Principal Structural Engineer - Offshore EPC

Mc Dermott; Dubai; On-site; AED 146,896 - 213,000; Full time

Job summary

McDermott in Dubai is seeking a Principal Structural Engineer for full-time offshore EPC roles. The successful candidate will lead engineering teams, solve complex structural challenges, and ensure design and project quality.

Position requires extensive structural engineering experience, strong background in offshore design, and the ability to manage engineering deliverables effectively.

Qualifications

• Extensive structural engineering experience in oil and gas or offshore environments.
• Demonstrated capability in structural calculations and design verification.
• Experience with steel structures, FPSOs, and foundations.

Responsibilities

• Complete structural engineering analyses in line with design criteria.
• Solve complex structural problems using engineering judgment.
• Lead medium or large engineering teams on assigned work scopes.

Skills

Structural engineering

Offshore structural design

Conceptual engineering

FEED engineering

Detailed EPC design

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s Degree in Civil/Structural Engineering

Tools

Finite element analysis software

Structural design standards (EC, ACI, AISC, API)

Job description

Role Overview

Principal Structural Engineer – Offshore EPC – Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Full‑time position – Senior‑level structural engineering experience.

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Salary: 40,000–58,000. Job type: Full‑time.

McDermott International, Ltd. seeks an experienced structural professional to solve advanced engineering problems, guide multidisciplinary design activities, supervise technical teams, and deliver safe, practical, and cost‑conscious structural solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Complete conceptual, FEED, and detailed structural engineering analyses in line with approved design criteria, project specifications, codes, and standards.
• Solve complex and unusual structural problems using advanced engineering judgment and proven design practices.
• Prepare clear calculations, technical analyses, design reports, engineering procedures, and supporting documentation.
• Assess alternative design solutions for safety, structural efficiency, constructability, maintainability, schedule, and cost.
• Manage assigned priorities independently and complete deliverables within project deadlines.
• Forecast discipline resources, staffing requirements, and work‑hour needs when assigned as Lead Engineer.
• Communicate technically difficult subjects clearly to customers, project teams, reviewers, and other disciplines.
• Provide persuasive technical recommendations supported by calculations, engineering evidence, and project requirements.
• Lead medium or large structural engineering teams on assigned work scopes.
• Direct engineering and design activities in accordance with project budgets, schedules, procedures, and quality requirements.
• Define discipline scope, responsibilities, deliverables, interfaces, and execution priorities.
• Monitor engineering productivity and initiate corrective action where progress or performance deviates from plan.
• Represent structural engineering during customer meetings, project reviews, technical audits, and discussions with certifying authorities.
• Train and mentor engineers, designers, and junior technical personnel.
• Coordinate and monitor structural work performed by other McDermott operating offices.
• Develop a practical understanding of mechanical, piping, process, electrical, instrumentation, safety, architectural, fabrication, and construction interfaces.
• Obtain necessary loads, design information, dimensions, and technical inputs from other disciplines.
• Consider fabrication yard capability, construction methods, installation constraints, and customer expectations when developing designs.
• Apply commercial awareness when selecting structural systems, materials, execution methods, and subcontract strategies.
• Maintain engineering information and project data within approved company systems.
• Prepare bid inputs from sketches, preliminary data, specifications, and previous engineering experience.
• Supervise engineers and designers preparing calculations, models, drawings, material take‑offs, and reports.
• Define engineering, fabrication yard, and construction support scopes of work.
• Provide technical support during procurement, fabrication, assembly, loadout, transportation, installation, and project closeout.

Structural Engineering Activities

• Prepare structural analyses for steel, reinforced concrete, offshore, marine, and industrial structures.
• Perform specialist studies for topsides, jackets, FPSO structures, complex modules, underground systems, and architectural elements.
• Develop structural models and carry out finite element analysis where conventional methods are insufficient.
• Evaluate structures under permanent, operating, environmental, transportation, lifting, installation, and accidental loads.
• Perform or review dynamic, fatigue, seismic, blast, and hydrodynamic calculations.
• Prepare weight control reports and calculate structural centers of gravity.
• Coordinate geotechnical requirements, foundation data, and soil‑structure interaction inputs.
• Design structural systems using applicable international and project‑specific codes.
• Apply relevant standards such as EC, ACI, AISC, API, GOST, and other approved engineering criteria.
• Verify strength, stability, stiffness, fatigue resistance, serviceability, and long‑term durability.
• Check structural arrangements against operating access, inspection needs, construction sequence, and maintainability requirements.
• Prepare project engineering guides, design criteria, calculation procedures, and technical notes.
• Provide specialist assistance for critical structures and nonstandard loading conditions.
• Conduct independent peer reviews and technical assessments when requested.

Design Assurance and Documentation

• Check structural drawings and drafting outputs for compliance with approved engineering calculations.
• Review analyses and design documents prepared by senior and junior engineers.
• Perform single‑discipline checks and support interdisciplinary design verification.
• Confirm consistency between structural models, calculations, drawings, specifications, and material quantities.
• Prepare material take‑offs for structural steel, concrete, and related components.
• Develop project specifications, technical requisitions, and design documentation.
• Prepare technical scopes for engineering, design, and fabrication subcontracts.
• Review vendor and subcontractor calculations, drawings, reports, and supporting data.
• Complete technical bid evaluations and provide recommendations for supplier or subcontractor selection.
• Coordinate corrections where discrepancies are identified between disciplines or deliverables.
• Maintain traceable records of comments, revisions, calculations, approvals, and design decisions.
• Ensure engineering files are properly reviewed, issued, stored, and closed in accordance with project procedures.

Lead Engineer Responsibilities

• Manage structural engineering and design execution on medium and large EPC projects.
• Take responsibility for all discipline deliverables within the assigned project scope.
• Control work hours, material quantities, engineering progress, productivity, and technical performance.
• Coordinate closely with the Design Coordinator, Project Engineering Manager, and Project Manager.
• Establish project‑specific structural engineering systems, software requirements, analysis models, and working methods.
• Develop and maintain the discipline deliverable register.
• Prepare engineering schedules aligned with procurement, fabrication, construction, and installation milestones.
• Support preparation of progress reports, man‑hour estimates, forecasts, and capital expenditure requirements.
• Coordinate priorities and engineering decisions with project management.
• Assign work according to individual capability, experience, workload, and project needs.
• Train and guide personnel working within the structural discipline.
• Maintain consistent engineering methods and technical standards across the project.
• Administer structural design and specialist engineering subcontracts.
• Identify changes to scope and support change notices, estimates, and variation order documentation.
• Ensure engineering records and deliverables are reviewed, approved, issued, and filed correctly.
• Provide performance, resource, and technical feedback to departmental management.
• Implement recovery measures where cost, schedule, or engineering progress is at risk.

Project Interfaces

• Coordinate structural requirements with process, piping, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, safety, marine, architectural, and construction teams.
• Obtain equipment weights, piping reactions, operating loads, environmental criteria, and installation data.
• Provide structural inputs for equipment support, access platforms, modules, lifting systems, and construction planning.
• Work with fabrication personnel to resolve dimensional issues, material queries, drawing comments, and constructability concerns.
• Support construction and installation teams with structural modifications, temporary works, and field engineering queries.
• Review designs against welding requirements, fabrication sequences, available materials, transport restrictions, and lifting methods.
• Participate in three‑dimensional model reviews, constructability workshops, audits, and customer design reviews.
• Coordinate responses to comments from customers, subcontractors, certification bodies, and other disciplines.
• Ensure design interfaces are clearly assigned, monitored, and closed within the approved schedule.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor's Degree or Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Extensive structural engineering experience in oil and gas, offshore, marine, construction, or EPC environments.
• Strong background in conceptual studies, FEED, detailed design, fabrication support, and construction engineering.
• Advanced capability in structural calculations, analysis reports, design verification, and engineering documentation.
• Experience with steel structures, concrete structures, topsides, jackets, FPSOs, foundations, or complex industrial facilities.
• Knowledge of finite element analysis, fatigue, dynamics, earthquakes, blast loading, hydrodynamics, and weight control.
• Familiarity with EC, ACI, AISC, API, GOST, and other recognized structural design standards.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise medium or large engineering teams.
• Experience controlling discipline scope, manpower, deliverables, work hours, quantities, schedule, and progress.
• Practical understanding of fabrication yard, construction site, installation, and customer requirements.
• Ability to prepare material take‑offs, structural specifications, technical bids, and subcontract scopes.
• Experience performing peer reviews, engineering checks, and interdisciplinary verification.
• Strong planning, coordination, technical communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Commercial awareness when assessing structural options, materials, and execution strategies.
• Ability to mentor engineers and contribute to department development.
• Strong commitment to safe design, quality, technical integrity, and efficient project execution.

Key Skills

• Structural engineering
• Offshore structural design
• Conceptual engineering
• FEED engineering
• Detailed EPC design
• Steel structure analysis
• Reinforced concrete design
• Topsides engineering
• Jacket structures
• FPSO structural design
• Finite element analysis
• Fatigue calculations
• Dynamic analysis
• Seismic engineering
• Blast assessment
• Hydrodynamic analysis
• Geotechnical coordination
• Weight control
• Center of gravity reporting
• Structural material take‑offs
• Engineering specifications
• Technical bid evaluation
• Design subcontract management
• Design verification
• Inter‑discipline checks
• Fabrication yard support
• Construction engineering
• Constructability assessment
• Project scheduling
• Man‑hour control
• Scope change management
• Engineering team supervision
• Technical mentoring

Why Join Us

This role offers direct involvement in technically challenging structural engineering work supporting offshore platforms, marine facilities, complex modules, and major EPC developments. The Principal Structural Engineer will influence design strategy, engineering quality, structural safety, fabrication planning, and project delivery. It provides a strong platform for technical leadership, international project exposure, and advanced specialist work across structural analysis, offshore design, and multidisciplinary execution.

About the Company

McDermott International, Ltd delivers engineering, procurement, construction, fabrication, installation, and technology services across the worldwide energy sector. Its teams support offshore, subsea, onshore, and energy transition projects by combining extensive engineering experience with practical construction and installation capability.