Lead SURF Engineer

Airswift; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Airswift seeks a Lead SURF Engineer to drive subsea engineering on a major offshore decommissioning project in Houston, TX. You will lead technical delivery, manage removal procedures and coordinate across offshore, structural, marine and regulatory teams.

Responsibilities include developing design basis and technical reports, ensuring adherence to API, DNV and ISO standards, and supporting SIMOPS planning and offshore execution sequences.

Qualifications

• Experience in subsea or SURF engineering within offshore energy, decommissioning or major subsea projects.
• Lead-level or senior-level capability in delivering complex subsea engineering scopes.
• Experience supporting offshore execution, removal engineering and ROV operations.
• Strong cross-discipline coordination across subsea, structural, marine, pipeline and construction functions.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior-level subsea engineering expertise across the project lifecycle.
• Develop subsea technical documentation in line with project requirements.
• Ensure engineering activities comply with API, DNV and ISO, and U.S. offshore regulations.
• Lead engineering activities for subsea decommissioning scopes including cutting, recovery, flushing, purging, cleaning and remediation.
• Develop engineering input for removal procedures, work packs, SIMOPS planning and offshore execution sequences.
• Support ROV intervention engineering, equipment specification and tooling interfaces.
• Coordinate SURF interfaces with structural, marine, pipeline and regulatory teams.
• Support integration of subsea work scopes into wider decommissioning plans and SIMOPS strategies.
• Respond to technical queries, vendor clarifications and offshore execution needs.
• Prepare subsea engineering deliverables including basis of design, calculations, drawings, specs and reports.
• Ensure subsea documentation aligns with governing project documents and regulatory requirements.
• Support audits, technical assurance reviews and close-out documentation.

Skills

Subsea SURF engineering

Cross-discipline coordination

Offshore execution support

Education

Advanced degree in subsea/mechanical/structural/ocean/petroleum engineering

Tools

OrcaFlex

Flexcom

PipeLay

SAGE

Job description

Job Title: Lead SURF Engineer
Duration: 2 years (possibility of extension)
Location: Houston, TX

This opportunity is suited to a highly technical subsea engineering professional looking to play a leading role on a major offshore decommissioning project. The position focuses on SURF engineering, subsea decommissioning and offshore execution support, with close interaction across structural, marine, wells, construction, SSU and regulatory teams. This company offers the chance to contribute to complex subsea scopes with a strong emphasis on technical delivery, compliance and safe project execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide senior-level subsea engineering expertise across the project lifecycle.
• Develop subsea technical documentation in line with company and project requirements.
• Ensure engineering activities comply with applicable design codes including API, DNV and ISO, as well as U.S. offshore regulatory frameworks.
• Lead engineering activities for subsea decommissioning scopes including cutting, recovery, flushing, purging, cleaning and remediation.
• Develop engineering input for removal procedures, work packs, SIMOPS planning and offshore execution sequences.
• Support ROV intervention engineering, equipment specification, tooling interfaces and offshore support requirements.
• Coordinate SURF interfaces with structural, marine, pipeline, construction and regulatory teams.
• Support integration of subsea work scopes into wider decommissioning plans, marine spread plans and SIMOPS strategies.
• Respond to technical queries, vendor clarifications and offshore execution support needs.
• Prepare subsea engineering deliverables including basis of design, calculations, drawings, specifications and technical reports.
• Ensure subsea documentation aligns with governing project documents and regulatory requirements.
• Support audits, technical assurance reviews and close-out documentation for subsea decommissioning activities.

Required Experience

• Experience in subsea or SURF engineering within offshore energy, decommissioning or major subsea projects.
• Lead-level or senior-level capability in delivering complex subsea engineering scopes.
• Experience supporting offshore execution, removal engineering and ROV operations.
• Strong cross-discipline coordination experience across subsea, structural, marine, pipeline and construction functions.

Technical Skills & Equipment

• Advanced degree in subsea, mechanical, structural, ocean or petroleum engineering.
• Knowledge of subsea engineering and decommissioning activities including riser abandonment, pipeline decommissioning and subsea structure interface engineering.
• Experience preparing technical deliverables such as basis of design documents, calculations, drawings, specifications and technical reports.
• Proficiency with subsea engineering tools such as OrcaFlex, Flexcom, PipeLay and SAGE.
• Working knowledge of API, DNV and ISO design codes.
• Understanding of U.S. offshore regulatory frameworks including BSEE, BOEM and USCG.