AVENTA
Principal Engineer, Technical Safety
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About the client
Our client is the UK engineering projects division of a major international energy company. From a landmark, modern integrated operations office in central Basingstoke - with ample parking and only a short walk from the mainline railway station - it develops projects and provides expert owner-engineering support to the group's businesses worldwide. The division is helping to lead the energy transition, combining traditional oil and gas activity with decarbonised and innovative solutions such as carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and renewables as the group moves towards a net-zero future.
Project scope
The role sits within an owner-engineering organisation delivering a portfolio of energy projects across the full life cycle, from feasibility through FEED to execution. The Technical Safety discipline safeguards the design of safe plant across conventional energy and fast-growing energy-transition projects - carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and renewables - offering the opportunity to develop skills and capabilities in new technologies on dynamic international projects. This is a pivotal time in the UK and international energy business, and the Principal Engineer is central to delivering rigorous technical safety on major, complex projects.
Role overview
The Principal Engineer, Technical Safety is a senior technical authority within the discipline. They perform, and where required oversee, all duties of the lower grades plus the principal-level responsibilities below, leading technical safety on larger and more complex projects and ensuring the design of a safe plant. The role works autonomously, makes sound decisions and develops less experienced engineers.
Reporting line
Reports to the Department Chief Engineer and deputises as required; interfaces with the client's headquarters technical authority and knowledge-owner teams, JV partners, and third-party engineering contractors.
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Key responsibilities
Technical safety delivery
- Prepares complex and unique technical safety calculations and analyses.
- Checks and approves engineering deliverables prepared by more junior engineers, investigating alternative solutions.
- Performs the technical functions of the Technical Safety Project Discipline Lead on larger, more complex projects.
- Ensures all activities associated with the design of a safe plant are completed.
Standards, procedures and quality
- Critically reviews and develops company technical procedures and a wide range of project quality documentation.
- Advises on the correct interpretation and application of national and international standards.
- Manages requests for deviations from the client's standards with the headquarters technical authority teams.
Software and methods
- Approves software use for unusual or marginal applications and represents the discipline on new software systems.
- Keeps methodologies, analyses and calculations aligned with the client's operating procedures across business branches.
Leadership, coordination and stakeholder management
- Coordinates assigned technical safety resources, balancing workload against competencies and project requirements.
- Acts as the discipline technical representative with the client's headquarters and third parties, and supports proposal activities.
- Mentors, coaches and delivers internal technical safety training to less experienced engineers.
Key deliverables
- Complex technical safety calculations and safe-plant design activities delivered and approved.
- Junior engineers' deliverables checked, approved and improved through alternative solutions.
- Technical safety resources coordinated across large, complex projects to schedule and manhours.
- Deviation requests, methodologies and standards alignment managed with headquarters and third parties.
- Proposal support, manhour estimates and onsite commissioning activities delivered as required.
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Requirements
Education
Degree in a relevant engineering discipline (e.g. Chemical Engineering) accredited by the relevant chartered engineering institute (e.g. IChemE).
Experience
Must-have:
- Sufficient experience to lead large projects across a range of technical safety activities.
- Ability to direct and review the work of third-party engineering contractors.
- Significant technical expertise in at least one technical safety area or technology.
- Experience acting as discipline technical representative with clients and third parties.
Nice-to-have:
- Highly skilled in risk assessment methodologies (strongly preferred).
- Experience of energy-transition projects such as carbon capture and storage, hydrogen or renewables.
Certifications
Chartered status with a relevant institute (e.g. IChemE) desirable.
Technical skills
- Technical safety analysis and risk assessment methodologies.
- Technical safety calculation and analysis software tools.
Soft skills
- Excellent communication with a positive, collaborative attitude.
- Able to motivate personnel and make decisions autonomously.
- Planning, prioritisation and workload delivery to schedule and manhours.
- Mentoring and coaching of less experienced engineers.
- Fluent English.
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