instrumentation and controls engineering for major oil and gas, offshore, onshore, or energy projects.
• In‑depth expertise in conceptual design, FEED, detailed engineering, automation systems, shutdown systems, and fire and gas systems.
• Demonstrated experience serving as Principal Engineer, Lead Engineer, technical authority, or discipline specialist.
• Strong command of engineering design codes, customer specifications, company procedures, and recognized international standards.
• Proven ability to direct medium or large engineering teams across complex project scopes.
• Experience managing discipline budgets, schedules, manpower plans, deliverable registers, forecasts, and performance indicators.
• Strong knowledge of HAZOP, safety integrity level studies, hazardous area classification, and functional safety principles.
• Experience supporting procurement, vendor coordination, fabrication, construction, pre‑commissioning, and commissioning.
• Ability to review and approve technical requisitions, quotations, bid evaluations, vendor submissions, and testing procedures.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify scope changes, estimate impacts, and support variation orders.
• Effective leadership, mentoring, negotiation, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly and influence engineering decisions.
• Strong independent judgment when resolving difficult design, interface, execution, or customer issues.
• Professional Engineer registration or membership in a recognized engineering institution is advantageous.
• Experience contributing to API committees, technical task groups, engineering standards, or industry publications is beneficial.
• High commitment to engineering integrity, QHSES performance, quality assurance, cost control, and timely project delivery.

Skills Set

• Instrumentation engineering
• Control systems engineering
• Automation system architecture
• Conceptual engineering
• FEED engineering
• Detailed design
• Engineering design basis
• Control philosophies
• Instrument specifications
• Instrument data sheets
• Emergency shutdown systems
• Fire and gas systems
• Cause and effect diagrams
• Safety instrumented systems
• Piping and instrumentation diagrams
• HAZOP studies
• Safety integrity level studies
• Hazardous area classification
• Factory acceptance testing
• Automation testing
• Design verification
• Inter‑disciplinary coordination
• Technical quality audits
• Vendor document review
• Technical bid evaluation
• Equipment requisitions
• Procurement engineering
• Fabrication support
• Construction support
• Pre‑commissioning support
• Commissioning support
• Engineering budget control
• Resource forecasting
• Manpower planning
• Deliverable scheduling
• KPI monitoring
• Change management
• Variation orders
• Technical team leadership
• Engineering mentoring
• Customer technical coordination

Why Join Us

This opportunity places an experienced instrumentation and controls specialist at the center of complex engineering and project delivery decisions. The role offers responsibility for technical integrity, automation strategy, functional safety, team leadership, customer engagement, and multidisciplinary execution across major energy developments. McDermott International, Ltd provides exposure to offshore, subsea, onshore, and energy transition projects supported by global engineering, fabrication, marine, and construction capabilities. The position offers a strong platform for advancing into discipline management, project engineering leadership, technical authority, or global engineering governance roles.

About the Company

McDermott International, Ltd is a global engineering and construction organization delivering integrated solutions across the energy value chain. Its capabilities include engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, installation, commissioning, and project management for offshore, subsea, onshore, and energy transition developments. The company combines more than a century of project experience with multidisciplinary teams working across international markets.