Principal Piping Engineer

McDermott; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

McDermott is seeking a Principal Piping Engineer to interpret complex business issues and lead piping design activities. You will solve advanced piping problems, guide teams, and ensure compliance with project and safety standards across FEED and EPC phases.

The role requires 15–20 years in piping engineering within oil & gas, with leadership experience and proficiency in SP3D/E3D/Navisworks. You will coordinate with multiple disciplines and client teams to deliver technically sound solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• 15–20 years of piping engineering experience in oil and gas with a major contractor.
• Lead Piping Engineer on FEED and EPC projects.
• Knowledge of Pre-FEED, FEED, and Detailed Design phases.
• Familiar with ANSI, ASME, API, BS, NFPA, etc.
• Familiar with SP3D / E3D / Navisworks.
• Stick-built and modularization approaches.
• Registered Professional Engineer or engineering society member preferred.
• Commercial aspects of projects and contracts.

Responsibilities

• Perform conceptual, FEED, or detailed design analysis per project scope.
• Lead design teams and manage resources within schedule and budget.
• Prepare design calculations, reports, and procedures.
• Interface with project stakeholders and clients.
• Support proposals and studies.
• Ensure health and safety compliance.
• Act as project representative during meetings.

Skills

Piping engineering

Lead engineer

FEED & EPC

Code standards (ANSI/ASME/API)

Navisworks / SP3D

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SP3D

E3D

Navisworks

MTO

Job description

Our ingenuity fuels daily life. Together, we’ve forged some of the most trusted partnerships across the energy value chain to make what was once just an idea a reality: laying subsea infrastructure thousands of feet below sea level, installing platforms hundreds of miles from shore, using our expertise to design and build offshore wind infrastructure, and reshaping the onshore landscape to deliver the energy products the world needs safely and sustainably.
For more than 100 years, we've been making the impossible possible. Today, we're driving the energy transition with more than 30,000 of the brightest minds across 54 countries.

Job Description

Job Overview:

The Principal Piping Engineer is responsible for interpreting internal or external business issues and recommending best practices. They will be tasked with solving complex Piping-related problems and will work independently with minimal guidance. The Principal Piping Engineer may be responsible for leading functional teams or projects and is regarded as a specialist in the field of Piping. As such, they must have in-depth expertise in Piping as well as broad knowledge of the Piping discipline within the Engineering function.

Responsibilities

Key Task and Responsibilities:

• Perform conceptual, FEED, or detailed design analysis and develop them as per project Scope of Work design basis, project documentation, design codes and standards, and McDermott procedures within the planned schedule and budget
• Apply in-depth skills and broad knowledge of the business to address complex problems and non-standard situations and report them to the Project Management Team and Department Manager at an early stage
• Prepare detailed design calculations and analyses including design reports and procedures
• Manage own time to meet objectives and forecast and plan resource requirements
• Lead others to solve complex problems, use sophisticated analytical thought to exercise judgment, and identify innovative solutions
• Interpret internal/external business challenges and recommend best practices to improve technology, processes, or services
• Explain difficult concepts and negotiate with others to adopt a different point of view
• Focused on health and safety policies and procedures
• When acting as Lead engineer:
  • Direct medium or large Engineering and Design team as a Lead Engineer
  • Lead the Discipline engineering design of the assigned work area and complete within the planned schedule and budget, in accordance with standards, MDR, and project-specific procedures and to a high professional standard
  • Plan, organize, and direct all aspects of discipline execution of the assigned project including scope, deliverables, schedule, and manpower resources
  • Ensure interfaces and deliverables are clearly identified
  • Maintain responsibility for progress and productivity, identifying any required corrective action
  • Act as project representative for the discipline during meetings with the project team, Client, and relevant agencies such as certifying authorities, auditors, third parties, etc.
• Become fully familiar with the project SoW, Specification, Schedule, and all inter-discipline requirements
• Interface with other departments to obtain input for engineering and design
• Interface with High-Value Centers (HVECs) ensuring a clear understanding of their SoW
• Prepare Iso Curve based on required input in line with Project Level 3 Schedule
• When acting as Lead Engineer or area Lead:
  • Review the Piping budget, and provide Piping input for the Project Execution Plan
  • Plan, organize, and assign tasks, responsibilities, and man-hour budgets to piping sub-discipline and verify tasks are completed within budgets
  • Support 3D-Model review at 30%, 60% & 90% progress
  • Provide Piping Discipline input into Plan Level 2, 3, and 4 schedules and review the dependencies
  • Prepare discipline forecasts identifying changes to scope and promptly raising a notification
  • Alert the team of any deviation from the Scope of work or a need for a change order
  • Provide piping man-hours, schedule, and deliverables list including Piping Discipline Execution Plan
  • Check and approve design philosophies, specifications, pipe supports, standard detail drawings, MTO, and material requisitions in accordance with the project scope of work and contract
  • Monitor KPI measurement results and take corrective action
  • Lead Piping Discipline during project internal or External Audits
• Assist the Department Manager in the Performance Evaluation of Piping team members
• Support proposals and studies

Reports to:
Project: Lead Engineer, Project Engineer or Project Manager
Functional: Department Manager
Liaise With: Designers and Engineers, other Engineering disciplines Leads, Construction & Fabrication Group,
Project Management Team, Document Control, Project Cost Control and Planning Group, Procurement Group,
Subcontractors and Vendors, Client
Supervises: Piping Engineering and Layout Team

Qualifications

Essential Qualification and Education:

• Bachelor's Degree or Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering
• 15-20 years of experience as a Piping Engineer in Oil and gas with a major contractor performing Conceptual, Pre-FEED, FEED, and detail design
• Previous experience as Lead Piping Engineer on FEED and EPC projects via Multi-offices Project Execution
• Detailed knowledge of Pre-FEED, FEED, and Detailed Design Phases Projects
• Detailed knowledge and experience of design techniques and application of standards, codes, and guidelines
• Familiar with all Piping Sub-Disciplines including Design and Modelling, Pipe Stress & Support, Piping Material Engineering, and MTO activities and deliverables
• Knowledgeable in project coordination and execution skills
• Conversant with international codes and standards like ANSI, ASME, API, BS, NFPA, etc.
• Familiar with SP3D / E3D / Navisworks
• Familiar with stick-built and modularization approach
• Preferably Registered Professional Engineer or member of a professional engineering society
• Familiar with commercial aspects of projects and types of contracts