Piping Design Lead

KBR; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K with match

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision care

Life insurance

AD&D

FSA

Disability insurance

Paid time off

Flexible schedule

Job summary

KBR is seeking a Piping Design Lead to provide technical oversight of process and utility piping across facilities. You will coordinate design, ensure compliance with GMP, codes, and project specs, and drive constructability and quality in a fast-paced megaproject environment.

The role requires strong leadership of global engineering teams, expertise with 3D design tools (Aveva E3D, Plant 3D, Navisworks) and a track record on regulated pharma or biotech plants from design through startup.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Chemical Engineering
• 15+ years of piping engineering and field execution experience
• Leadership of multidisciplinary piping activities on large EPC/EPCM/PMC projects
• Strong knowledge of piping codes, materials, fabrication, and QA

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for process, clean utility, and facility piping systems throughout design, procurement, construction, and startup phases.
• Ensure compliance with project specifications, GMP requirements, codes, and reviews.
• Oversee piping system routing, material selection, stress analysis, and interface management with equipment, utilities, and infrastructure.
• Support construction, commissioning, qualification, and startup readiness by resolving piping-related issues and driving quality execution.

Skills

Piping design leadership

Process piping

GMP compliance

Regulated facilities

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Chemical Engineering

Tools

Aveva E3D

Plant 3D

Navisworks

Hexagon Smart 3D

Job description

Title:
Piping Design Lead

KBR Sustainable Technology Solutions (STS) provides holistic and value-added solutions across the entire asset life cycle. These include world-class licensed process technologies, differentiated advisory services, deep technical domain expertise, energy transition solutions, high-end design capabilities, and smart solutions to optimize planned and operating assets.

The Piping Design Lead provides technical oversight of process piping and utility piping systems across all manufacturing and support facilities. This role is responsible for piping design coordination, specification compliance, constructability reviews, routing optimization, installation standards, material selection, stress considerations, fabrication quality, and integration with process equipment and facility infrastructure. The incumbent will work closely with process engineering, mechanical engineering, utilities, construction, and CQV organizations to ensure piping systems support operational reliability, maintainability, cleanability, containment, and startup readiness requirements.

Functional job responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Provide technical leadership and coordination for process, clean utility, and facility piping systems throughout design, procurement, construction, and startup phases of the project.
• Ensure compliance with project specifications, pharmaceutical industry standards, applicable codes, and GMP requirements through design reviews, constructability assessments, and field support activities.
• Oversee piping system routing, material selection, stress and flexibility considerations, and interface management with process equipment, mechanical systems, utilities, and facility infrastructure.
• Support construction, commissioning, qualification, and startup readiness by resolving piping-related technical issues, driving quality execution, and ensuring systems meet operational reliability and maintainability objectives.

Required Education, Experience, & Skills:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline, or 20+ years of relevant industrial piping engineering and design experience in lieu of a degree.
• Minimum 15 years of experience in piping engineering, design, and field execution on large capital projects, including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, chemical, or similar regulated process facilities.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary piping engineering activities through design, construction, commissioning, and startup on large EPC, EPCM, or PMC projects.
• Strong knowledge of piping codes and standards, material specifications, fabrication practices, and construction quality requirements.

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills:

• Experience serving as Piping Lead on large-scale pharmaceutical or biotechnology greenfield manufacturing projects exceeding $1B TIC.
• Knowledge of GMP-regulated facilities, clean utilities, hygienic piping systems, CQV processes, and regulatory inspection readiness requirements.
• Proficiency with 3D design and coordination platforms such as Aveva E3D, Hexagon Smart 3D, Plant 3D, Navisworks, or equivalent tools.
• Proven ability to lead global engineering teams, manage contractor interfaces, and support construction execution in a fast-paced megaproject environment.

Decarbonization – Energy Transition – Sustainability

KBR Benefits

• 401K plan with company match
• medical
• dental
• vision
• life insurance
• AD&D
• flexible spending account
• disability
• paid time off
• flexible work schedule

We support career advancement through professional training and development.

Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR

At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture. These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company. That commitment is central to our team of team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together.

KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.