Consulting Engineer

Solar Turbines Incorporated; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Caterpillar Inc. is seeking a Consulting Engineer to provide technical leadership in Balance of Plant and facilities engineering for Solar’s gas turbine projects. The role spans front-end development, proposals, and execution with a focus on midstream/upstream gas compression.

Ideal candidates bring 15–20+ years in mechanical facilities or BOP, PE preferred, and strong skills in codes, standards, and cross-disciplinary collaboration within energy infrastructure.

Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 15–20+ years of experience in mechanical facilities or Balance of Plant engineering.
• PE license preferred.
• Extensive knowledge of ASME, API, ANSI codes.
• Experience leading front-end engineering and proposal development.
• Experience with RFQs, vendor evaluation, and technical bid alignment.
• Familiarity with CAESAR II, Aspen HYSYS, ProMax.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and review of facility-level engineering deliverables, including PFDs, P&IDs, general arrangements, piping layouts, and 3D models.
• Define and specify mechanical systems and equipment.
• Establish design philosophies and system operating strategies in coordination with process, controls, and electrical disciplines.
• Provide oversight and technical review of pipe stress analysis.
• Leverage process simulation outputs to validate design and ensure compliance with fuel and seal gas requirements.
• Ensure designs are constructible, maintainable, and aligned with modularization strategies.
• Act as Technical authority for Solar’s modular gas compression standard offerings.

Skills

Technical leadership

Stakeholder influence

Mentoring

Communication skills

Front-end engineering

Education

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Professional Engineer (PE) license

Tools

ASME codes

API standards

ANSI standards

CAESAR II

Aspen HYSYS

ProMax

Job description

Job Description

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.

When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

Career Area

Engineering

Job Description

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.

When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

Solar Turbines is seeking a Consulting Engineer to provide technical leadership and subject matter expertise in Balance of Plant (BOP) and facilities engineering for projects utilizing Solar’s family of industrial gas turbines. This role supports both front-end development and project execution, with a primary focus on the midstream/upstream gas compression market. The Consulting Engineer serves as a trusted technical advisor, driving engineering strategy, managing technical risk, and ensuring alignment between proposal assumptions and execution realities.

The Consulting Engineer is a recognized technical authority responsible for leading facility and BOP engineering strategy across proposal and execution phases. This role requires deep expertise in mechanical and facilities engineering, strong command of applicable codes and standards, and a demonstrated ability to deliver safe, operable, and commercially optimized facility designs.

The position plays a critical role in front-end engineering, proposal development, and technical risk definition, establishing the design basis and ensuring alignment across process, electrical, structural, and design. The Consulting Engineer is accountable for developing defensible, execution-ready solutions and acting as a key interface with internal stakeholders, customers, and suppliers.

What you will do

• Intended for a highly experienced engineer with 15–20+ years of industry experience in facilities and BOP engineering, with demonstrated progression to a technical leadership or consulting role.
• Serve as the technical lead for proposal and front-end engineering efforts, ensuring alignment between conceptual design, commercial strategy, and execution requirements.
• Provide expert-level mechanical and facilities engineering guidance, ensuring designs meet industry codes, Solar standards, and customer expectations.
• Define and govern the mechanical design basis for complex facilities, including identification and mitigation of technical, operational, and constructability risks.
• Lead development, review, and approval of key engineering deliverables, including PIDs, layouts, one lines, block diagrams, and equipment specifications.
• Apply advanced engineering judgment in ambiguous, early-stage design environments, balancing code compliance, operability, cost, and schedule.
• Act as a technical mentor and reviewer, elevating engineering quality and consistency across the team.
• Provide leadership in capturing and applying lessons learned from project execution to continuously improve proposal quality and technical standards.
• Support fast-paced proposal efforts while maintaining technical rigor and defensibility; periodic travel as required.

What you will have

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering or related field
• 15–20+ years of experience in mechanical facilities or Balance of Plant engineering within upstream oil & gas, midstream, and energy infrastructure sectors.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license is preferred
• Advanced knowledge of ASME, API, ANSI, and related codes governing pressure equipment, piping systems, and facility design.
• Demonstrated experience serving as a technical lead or subject matter expert on complex facilities or BOP systems with a focus on gas compression and power generation.
• Proven ability to integrate technical, commercial, and execution considerations in front-end engineering and proposal development.
• Extensive experience with equipment specification, RFQs, vendor evaluation, and technical bid alignment.
• Experience reviewing and guiding pipe stress analysis (e.g., CAESAR II) is a major plus
• Familiarity with process simulation and hydraulic tools (e.g., Aspen HYSYS, ProMax) for development of PFDs and validation of system requirements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders across technical and commercial functions.
• Ability to manage multiple high-priority efforts simultaneously in a dynamic environment.

PROBLEM COMPLEXITY

Assignments involve highly complex, multidisciplinary engineering challenges with incomplete or evolving definition. The Consulting Engineer is expected to frame problems, define assumptions, and establish the path forward, often in the absence of precedent.

Work requires development of defensible technical positions, clear documentation of assumptions and risks, and the ability to reconcile competing priorities across safety, operability, cost, and schedule. Projects range from early-stage concept development to fully executable technical proposals and support of fielded solutions.

WORK DIRECTION AND LATITUDE

• Operates with a high degree of independence and technical authority, under general direction from proposal or engineering leadership.
• Serves as the primary technical authority for assigned facilities and BOP scope.
• Influences decisions across disciplines and functions, including proposal management, engineering, and commercial teams.
• Work is evaluated based on technical quality, risk management, and contribution to business success, rather than task-level execution.
• Authorized to establish design approaches, challenge assumptions, and drive technical alignment across stakeholders.
• Actively contributes to the development and evolution of engineering standards, tools, and work processes.

Responsibilities

Engineering & Design

• Lead development and review of facility-level engineering deliverables, including PFDs, P&IDs, general arrangements, piping layouts, and 3D models.
• Define and specify mechanical systems and equipment
• Establish and validate design philosophies and system operating strategies in coordination with process, controls, and electrical disciplines.
• Provide oversight and technical review of pipe stress analysis and mechanical calculations.
• Leverage process simulation outputs to validate system design and ensure compliance with Solar fuel and seal gas requirements.
• Ensure designs are constructible, maintainable, and aligned with modularization and standardization strategies.
• Act as the Technical authority for Solar’s modular gas compression standard offerings

Procurement & Vendor Interface

• Lead preparation of RFQs and technical requisitions for major mechanical equipment.
• Serve as the technical authority in vendor evaluation, bid clarification, and selection processes.
• Review and approve vendor drawings, calculations, and documentation for compliance with project and company requirements.
• Engage key suppliers to drive technical alignment and mitigate delivery or performance risks.

LIAISON

• Act as a central technical interface across engineering, proposal management, quality, procurement, fabrication, and construction teams.
• Engage directly with customers and suppliers to support technical clarification, solution development, and issue resolution.
• Influence multidisciplinary teams to ensure consistent and aligned engineering outcomes.

BUSINESS CONTRIBUTION

Directly contributes to proposal win quality, project execution success, and long-term product and system improvement. Drives early identification and mitigation of technical, commercial, and execution risks, improving predictability and performance across project lifecycles.

Acts as a key contributor to standardization, modularization, and cost optimization initiatives, strengthening Solar’s competitive position.

Principal Accountabilities

• Provide technical leadership and authority for complex facilities and BOP systems.
• Deliver safe, operable, and cost-effective engineering solutions aligned with customer and business objectives