Senior Project Engineer

RigUp, Inc.; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

RigUp, Inc. is seeking a Senior Project Engineer to lead the U40 FCC Reliability Improvement Project from detailed design through construction, commissioning, startup, and handover.

The project, valued at $140MM TIC, aims to replace Unit 40 FCC converter and modernize the unit while maximizing reuse of the existing foundation. The role requires coordinating across engineering, procurement, construction, operations, maintenance, reliability, process safety, and commissioning.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from an accredited institution.
• Significant project engineering experience in refining, petrochemical, or related process industries.
• Demonstrated experience interfacing with engineering contractors, EPC/EPCM firms, construction teams, and site stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of project execution processes from FEL through detailed design, construction, commissioning, startup, and handover.
• Strong technical, communication, leadership, and coordination skills in a multidiscipline environment.

Responsibilities

• Direct the engineering contractor and manage compliance with contract requirements.
• Lead preparation of technical scope, design basis, project specifications, and standards for contractor execution.
• Coordinate review and acceptance of engineering deliverables, including drawings, specifications, calculations, models, vendor data, and discipline packages.
• Manage technical deviations, change orders, RFIs, and resolution of design issues arising during engineering, fabrication, and field execution.
• Monitor contractor performance for quality, progress, cost, schedule, constructability, and compliance with company procedures and CPMS requirements.
• Be based in Houston at the engineering contractor’s office during detailed design to provide day-to-day technical direction and alignment on deliverables.

Skills

Leadership

Contractor management

Technical judgment

Constructability

Interface management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Job description

Location will start in Houston and move to a Refinery in the panhandle after project begins (after about 6 months.)

Position Summary

The Senior Project Engineer is a key member of the project team responsible for leading development and execution of the U40 FCC Reliability Improvement Project from detailed design through construction, commissioning, startup, and handover. The U40 project is a $140MM TIC capital project to replace the Unit 40 FCC converter and modernize the unit while maximizing reuse of the existing foundation and structure. The project is intended to improve safe and reliable operation of Unit 40 FCC, improve Refinery operational availability by approximately 1%, and improve clean product yield by approximately 0.3%. The execution plan spans 2026 detail design engineering, equipment and material procurement, and permitting; 2027 pre-turnaround construction and converter assembly; and 2028 turnaround execution, commissioning, startup, and handover. This role serves as the primary technical interface with the engineering contractor and works across a multidiscipline organization to align engineering, procurement, construction, operations, maintenance, reliability, process safety, and commissioning activities. During detailed design, the role is expected to be located in Houston at the engineering contractor’s office to enable close coordination and timely decision-making. The role will eventually transition to the Refinery site for the construction phase and remain site-based during the March 2028 turnaround, commissioning, startup, and handover. The position ensures the project is delivered safely, with quality, and in accordance with scope, schedule, budget, operability, and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct the engineering contractor and manage compliance with contract requirements.
• Lead preparation of technical scope, design basis, project specifications, and standards for contractor execution.
• Coordinate review and acceptance of engineering deliverables, including drawings, specifications, calculations, models, vendor data, and discipline packages.
• Manage technical deviations, change orders, RFIs, and resolution of design issues arising during engineering, fabrication, and field execution.
• Monitor contractor performance for quality, progress, cost, schedule, constructability, and compliance with company procedures and CPMS requirements.

Be based in Houston at the engineering contractor’s office during detailed design to provide day-to-day technical direction, expedite decisions, and maintain close alignment on deliverables, model development, and issue resolution.

Multidiscipline Project Coordination

• Coordinate internal and contractor discipline teams including process, mechanical, piping, civil/structural, electrical, instrumentation, controls, metallurgy, inspection, and process safety.
• Manage interfaces among engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, operations, maintenance, and business stakeholders to ensure aligned execution.
• Lead technical reviews, model reviews, P&ID reviews, HAZOPs, risk reviews, and constructability reviews.
• Engage corporate and site subject matter experts as required to resolve specialized technical, safety reliability, and regulatory issues.

Construction and Field Execution Coordination

• Work closely with the construction team and construction contractors to ensure engineering supports safe and efficient field execution.
• Coordinate technical support during construction, installation, tie-ins, pre-commissioning, and mechanical completion.
• Ensure constructability is incorporated into design and that field feedback is rapidly addressed.
• Support resolution of field technical queries and ensure required contractor, vendor, and engineering responses are timely and complete.

Transition to the panhandle Refinery site for construction execution and provide field leadership during the March 2028 turnaround, commissioning, starsition-summary?]tup, punch-list resolution, and system handover.

Commissioning, Startup, and Refinery Collaboration

• Collaborate with refinery operations, maintenance, reliability, and technical personnel to prepare the project for commissioning, startup, and handover.
• Support development of commissioning plans, turnover plans, startup readiness activities, and pre-startup completion reviews.
• Coordinate project responsibilities for PSSR, MOC, tie-in planning, OSBL coordination, and system handover documentation.
• Ensure operations and maintenance participation in design reviews, procurement decisions, commissioning planning, and startup preparation.

Project Controls, Quality, and Governance

• Manage assigned scope to approved budget and schedule, while balancing quality, operability, safety, and cost.
• Support development of estimates, schedules, scope documents, and project execution plans.
• Implement project documentation, data management, and preservation practices.
• Ensure compliance with applicable company standards, refining engineering practices, codes, permits, and regulations.
• Lead lessons learned capture and project closeout activities for assigned scope.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from an accredited institution.
• Significant project engineering experience in refining, petrochemical, or related process industries, including multidiscipline capital project execution.
• Demonstrated experience interfacing with engineering contractors, EPC/EPCM firms, construction teams, and site stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of project execution processes from FEL through detailed design, construction, commissioning, startup, and handover.
• Strong technical, communication, leadership, and coordination skills in a multidiscipline environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• Experience as a lead engineer with an engineering contractor or in an owner’s project team role on major capital projects.
• Experience with refining unit revamps, brownfield execution, tie-ins, turnaround coordination, and startup support.

Experience supporting FCC unit modernization or major refinery turnaround work during both engineering office and site execution phases is preferred.

• Working knowledge of company project management systems, project specifications, and refinery standards/practices.

Core Competencies

• Safety leadership
• Contractor management
• Technical judgment
• Constructability focus
• Interface management
• Schedule and cost awareness
• Communication and stakeholder alignment
• Problem solving and decision making
• Commissioning and startup readiness

Reporting Relationships

The Senior Project Engineer typically reports to the Project Manager and may also work under the direction of an Engineering Manager on large projects. The role works closely with discipline engineers, process engineers, project controls, procurement, construction, commissioning/PTO leads, refinery operations, maintenance, reliability, and contractor personnel.