Specialist Mechanical Engineer - Fired Equipment

Airswift; Calgary; On-site; CAD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Airswift seeks a Mechanical Engineer - Fired Equipment in Calgary, AB to serve as the highest level technical authority for fired heaters and combustion equipment across complex greenfield and brownfield projects, delivering safe, code-compliant design and lifecycle performance.

The specialist will provide expert leadership to project teams, interface with OEMs and licensors, support burner design, heat flux, materials, and lead design reviews, FATs, and commissioning support, while mentoring

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• Registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) with APEGA.
• Extensive experience with fired heaters, combustion equipment, and industrial facilities.
• Strong knowledge of codes and standards (API 560/530, ASME VIII, NFPA).

Responsibilities

• Act as top technical authority for fired heaters and combustion systems.
• Lead design reviews, performance analyses, and FATs.
• Provide mentorship and governance across projects.
• Coordinate with OEMs, licensors, and clients.

Skills

Technical authority

Subject matter expert

Project leadership

Technical governance

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering

P.Eng. with APEGA

Tools

Heater performance tools

Mechanical design tools

Document management systems

Engineering calculation platforms

Job description

Airswift is seeking a Mechanical Engineer - Fired Equipment to work on long term contract with a major EPC company in Calgary, AB. The Specialist is expected to be the highest level of technical authority and subject matter expertise for fired heaters and combustion-based process equipment across complex greenfield and brownfield projects. This role represents the pinnacle of technical specialization within the Mechanical discipline and serves as the organization's go-to expert for fired equipment design, integrity, reliability, operability, and lifecycle performance. The Specialist Mechanical Engineer - Fired Equipment is accountable for technical excellence, safety, code compliance, and delivery quality for fired equipment engineering across projects and portfolios. This role operates with a high degree of autonomy and technical influence, providing expert leadership to project teams, discipline leadership, clients, and external partners. The Specialist will act as a technical escalation point for complex challenges and will play a key role in shaping standards, practices, and technical governance related to fired equipment across the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the highest-level technical authority and subject matter expert for fired heaters, furnaces, reformers, thermal oxidizers, incinerators, and related combustion-based process equipment across projects.
• Provide expert technical leadership and oversight to ensure safe, reliable, and code-compliant design, specification, procurement, installation, and commissioning of fired equipment.
• Lead or provide independent technical assurance for complex fired equipment scopes including equipment selection, specifications, datasheets, mechanical design reviews, thermal and combustion performance reviews, and technical bid evaluations.
• Act as the primary technical escalation point for complex issues related to burner design, flame stability, heat flux, tube metallurgy, refractory systems, thermal expansion, hot spots, vibration, fouling, corrosion, and mechanical integrity.
• Review, approve, and provide expert challenge to fired equipment deliverables produced by project teams and global execution centers to ensure technical excellence and compliance with company and client standards.
• Provide specialist input into brownfield revamps, heater rerates, debottlenecking, fuel conversions, emissions reduction initiatives, reliability improvements, and life extension programs.
• Interface directly with OEMs, licensor representatives, burner vendors, and refractory specialists, including participation in technical alignment meetings, design reviews, shop inspections, factory acceptance tests (FATs), site inspections, and commissioning support.
• Support Mechanical Leads, Discipline Managers, and Project Engineering Managers with fired equipment execution strategies, constructability input, technical risk identification, and mitigation planning.
• Contribute to and lead the development, governance, and continuous improvement of fired equipment engineering standards, specifications, tools, technical guidance notes, and best practices.
• Provide mentorship, technical coaching, and capability development support to Principals, Leads, Seniors, and Intermediate Mechanical Engineers within the Mechanical discipline.
• Participate in HAZOPs, constructability reviews, model reviews, operability studies, safety reviews, and incident investigations related to fired equipment and combustion systems.
• Provide expert technical input into proposals, FEED studies, technology selection, value engineering initiatives, and client technical engagements related to fired equipment.
• Represent fired equipment technical excellence within multidisciplinary project teams and act as a recognized internal and external authority in this specialty area.

Technical and Industry Experience

Extensive experience delivering fired equipment engineering for major capital projects and sustaining capital programs in industries such as: Oil & Gas (upstream, midstream, downstream) Refining and petrochemicals Gas processing and LNG Hydrogen production (SMR, ATR, emerging low-carbon technologies) Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) Energy transition, decarbonization, and industrial emissions reduction projects.

Key technical strengths include: Deep technical expertise in the mechanical design, thermal performance, combustion systems, refractory systems, materials selection, fabrication, erection, commissioning, and long-term operation of fired heaters and furnaces. Strong experience with heater rerates, revamps, fuel switching, emissions control retrofits, tube metallurgy upgrades, and reliability improvement programs. Advanced knowledge of applicable codes and standards, including but not limited to: API 560 API 530 ASME Section I and Section VIII NFPA standards related to combustion systems Applicable ASME, ASTM, and international standards for fired equipment and pressure components Strong understanding of safety, operability, maintainability, inspection, refractory degradation mechanisms, creep, corrosion, flame stability, heat flux limits, and lifecycle performance of fired equipment. Demonstrated ability to lead technical governance, challenge designs, and provide authoritative technical guidance across multiple projects and stakeholders. Proven capability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams and engage credibly with clients, licensors, OEMs, construction teams, and operations personnel. Advanced proficiency with standard engineering tools and software, including heater performance tools, mechanical design tools, document management systems, and engineering calculation platforms.

Education – Qualifications, Accreditation, Training Required

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• Registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) with APEGA (or eligible for immediate registration).
• Extensive and progressive mechanical engineering experience with a strong specialization in fired heaters and combustion equipment in industrial facilities.

Preferred

Recognized internal or external technical authority in fired equipment engineering. Experience leading technical governance initiatives, developing discipline standards, or acting as a technical authority on large, multidisciplinary capital projects. Experience supporting proposals, technology selection studies, and client technical engagements related to fired equipment and combustion systems.