Process Safety Engineer

NES Fircroft; Reading; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

NES Fircroft is seeking a Process Safety Engineer to provide expert leadership in process safety engineering within the Joint Venture project team in Reading, UK. The role demands extensive engineering experience to ensure the safe and efficient specification of project facilities. Responsibilities include leading engineering efforts, managing contractors, and developing risk assessments while ensuring compliance with safety standards.

Key qualifications include a minimum of 15 years in relevant technical roles and expertise in chemical processes and risk assessment methodologies.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15+ years of relevant experience in technical roles.
• Expertise in developing cost-effective engineering standards.
• Experience in onshore downstream refining or chemical processes.

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering leadership consistent with project objectives.
• Manage contractor implementation of value improvement decisions.
• Identify and assess new technologies proposed for projects.

Skills

Risk assessment

Leadership skills

Collaboration skills

Chemical process expertise

Education

Degree in Engineering or related field

Tools

Process safety tools and programs

Job description

The Process Safety Engineer is part of the Joint Venture Client Project management Team based in the pre‑FEED contractor’s office in Reading, UK. The role reports to the JV Sr Engineering Manager and is responsible for acting on behalf of the JV and providing Company technical input to guide the safe, operable, and cost‑effective specification of the JV facilities scope. This important technical leadership role requires breadth of experience as well as technical depth in order that key concepts can be refined in collaboration with related disciplines and also communicated to both Project Management and Contractor effectively. The key focus area for the pre‑FEED stage is to optimize scope with regard to capital cost alongside appropriate management of risk and efficient execution. Duties and responsibilities shall, subject to the limits of authority, include the following:

• Provide engineering leadership and expertise to be consistent with the project objectives and strategies. Work effectively with PMT and contractors to ensure that identified risks are well understood and represented in decision‑making
• Steward contractor implementation of value improvement and capital efficiency decisions and principles in the development of the design. Recommend design alternative studies to optimize Project cost and schedule.
• Identify where new technology or equipment is proposed and ensure that this is appropriately assessed and qualified, by engaging Shareholder discipline support where this is appropriate.
• Own the Engineering Standards for their own discipline (and others as defined by the Engineering Manager). Identify optimisations and provide expert input to the content of Philosophies, Procedures, Specifications, and Standards Development in own and related areas
• Contribute to ensuring that technical definition is complete for the project stage (pre‑FEED, FEED) and that FEL maturity meets expectations. Ensure requirements are followed by the contractor and provide discipline engineering oversight and expertise to the contractor‑led development of Project Deliverables and facilities scope.
• Contribute to preparation of engineering and procurement scope of work in contract (FEED and EPC) and contribute to technical evaluation of bidders for FEED or EPC contract.
• Participate in JV reviews of contractor and licensor scope and steward closure of assigned actions. Provide expert input to relevant discipline engineering items.
• Maintain alignment with other parts of the project engineering team on engineering and procurement needs, objectives, and requirements.
• Develop an appropriate Engineering Surveillance program and execute surveillance activities to ensure design is consistent with Philosophies and Engineering standards and deviation processes are followed. Define equipment criticality that ensure an appropriate level of review by either JV or assigned contractor resources and return of feedback comments consistent with the agreed protocol.
• Manage own workload to prioritize the support of critical activities and secure necessary supplemental support for reviews and workshops
• Pursue personal qualification as a JV Risk Screener and use own (and others) experience to take risk‑based decisions related to facilities

Experience Requirements

• Minimum 15+ years relevant experience, the majority of which has been spent in activities directly involved in discipline technical roles.
• Demonstrated technical expertise including hands‑on knowledge of key specialist tools, programs, and techniques. Ability to identify risk‑based technical solutions and deal with ambiguity.
• Experience with developing cost‑effective engineering standards, design basis, and philosophy documents.
• A mix of end‑user/owner and contractor/consultant roles, demonstrating the ability to apply expertise to the technical specification and operation of equipment and facilities.
• Demonstrated the application of their technical knowledge to onshore Downstream refining and/or Chemical process units, preferably with one or more of the following: heavy oil upgrading, high pressure hydroprocessing, sour gas treatment, saturated gas recovery, ethylene cracking, off‑sites/utilities.
• Experience with a large‑scale module design, engineering, and execution strategy and the impact of this on technical specifications.
• Demonstrated leadership, collaboration skills, sound communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
• Have some familiarity with the clients projects or facilities and a working knowledge or exposure to working with KSA or Middle East cultures and environment.

Discipline‑Specific Requirements

• The process Safety Engineer is expected to apply extensive engineering skills, knowledge of process safety principles, and leadership skills to provide leadership in the application of process safety engineering principles in support of meeting the project objectives.
• They will support the Lead Process Safety Engineer, but will work independently on advanced process safety issues and articulate those issues to the Project Management Team.
• They will evaluate and comment on discipline engineering work performed both internally and by Contractors and sub‑contractors to ensure that work is being executed in accordance with project specifications, company standards, and regulatory requirements, including review of design deliverables both on an individual basis and as part of a multi‑disciplinary team.
• Coordinate resolution of process safety issues that affect the design, safety, and regulatory compliance of the work.
• Develop risk assessments and participate in various safety studies/activities, such as: PHAs, HAZOPs.
• Participate in or lead risk studies or conduct consequence analyses, e.g., toxic gas dispersion modeling.
• Develop and update project safety standards and provide safety input in the assessment of deviations or new approaches.
• Review designs for new and revamped facilities for compliance with and optimized use of company and industry safety standards.
• Contributes expert knowledge of key risk evaluation techniques such as: Blast technology, Consequence Analysis, Fire Protection, Hazard identification, Risk Assessment and Management, Safety Relief design and operation, safety instrumented systems, fault‑tree analysis, quantitative risk assessment.
• Offers a broad and extensive knowledge of safety aspects of design and engineering standards, specifications, codes, and appropriate safety criteria.