Principal Pipeline Engineer

McDermott International, Ltd; Dubai; On-site; AED 367,242 - 550,863; Full time

Job summary

McDermott International, Ltd is seeking a Principal Pipeline Engineer based in Dubai to lead and manage complex projects. Candidates should have a strong pipeline engineering background with 15–20 years in oil and gas, demonstrating excellent problem-solving and project coordination skills.

The role includes tasks such as leading teams, engaging in detailed engineering design, and preparing estimates for proposals, contributing to the successful delivery of projects in the energy sector.

Qualifications

• 15–20 years of experience in oil and gas with major contractor or consultant performing detail design.
• Detailed knowledge of design techniques, analysis methods, and applicable standards.
• Fluency in English and problem-solving capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Solve complex pipeline-related problems and work independently.
• Lead functional teams or projects and interface with various disciplines.
• Prepare estimates for bid proposals and ensure compliance with specifications.

Skills

Pipeline engineering expertise

Project coordination skills

Problem-solving abilities

Motivation and supervisory skills

HSE and TQM consciousness

Education

Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree in Engineering

Job description

Job Overview

The Principal Pipeline Engineer is responsible for interpreting internal or external business issues and recommending best practices. They will be tasked with solving complex pipeline-related problems and will work independently with minimal guidance. The Principal Pipeline Engineer may be responsible for leading functional teams or projects and is regarded as a specialist in the field of pipeline engineering. As such, they must have in-depth expertise in pipeline engineering as well as broad knowledge of the pipeline engineering discipline within the engineering function.

Responsibilities

• Interpret internal and external business challenges in the pipeline engineering discipline; the role requires specialized depth and breadth of expertise in the area of pipeline engineering.
• Interpret internal or external business issues and recommend best practices; solve complex pipeline-related problems and will work independently with minimal guidance.
• May be responsible for leading functional teams or projects and is regarded as a specialist in the field of pipeline engineering; as such, they must have in-depth expertise in pipeline engineering as well as broad knowledge of the pipeline engineering discipline within the engineering function.
• Become fully familiar with the project scope of work, specifications, schedule, and all inter-discipline requirements; including identifying concerns as early as practicable and taking appropriate initiatives to address the issues. Interpret contractual requirements as they relate to engineering execution.
• Identify changes to scope and promptly raise change notifications, including providing any necessary supporting documentation and estimates; provide similar support for Variation Orders.
• Interface with all disciplines to develop clash‑free designs.
• Interface with other departments to obtain input for Discipline designs and drawings.
• Maintain close coordination with other engineering disciplines, Planning, Fabrication, Marine, and Project Management Team, as required.
• Document substantive communications (communications that result in significant decisions or assignment of actions) and forward copies to Discipline Lead Engineer and Discipline Manager.
• Prepare estimates for bid proposals, including technical query reviews, execution statements, and work‑hour estimates, identifying software requirements and any other project‑specific requirements.
• Raise technical queries to obtain missing information, clarify work scope, and maintain preferred procedures, specifications, standards, practices, and operational requirements.
• Prepare, review, and (as Lead Engineer) approve Discipline engineering design basis, philosophies, and technical specifications.
• Participate in finalizing deliverables lists and deliverables, ensuring compliance with specifications and functional integrity.
• Review project schedule and fabrication schedule for construction sequence, milestones, and engineering scope.
• Attend project kickoff and review meetings, vendor meetings, engineering meetings, and offshore site surveys, as required.
• Provide technical direction and review of Designer’s production products related to Pipeline Engineering.
• Prepare, review, and (as Lead Engineer) approve design reports and procedures.
• Assist in providing necessary design inputs to other disciplines to enable them to proceed with their deliverables.
• Assist procurement personnel in procuring Discipline equipment, materials, and services; ensuring that work produced complies with Customer objectives and procedures. Procurement assistance includes preparing, reviewing, and (as Lead Engineer) approving requisitions, evaluating technical quotations, preparing queries, compiling bid tabulations and recommendations, preparing purchase requisitions, and coordinating with Procurement to expedite vendor documents, as directed by the Discipline Lead Engineer.
• Assist in updating weight report based on receipt of vendor information.
• Review and (as Lead Engineer) approve vendor and subcontractor submittals, checking for compliance with project specifications and providing comments as necessary.
• Review and (as Lead Engineer) approve design verification through single‑discipline check/inter‑discipline check (IDC).
• Provide technical support to fabrication queries, including identifying defect and rectification requirements.
• Keep the Discipline Manager and Project Management Team apprised of all activities and concerns, technical, budgetary, and manpower related.
• Assist in providing inputs for actual, planning, and forecasting progress reports including associated productivity.
• Check final subcontractor and vendor data manuals to ensure that all requested data has been received and approved.
• Present issues and problems to Customers promptly and assist the Lead Engineer in negotiating resolution by project and company requirements.
• Perform (as required) Technical Quality Audit reviews by MOR Global Procedures.
• Assist Lead Engineer with responses to Customer and other agencies (such as certifying authorities, auditors, third parties, etc.) on their review and approval.
• Capture lessons learned and enter them into a database system; Capture Knowledge Objects and enter them into the database system.
• Guide less experienced engineers on MOR and Discipline procedures, standards, worksheets, design calculations, software, requisitions, technical bid evaluations, technical queries, etc.
• Supervise and guide assigned engineers and coordinate with project Lead Designers for Discipline engineering and design deliverables.
• Responsible for the engineering integrity of the assigned work area.
• Monitor costs of own work processes.
• Assist in the maintenance of departmental technical guidelines and standard calculation notes.
• Participate in the development and maintenance of Global Procedures, Software, and Standards.
• May participate in standards development committees or task groups such as API.
• Develop communication and presentation skills (e.g., write technical papers, participate in conferences and/or seminars, present design solutions, and/or present topics at "lunch and learns").
• Identify and provide training to staff in specific techniques and proprietary software.
• Provide information on employee performance to the Discipline Manager.
• Assist the Discipline manager in interviewing job applicants.
  • Prepare, review, and (as Lead Engineer) approve the following for pipelines and their components:
    • Material specifications and datasheets
    • Fabrication specifications
    • Installation specifications
    • Pipeline design and installation analyses
    • Material takeoffs
    • Pipeline reports and installation manuals
  • Perform, review, and (as Lead Engineer) approve the following designs, analyses, and evaluations for pipelines and their components:
    • Wall thickness designs
    • On‑bottom stability analyses
    • Pipeline cathodic protection designs
    • Free‑span analyses
    • Pipeline expansion and rigid riser stress analyses using finite element analysis (FEA) tools
    • Route selection designs
    • Bottom roughness evaluations
    • Crossing support designs
    • Dropped object protection structure designs
    • Clamp designs
    • Subsea structure designs
    • Shore approach designs
    • Onshore pipeline designs
    • Pipeline local and global buckling mitigation designs
    • Pipeline seismic analyses
    • Installation analyses
  • When acting as Lead Engineer, in addition:
    • Act as project‑based Discipline point of contact in communications and meetings with Customer counterparts
    • Ensure substantive communications are documented
    • Prepare bids and project’s Discipline engineering budget and execution plans, updating as required
    • Identify project staff needs based on knowledge of individual engineers’ skill sets and provide requests to the Discipline manager
    • Plan, organize, and assign tasks, responsibilities, and work‑hour budgets to the discipline team, and verify tasks are completed within budgets
    • Plan Discipline Level 4 detail deliverable schedule/ register compliant with the overall execution plan
    • Prepare working forecasts identifying change‑management plans, corrective action, and real‑schedule
    • Provide Discipline inputs for actual, planning, and forecasting progress reports including associated productivity
    • Alert the project team of any deviation from the scope or a need to change the order
    • Monitor KPI measurement results and take corrective action as necessary to improve Discipline performance, including performance at interfaces with others
    • Coordinate with other Discipline Lead Engineers and Designers to ensure timely receipt of necessary design inputs
    • Review and approve requisitions, technical quotation evaluations and queries, compiled bid tabulations and recommendations, and purchase requisitions; and coordinate with Procurement to expedite vendor documents as required
    • Lead the Discipline team during project audits (internal, Customer, and third‑party technical audits) and Design Reviews
    • Review comments from Customers & other agencies on documents and drawings produced by the team and resolve and give guidance on their updates and incorporation
    • Assist the Discipline manager in the preparation of quarterly forecasts and manpower planning Anticipate project engineering needs and plan accordingly
    • Coordinate with vendor for discipline‑managed/procured items
    • Assist the Discipline manager and Project Engineering Manager or Project Manager in the Performance Evaluation of project team members

Reports to: Project Lead Engineer, Project Engineering Manager or Project Manager; Functional: Department Manager; Liaise with: All Engineering disciplines, Safety Department, Project Management Team, Document Control, Project Planner, Project Cost Controller, QC and Certification Group, Procurement Group, Subcontractors, Vendors, and Customers; Supervises: Senior Pipeline Engineers, Pipeline Engineers and Associated Pipeline Engineers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree in Engineering
• 15–20 years of experience in oil and gas with major contractor or consultant predominantly performing detail design
• Detailed knowledge of design techniques and analysis methods, and detailed knowledge of the theory, content, and application of standards, codes, and guidelines as applicable for Mechanical Equipment
• Knowledgeable in project coordination and execution skills
• Preferably Registered Professional Engineer or member of professional engineering society as applicable
• Very good organizer, motivator, and supervisor
• Able to solve problems without assistance
• Keen on improving the effectiveness of the work
• HSE, TQM, and cost‑conscious
• Fluent in the English language
• Understanding and supporting company goals and processes
• Show flexibility and ensure proper hand‑over with regards to:
  • The reassignment to other McDermott offices
  • The replacement of colleagues during illness and holidays
  • The provision of assistance to other colleagues with heavy workloads (also other projects) when possible/desirable
  • The managing/learning of future current working methods and software applications

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.