Pressure Vessel Design Engineer / Mechanical Engineer

ArcRite Manufacturing; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

ArcRite Manufacturing is seeking a Mechanical Engineer / Pressure Vessel Design Engineer to support the design, drafting, calculation, and fabrication of ASME code pressure vessels and oilfield production equipment. This role requires turning customer specs, field requirements, or concepts into fabrication-ready drawings with precise calculations, material lists, and clear shop-floor communication.

The ideal candidate has strong experience with pressure vessels, separators, and related oilfield

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• Equivalent hands‑on pressure vessel design experience may be considered.
• Experience creating fabrication drawings for ASME pressure vessels.
• Strong drafting standards knowledge, weld symbols, BOM creation, and shop practices.
• Ability to read customer specifications, P&IDs, datasheets, and code requirements.

Responsibilities

• Create detailed 2D and 3D drawings for pressure vessels, production equipment, piping, and skid packages.
• Prepare fabrication drawings, general arrangements, nozzle schedules, weld details, BOMs, and customer approvals.
• Perform and review pressure vessel calculations per ASME Section VIII Division 1 requirements.
• Support shell and head thickness, MAWP, MDMT, hydrotest, and related calculations.
• Coordinate with fabrication, welding, quality, purchasing, and sales to ensure buildability and cost-effectiveness.
• Support ASME documentation packages, data reports, material traceability, weld maps, and customer submittals.

Skills

Pressure vessels

ASME code compliance

Shop communication

Detail-oriented

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

COMPRESS

PV Elite

AutoCAD

SolidWorks

Solid Edge

CADWorx

Navisworks

Job description

ArcRite Manufacturing is seeking a skilled Mechanical Engineer / Pressure Vessel Design Engineer to support the design, drafting, calculation, and fabrication of ASME code pressure vessels and oilfield production equipment.

This role is ideal for someone who can take a customer specification, field requirement, or concept and turn it into a complete fabrication‑ready drawing package with accurate calculations, material requirements, code compliance, and clear communication to the shop floor.

The ideal candidate will have strong experience with pressure vessels, separators, heater treaters, blow cases, scrubbers, production vessels, piping, skids, and fabricated oil and gas equipment.

Key Responsibilities

The engineer will be responsible for:

• Creating detailed 2D and 3D drawings for pressure vessels, production equipment, piping, structural supports, and skid‑mounted packages.
• Preparing fabrication drawings, general arrangement drawings, nozzle schedules, weld details, cut sheets, BOMs, and customer approval drawings.
• Performing and reviewing pressure vessel calculations to ensure compliance with applicable ASME code requirements.
• Designing vessels in accordance with ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII, Division 1, which applies to many pressure vessels operating above 15 psig and covers design, fabrication, inspection, testing, and certification requirements.
• Supporting calculations for shell thickness, head thickness, nozzle reinforcement, MAWP, MDMT, hydrotest pressure, corrosion allowance, external pressure/vacuum, lifting lugs, saddles, supports, and wind/seismic considerations where applicable.
• Reviewing customer specifications, P&IDs, datasheets, purchase orders, and project requirements.
• Coordinating with fabrication, welding, quality control, purchasing, and sales teams to ensure the design is practical, cost‑effective, and buildable.
• Supporting ASME documentation packages, data reports, material traceability, weld maps, test requirements, and customer submittals.
• Assisting with design reviews, drawing revisions, redlines, and as‑built documentation.
• Ensuring drawings meet company standards, customer requirements, and applicable codes.
• Providing technical support to sales and operations during quoting, design clarification, and production.

Required Software / Program Experience

The successful candidate should have experience with one or more of the following:

Pressure Vessel Design / Code Calculation Software

Preferred experience with:

• Codeware COMPRESS
  Used for ASME Section VIII pressure vessel and heat exchanger design calculations, design reports, nozzle calculations, MDMT, liquid static head, FEA‑supported design items, lift lugs, clips, cladding, fatigue screening, and related vessel design tasks.
• PV Elite by Hexagon
  Used for pressure vessel and heat exchanger design, including ASME Section VIII Division 1 and Division 2 calculations. PV Elite supports current ASME code database selections for allowable stresses and other code‑based inputs.

Acceptable related experience may include other recognized ASME pressure vessel design platforms, provided the candidate understands the underlying code calculations and does not rely solely on software output.

Drafting / Modeling Software

Preferred experience with:

• AutoCAD
• SolidWorks
• Solid Edge
• CADWorx
• Navisworks

The candidate should be able to create both customer‑facing approval drawings and detailed fabrication drawings for shop use.

Additional Helpful Programs

Experience with the following is a plus:

• Microsoft Excel for calculation sheets, BOMs, estimating support, and data tracking.
• Microsoft Word for engineering reports and submittal packages.
• ERP/MRP systems for BOM release, part numbers, and production support.
• Document control systems for drawing revisions and customer approvals.

Required Technical Knowledge

The ideal candidate should understand or have working experience with:

• ASME Section IX welding procedure and welder qualification requirements.
• Material selection for carbon steel, stainless steel, sour service, and other customer‑specific requirements.
• Shell and head thickness calculations.
• MAWP and design pressure calculations.
• MDMT requirements.
• Hydrostatic testing requirements.
• Weld joint efficiency.
• Radiography requirements.
• NDE requirements.
• Pressure relief considerations.
• Vessel supports, saddles, legs, lifting lugs, and structural attachments.
• Customer specifications and oilfield production equipment standards.
• Fabrication methods, weld symbols, fit‑up, tolerances, and practical shop constraints.

Equipment Experience Preferred

Experience designing or supporting fabrication of the following is strongly preferred:

• Two‑phase and three‑phase separators
• Vertical and horizontal separators
• Heater treaters
• Blow cases
• Suction scrubbers
• Compressor scrubbers
• Filter separators
• Piping skids
• Oilfield production vessels
• Structural skids and equipment packages

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related engineering discipline preferred.
• Equivalent hands‑on pressure vessel design experience may be considered.
• Experience creating fabrication drawings for ASME pressure vessels or oilfield production equipment.
• Strong understanding of drafting standards, weld symbols, BOM creation, and shop fabrication practices.
• Ability to read and interpret customer specifications, P&IDs, datasheets, and code requirements.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to communicate clearly with shop personnel, inspectors, vendors, and customers.

Preferred

• 3+ years of experience in pressure vessel, oilfield equipment, manufacturing, or fabrication engineering.
• Experience with ASME code calculations using COMPRESS, PV Elite, or equivalent software.
• Experience working with an ASME‑certified fabrication shop.
• Familiarity with U‑stamp documentation and quality control requirements.
• Professional Engineer license or Engineer‑in‑Training status is a plus but not required unless required for specific customer or jurisdictional work.

Ideal Candidate Profile

We are looking for someone who is not just a “desk engineer,” but someone who understands how drawings become real equipment on the shop floor.

The right person will be able to:

• Design it correctly.
• Draw it clearly.
• Calculate it accurately.
• Communicate it simply.
• Support the shop when questions come up.
• Help the company build safe, code‑compliant, high‑quality equipment.
• Full-Time