Senior Principal HSE Engineer - Technical Safety

Mc Dermott; Dubai; On-site; AED 477,414 - 587,587; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Opportunity for professional growth

Influence high-value offshore projects

Job summary

Mc Dermott is seeking a Senior Principal HSE Engineer – Technical Safety to work in Dubai. This role demands a seasoned offshore EPC safety engineering professional with a strong background in technical safety, loss prevention, and fire protection.

The ideal candidate will manage critical safety engineering projects, ensuring compliance with high safety standards while leading a team of engineers. The position promises exposure to significant projects within a dynamic environment, fostering professional growth and development.

Qualifications

• Minimum 20 years of experience in oil and gas engineering.
• At least 15 years of offshore experience with major EPC contractors.
• Proven experience as Lead HSE Engineer on major EPC projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical safety and loss prevention engineering for large offshore projects.
• Review and approve design HSE philosophies and safety documentation.
• Coordinate and participate in safety workshops including HAZID and HAZOP.

Skills

HSE engineering

Technical safety engineering

Loss prevention

Fire protection

Offshore EPC projects

Safety studies

HAZID

HAZOP

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering

Tools

PIPENET

PHAST

Flaresim

SAFETI

DETECT3

Job description

Position Overview

Senior Principal HSE Engineer – Technical Safety based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The role is suited for an experienced offshore EPC safety engineering professional with deep expertise in technical safety, loss prevention, fire protection, safety studies, and large process‑intensive offshore gas compression projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead technical safety and loss prevention engineering for large offshore process‑intensive EPC projects.
• Ensure HSE engineering deliverables are completed on time, within budget and to the required technical quality.
• Review and approve design HSE philosophies, fire protection philosophies, safety study scopes, requisitions, technical bid evaluations and safety equipment documentation.
• Prepare, review and approve safety equipment lists, firefighting equipment specifications, lifesaving equipment data sheets, personnel safety equipment requirements and safety sign documentation.
• Review firewater demand calculations, hydraulic reports and related outputs using PIPENET or equivalent software.
• Provide technical inputs to P&ID markups for firewater ring main systems, deluge systems, hose reels, monitors, hydrants, deluge valves and nozzles.
• Review escape route layouts, safety equipment layouts, safety sign layouts, fire and gas detection layouts, FP and S layouts and cause and effect matrices.
• Coordinate and participate in safety workshops including HAZID, HAZOP and technical safety reviews.
• Review third‑party safety study reports and approve safety study close‑out documentation in line with project specifications.
• Develop technical notes for passive fire protection rating requirements based on safety study recommendations.
• Prepare, monitor and approve safety study action tracking registers, SHEAMS tracking records and project safety action close‑out systems.
• Participate in 3D model reviews to confirm safety, access, fire protection, escape route and equipment placement requirements.
• Lead discipline engineering execution for assigned project scopes while coordinating scope, schedule, deliverables, manpower planning and engineering productivity.
• Direct senior engineers, engineers and designers working on fire protection, safety engineering and technical safety deliverables.
• Coordinate with other engineering disciplines, planning, fabrication, marine, procurement, project controls, certification teams, vendors, subcontractors and clients.
• Interpret contractual requirements related to HSE engineering execution and ensure project deliverables comply with technical standards and functional requirements.
• Identify changes in scope, raise change notifications, support variation orders and provide technical estimates when required.
• Prepare and approve discipline engineering design basis documents, safety philosophies, technical specifications, procedures, reports and project execution inputs.
• Support procurement activities by reviewing requisitions, evaluating technical quotations, preparing queries, compiling bid tabulations and coordinating vendor document reviews.
• Review vendor and subcontractor submittals for compliance with project specifications and provide clear technical comments.
• Provide technical support to fabrication and construction teams, including responding to site queries and identifying defect or rectification requirements.
• Attend project kickoff meetings, engineering meetings, vendor meetings, client review sessions, audits and discipline coordination meetings.
• Lead discipline participation in internal audits, client audits, third‑party technical audits and design reviews.
• Capture lessons learned and support their integration into engineering procedures, standards and project execution practices.
• Contribute to departmental technical guidelines, standard calculation notes, global procedures, software standards and engineering capability development.
• Mentor engineers, support personnel development, provide performance input to discipline management and assist with hiring or staffing decisions when required.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in Engineering.
• Minimum 20 years of experience in oil and gas engineering.
• Strong preference for at least 15 years of offshore experience with major EPC contractors or engineering consultants.
• Extensive background in technical safety, loss prevention, fire protection and offshore safety engineering.
• Proven experience as Lead HSE Engineer on major EPC projects, preferably offshore gas compression or large process‑intensive energy projects.
• Strong knowledge of safety studies, loss prevention design, fire protection systems, safety layouts and engineering analysis methods for offshore facilities.
• Working knowledge of safety simulation tools such as PHAST, Flaresim, SAFETI, DETECT3 or similar platforms.
• Good understanding of CFD analysis and its application in technical safety and fire and gas risk assessment.
• Experience with firewater hydraulic calculations, PIPENET or equivalent software, fire and gas detection systems, deluge systems, passive fire protection and safety equipment design.
• Ability to lead multi‑office engineering execution and coordinate technical deliverables across geographically distributed teams.
• Familiarity with EPC project controls, engineering budgets, deliverable registers, manpower forecasting, procurement support, vendor coordination and construction interface management.
• Professional Engineer registration or membership in a relevant engineering society is preferred.
• Strong communication, presentation, stakeholder management and technical influencing skills.
• Ability to explain complex technical concepts, anticipate objections and support project‑level decision‑making.
• Strong leadership mindset with the ability to guide, mentor, supervise and develop engineering teams.

Key Skills

• HSE engineering, technical safety engineering, loss prevention.
• Offshore EPC projects, offshore gas compression, fire protection engineering.
• Safety studies, HAZID, HAZOP, safety study close‑out.
• Fire and gas detection, cause and effect matrices, firewater systems, deluge systems, passive fire protection.
• PIPENET, PHAST, Flaresim, SAFETI, DETECT3, CFD analysis.
• P&ID review, safety equipment layouts, escape route layouts.
• Vendor document review, technical bid evaluation, engineering design basis.
• Discipline leadership, multi‑office project execution, EPC engineering management.
• Procurement support, construction technical support, project audits.
• Offshore safety compliance.

Benefits

Opportunity to influence high‑value offshore energy projects from Dubai, manage large discipline scopes, shape project safety strategy, mentor experienced engineers and contribute to technically demanding offshore EPC execution. Exposure to global projects, advanced safety systems, multidisciplinary coordination and long‑term professional growth.