Mechanical Engineering Lead
BH-330805
Posted: 20/03/2026
- Competitive
- England South East Reading
- Contract
-
Oil & Gas
Role Details
- Inside IR35
- Based in Reading in the UK
- 1 year renewable contract
Role Description
The Mechanical Engineering Lead is part of the Joint Venture Client Project management Team based in the pre-FEED contractor’s office in Reading, UK. The role reports to the JV Sr Engineering Manager and is responsible for acting on behalf of the JV and providing Company technical input to guide the safe, operable, and cost-effective specification of the JV facilities scope. This important technical leadership role requires breadth of experience as well as technical depth in order that key concepts can be refined in collaboration with related disciplines and also communicated to both Project Management and Contractor effectively. The key focus area for the preFEED stage is to optimize scope with regard to capital cost alongside appropriate management of risk and efficient execution.
Duties and Responsibilities
·Provide engineering leadership and expertise to consistent with the project objectives and strategies. Work effectively with PMT and contractors to ensure that identified risks are well understood and represented in decision-making
·Steward contractor implementation of value improvement and capital efficiency decisions and principles in the development of the design. Recommend design alternative studies to optimize Project cost and schedule.
·Identify where new technology or equipment is proposed and ensure that this is appropriately assessed and qualified, by engaging Shareholder discipline support where this is appropriate..
·Own the Engineering Standards for their own discipline (and others as defined by the Engineering Manager). Identify optimisations and provide expert input to the content of Philosophies, Procedures, Specifications, and Standards Development in own and related areas
·Contribute to ensuring that technical definition is complete for the project stage (pre-FEED, FEED) and that FEL maturity meets expectations. Ensure requirements are followed by the contractor and provide discipline engineering oversight and expertise to the contractor-led development of Project Deliverables and facilities scope.
·Contribute to preparation of engineering and procurement scope of work in contract (FEED and EPC) and contribute to technical evaluation of bidders for FEED or EPC contract.
·Participate in JV reviews of contractor and licensor scope and steward closure of assigned actions. Provide expert input to relevant discipline engineering items.
·Maintain alignment with other parts of the project engineering team on engineering and procurement needs, objectives, and requirements.
·Develop an appropriate Engineering Surveillance program and execute surveillance activities to ensure design is consistent with Philosophies and Engineering standards and deviation processes are followed. Define equipment criticality that ensure an appropriate level of review by either JV or assigned contractor resources and return of feedback comments consistent with the agreed protocol.
·Manage own workload to prioritize the support of critical activities and secure necessary supplemental support for reviews and workshops
·Pursue personal qualification as a JV Risk Screener and use own (and others) experience to take risk-based decisions related to facilities
Role Requirements
•Minimum 15+ years relevant experience, the majority of which has been spent in activities directly involved in discipline technical roles;
•Demonstrated technical expertise including hands-on knowledge of key specialist tools, programs, and techniques. Ability to identify risk-based technical solutions and deal with ambiguity.
•Experience with developing cost-effective engineering standards, design basis, and philosophy documents
•A mix of end-user/owner and contractor/consultant roles, demonstrating the ability to apply expertise to the technical specification and operation of equipment and facilities
•Demonstrated the application of their technical knowledge to onshore Downstream refining and/or Chemical process units, preferably with one or more of the following: heavy oil upgrading, high pressure hydroprocessing, sour gas treatment, saturated gas recovery, ethylene cracking, offsites/utilities
•Experience with a large-scale module design, engineering, and execution strategy and the impact of this on technical specifications
•Demonstrated leadership, collaboration skills, sound communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
•Have some familiarity with the JVs projects or facilities and a working knowledge or exposure to working with KSA or Middle East cultures and environment;
Discipline-Specific Requirements
•Provides oversight and guidance to the contractor-led design, analysis, and maintenance of static equipment such as pressure vessels, heat exchangers, storage tanks, and piping systems. Ensures that new and modified equipment meets company and industry standards and regulatory requirements.
•Applies expertise in one or more static equipment technologies including Advanced Analysis, Fluid Solids, Fitness for Service, Noise and Vibration, Piping and Valves, and Pressure Vessels, stress analysis to identify optimisations in equipment design and opportunities for employing new technologies, tools, and methods to improve the performance of static equipment.
•Reviews critical design calculations to ensure compliance with relevant static equipment codes and project standards, and provides guidance on fitness-for-service assessments to evaluate the mechanical integrity and suitability for continued operation of existing equipment under project operating conditions
•Familiar with NDE methods, including limits of applicability (e.g. probability of detection, sizing, characterization) as they relate to the assessment of existing equipment; Able to apply, specify and review advanced analytical techniques and tools in the areas of mechanics, numerical methods, equipment design and fitness-for-service, and equipment damage mechanisms; Applies understanding of solid mechanics and material characterization to equipment fabrication, manufacturing methods and operational service; formulates guidance on equipment risks using expertise in materials, mechanics, and inspection to support critical decisions on new construction, change of operations or asset lifecycle management
•Own and optimize project engineering standards related to mechanical engineering and static equipment.
With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.
- Inside IR35
- Based in Reading in the UK
- 1 year renewable contract
Role Description
The Mechanical Engineering Lead is part of the Joint Venture Client Project management Team based in the pre-FEED contractor’s office in Reading, UK. The role reports to the JV Sr Engineering Manager and is responsible for acting on behalf of the JV and providing Company technical input to guide the safe, operable, and cost-effective specification of the JV facilities scope. This important technical leadership role requires breadth of experience as well as technical depth in order that key concepts can be refined in collaboration with related disciplines and also communicated to both Project Management and Contractor effectively. The key focus area for the preFEED stage is to optimize scope with regard to capital cost alongside appropriate management of risk and efficient execution.
Duties and Responsibilities
·Provide engineering leadership and expertise to consistent with the project objectives and strategies. Work effectively with PMT and contractors to ensure that identified risks are well understood and represented in decision-making
·Steward contractor implementation of value improvement and capital efficiency decisions and principles in the development of the design. Recommend design alternative studies to optimize Project cost and schedule.
·Identify where new technology or equipment is proposed and ensure that this is appropriately assessed and qualified, by engaging Shareholder discipline support where this is appropriate..
·Own the Engineering Standards for their own discipline (and others as defined by the Engineering Manager). Identify optimisations and provide expert input to the content of Philosophies, Procedures, Specifications, and Standards Development in own and related areas
·Contribute to ensuring that technical definition is complete for the project stage (pre-FEED, FEED) and that FEL maturity meets expectations. Ensure requirements are followed by the contractor and provide discipline engineering oversight and expertise to the contractor-led development of Project Deliverables and facilities scope.
·Contribute to preparation of engineering and procurement scope of work in contract (FEED and EPC) and contribute to technical evaluation of bidders for FEED or EPC contract.
·Participate in JV reviews of contractor and licensor scope and steward closure of assigned actions. Provide expert input to relevant discipline engineering items.
·Maintain alignment with other parts of the project engineering team on engineering and procurement needs, objectives, and requirements.
·Develop an appropriate Engineering Surveillance program and execute surveillance activities to ensure design is consistent with Philosophies and Engineering standards and deviation processes are followed. Define equipment criticality that ensure an appropriate level of review by either JV or assigned contractor resources and return of feedback comments consistent with the agreed protocol.
·Manage own workload to prioritize the support of critical activities and secure necessary supplemental support for reviews and workshops
·Pursue personal qualification as a JV Risk Screener and use own (and others) experience to take risk-based decisions related to facilities
Role Requirements
•Minimum 15+ years relevant experience, the majority of which has been spent in activities directly involved in discipline technical roles;
•Demonstrated technical expertise including hands-on knowledge of key specialist tools, programs, and techniques. Ability to identify risk-based technical solutions and deal with ambiguity.
•Experience with developing cost-effective engineering standards, design basis, and philosophy documents
•A mix of end-user/owner and contractor/consultant roles, demonstrating the ability to apply expertise to the technical specification and operation of equipment and facilities
•Demonstrated the application of their technical knowledge to onshore Downstream refining and/or Chemical process units, preferably with one or more of the following: heavy oil upgrading, high pressure hydroprocessing, sour gas treatment, saturated gas recovery, ethylene cracking, offsites/utilities
•Experience with a large-scale module design, engineering, and execution strategy and the impact of this on technical specifications
•Demonstrated leadership, collaboration skills, sound communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
•Have some familiarity with the JVs projects or facilities and a working knowledge or exposure to working with KSA or Middle East cultures and environment;
Discipline-Specific Requirements
•Provides oversight and guidance to the contractor-led design, analysis, and maintenance of static equipment such as pressure vessels, heat exchangers, storage tanks, and piping systems. Ensures that new and modified equipment meets company and industry standards and regulatory requirements.
•Applies expertise in one or more static equipment technologies including Advanced Analysis, Fluid Solids, Fitness for Service, Noise and Vibration, Piping and Valves, and Pressure Vessels, stress analysis to identify optimisations in equipment design and opportunities for employing new technologies, tools, and methods to improve the performance of static equipment.
•Reviews critical design calculations to ensure compliance with relevant static equipment codes and project standards, and provides guidance on fitness-for-service assessments to evaluate the mechanical integrity and suitability for continued operation of existing equipment under project operating conditions
•Familiar with NDE methods, including limits of applicability (e.g. probability of detection, sizing, characterization) as they relate to the assessment of existing equipment; Able to apply, specify and review advanced analytical techniques and tools in the areas of mechanics, numerical methods, equipment design and fitness-for-service, and equipment damage mechanisms; Applies understanding of solid mechanics and material characterization to equipment fabrication, manufacturing methods and operational service; formulates guidance on equipment risks using expertise in materials, mechanics, and inspection to support critical decisions on new construction, change of operations or asset lifecycle management
•Own and optimize project engineering standards related to mechanical engineering and static equipment.
With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.