Lead rotating Equipment Engineer

NES Fircroft; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

NES Fircroft is seeking a Lead Rotating Equipment Engineer to provide technical leadership and engineering assurance for a major capital project. You will oversee rotating equipment from FEL/FEED through commissioning and handover, acting as the primary technical authority for compressors, pumps, turbines, and related systems.

You will coordinate with EPC contractors, OEMs, and multidisciplinary teams to develop specifications, review vendor documents, perform analyses, and ensure equipment

Qualifications

• 15+ years rotating equipment engineering experience in refining, petrochemical, chemical, LNG, or similar industries.
• Experience supporting major capital projects through FEL/FEED, detailed engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and startup.
• Strong knowledge of centrifugal compressors, pumps, turbines, drivers, and associated systems.
• Familiarity with API machinery standards (API 610, API 617, API 614, API 682).

Responsibilities

• Lead rotating equipment engineering scope and establish technical strategies, specs, and design requirements.
• Provide technical oversight of EPC contractors, OEMs, and equipment suppliers throughout the project lifecycle.
• Develop and review equipment specifications, datasheets, requisitions, and vendor documentation.
• Review vendor proposals, deviations, performance guarantees, rotor-dynamic analyses, vibration studies, and test documentation.
• Lead technical reviews, design assurance activities, risk reviews, and project governance gates.
• Identify long-lead equipment and provide input into procurement and scheduling.
• Provide field engineering support during installation, alignment, commissioning, and startup.
• Coordinate rotating equipment requirements with Process, Piping, Mechanical, Electrical, I&C, Civil/Structural, Reliability, Maintenance, Operations, and Construction teams.
• Ensure layouts, foundations, piping, nozzle loads, utilities, controls, and maintainability are integrated.
• Incorporate reliability and lifecycle requirements into equipment design.
• Identify and manage technical risks, RFIs, NCRs, deviations, and MOC activities.
• Ensure complete technical documentation and spare parts information for handover.
• Provide leadership and mentoring to rotating equipment engineers.

Skills

15+ years rotating equipment

Project leadership

API machinery standards knowledge

EPC/OEM collaboration

Field engineering support

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Job description

A leading industrial organization is seeking a Lead Rotating Equipment Engineer to provide technical leadership and engineering assurance for a major capital project. The role will oversee rotating equipment from FEL/FEED through detailed engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, startup, and handover.

The position will serve as the primary technical authority for compressors, pumps, turbines, drivers, auxiliary systems, and packaged rotating equipment, working closely with EPC contractors, OEMs, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the rotating equipment engineering scope and establish technical strategies, specifications, and design requirements.
• Provide technical oversight of EPC contractors, OEMs, and equipment suppliers throughout the project lifecycle.
• Develop and review equipment specifications, datasheets, requisitions, technical bid evaluations, vendor documentation, and equipment studies.
• Support the selection and specification of centrifugal and reciprocating compressors, process pumps, turbines, motors, gearboxes, couplings, mechanical seals, lubrication systems, dry gas seals, and packaged equipment.
• Review vendor proposals, deviations, performance guarantees, rotor-dynamic and torsional analyses, vibration studies, calculations, drawings, and test documentation.
• Lead technical reviews, design assurance activities, risk reviews, and project governance gates.
• Identify long-lead equipment and provide technical input into procurement and project scheduling strategies.
• Provide technical oversight during equipment fabrication, inspection, FATs, performance testing, and resolution of nonconformances.
• Coordinate rotating equipment requirements with Process, Piping, Mechanical, Electrical, I&C, Civil/Structural, Reliability, Maintenance, Operations, Construction, and Commissioning teams.
• Ensure equipment layouts, foundations, piping, nozzle loads, utilities, controls, instrumentation, access, lifting, and maintainability requirements are properly integrated.
• Incorporate reliability, maintainability, equipment criticality, machinery protection, condition monitoring, and lifecycle requirements into equipment design.
• Provide field engineering support during installation, alignment, preservation, commissioning, and startup.
• Troubleshoot and resolve equipment issues involving vibration, seals, lubrication, controls, performance, and mechanical integrity.
• Identify and manage technical risks, RFIs, NCRs, deviations, engineering changes, and MOC activities.
• Ensure complete technical documentation, spare parts information, maintenance requirements, and vendor data are available for final handover.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to rotating equipment engineers supporting the project.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.
• 15+ years of rotating equipment engineering experience within refining, petrochemical, chemical, LNG, or similar process industries.
• Significant experience supporting major capital projects through FEL/FEED, detailed engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and startup.
• Strong experience with centrifugal compressors, process pumps, mechanical seals, drivers, and associated auxiliary systems.
• Strong knowledge of applicable API machinery standards, including API 610, API 617, API 614, API 682, and related standards.
• Proven experience with equipment specification, vendor evaluation, technical document review, FATs, installation, commissioning, and startup.
• Demonstrated ability to lead EPC contractors, OEMs, vendors, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Preferred Experience

• Professional Engineer (PE) registration.
• 20+ years of rotating equipment experience in refining, petrochemical, or hydrocarbon processing.
• Previous Lead Rotating Equipment Engineer experience on major greenfield or brownfield capital projects.
• Experience with large centrifugal compressor trains and other critical process machinery.
• Experience within aromatics, refining, petrochemical, or hydrocarbon processing facilities.
• Strong knowledge of machinery reliability, vibration monitoring, rotor dynamics, lubrication, mechanical seals, and machinery protection systems.
• Experience working with multiple EPC contractors and international equipment suppliers.

Key Interfaces

The role will work closely with Project Management, Engineering, Process, Mechanical, Piping, Electrical, I&C, Procurement, Project Controls, Quality, Construction, Commissioning, Operations, Maintenance, and Reliability, as well as EPC contractors, OEMs, equipment suppliers, fabricators, and specialist consultants.

Success Measures

• Rotating equipment scope is clearly defined at each project stage.
• Critical equipment is selected and procured in line with project schedule requirements.
• Equipment meets required capacity, reliability, availability, and lifecycle performance objectives.
• Technical issues and vendor deviations are resolved before impacting construction or startup.
• Critical machinery is delivered, installed, commissioned, and started with minimal equipment-related delays.
• Reliability, maintainability, Operations, and Maintenance requirements are incorporated into the design.
• Complete equipment documentation, spares, maintenance requirements, and vendor support are available at handover.