Principal Civil Engineer

About the Role / About the Job
The position involves multifaceted responsibilities across business development, operations, technical competence, project execution, deliverables, procurement, site support, and adherence to safety standards. The successful candidate will engage in building positive relationships, creating execution strategies, and ensuring compliance with engineering practices, regulations, and safety standards throughout project lifespans. Leadership and technical expertise in Civil Structural engineering within the oil and gas industry are critical for success in this role.

Primary Objectives / Responsibilities
Business Development Support

• Builds positive working relationships with external parties such as customers, suppliers, and contractors.
• Supports proposals by developing the discipline execution strategy, estimating costs, writing proposal content, and presenting to customers.
• Will be called upon to lead all or part of the technical proposal.
• Functions as a departmental representative at various meetings; may serve on behalf of superior as assigned.

Business Operations

• Planning of manhour budgets, schedules, manpower loadings, and staffing requirements, by skill and experience, to satisfy project requirements and direction given by the Discipline Manager.
• Ensures the project work is covered for vacation and unplanned absences.
• Mentors/trains and supports the delivery of training.
• Assists in the employee performance review process.
• Facilitates coverage of activities when people leave the team.
• Encourages knowledge of and compliance with requirements and processes.
• Works to resolve inter-discipline, vendor, and customer issues.
• Ensures discipline technical work and team activities meet all health, safety, environmental, and security requirements.

Technical Competency

• Ensures team member adherence to accepted engineering and design practices, regulatory requirements, and customer specifications.
• Supports the standardization of equipment specifications, drawings, and document templates.
• Contributes to the understanding of technical knowledge, legal requirements, and customer specifications whenever viable and lawful.
• Uses local/global standards to support technical excellence.
• Identifies software necessary to enable the Civil Structural group to function effectively.
• Provides specialist technical support, supervision, and advice to the discipline and project teams; participates in peer reviews.
• Completed structural analysis and design of onshore oil and gas processing facilities (Concrete and Structural steel piperacks, storage tank foundations, vertical vessel foundations, horizontal vessel and heat exchanger foundations, and pipe supports), infrastructures (Electrical substations, potable and foul water pumping stations, and water tanks), and buildings (Utility and non-utility buildings).
• Ensures recognized onshore & offshore engineering practices applicable to Civil Structural design engineering are adopted within the discipline.
• Reviews designs, sketches, and reports with supporting calculations for projects, and supply drafting staff with information to assist in the production of detailed drawings, the development of quantities, materials lists, and cost estimates as required.

Project Execution

• Participate in project execution strategy and planning.
• Knows the project and discipline scope/cost/time requirements, ensures the team meets the expectations, and liaises with other disciplines to ensure project success.
• Encourages innovative solutions, technology advances, and methods to effectively deal with working out of sequence.
• Supports management of project change and progressing for the discipline and works with the Project Management Team to take corrective actions regarding any issues, staffing requirements, scope changes, progressing, or other events that could affect project completion and/or profitability.
• Plans discipline quality, monitors quality activities, drives squad checking, recommends improvements, and takes action where required.
• Collaborates with project team in review of project documentation such as proposals, estimates, budgets, and schedules.
• Leads weekly Civil Structural meetings, reviews progress reports, and required checking procedures.
• Initiates, manages, and supervises engineering assignments on projects that meet project requirements on time and within budget.
• Organizes and manages all aspects of the workload of a team of Civil Structural discipline engineers and designers, within the parameters of a project schedule.
• Understands and applies the Project Execution Plan (PEP) requirements - make-up and application (including the Engineering Plan).

Project Deliverables

• Reviews data from multiple sources and prepares engineering studies, analyses, calculations, and recommends actions.
• Crafts recommendations and reviews final documentation prior to customer approval.
• Determines technical issues, defines alternate solutions, establishes pros/cons for multiple solutions, and makes recommendations through official project documents such as technical queries, technical deviations, etc.
• Establishes a list of discipline deliverables. Controls, monitors, and progresses these deliverables to an agreed schedule.
• Reviews final documentation incorporating all relevant information and pursues customer approval.
• Reviews similar documentation to assist others and reviews/authorizes work done by direct reports.
• Leads the production of detailed designs and drawings, specifications, data, calculations, and reports.
• Focuses team on the achievement of milestones and other key project objectives.

Procurement Support

• Participates in bid clarifications, conducts bid evaluations, completes inter-discipline vendor information review and approval, and finalizes other certification activities.
• Provides advice during procurement, construction, and commissioning activities.
• Liaises with suppliers, clients, consultants or commissioning engineers concerning the design, installation, or construction and commissioning of assigned work.
• Competently reviews and comments on vendor data.
• Reviews Technical Bid Analysis and associated reports.

Site Support

• Leads on-site support for construction, commissioning, or turnover.
• Must be able to perform site visits & inspections, data gathering activities, and technical evaluations that are relevant to assigned tasks and works.

Safety

• Responsible for personal safety safe working practices. Understand and follow OH&S procedures.
• Promotes health, safety, and environmental awareness.

Job Specific Knowledge

• Demonstrate a visible and active commitment to HSE management and its associated requirements in a project environment.
• A thorough knowledge of the regulations, codes, and standards (American, British, and other International Codes, Standards, and Specifications) and a good understanding of onshore and offshore engineering practices applicable to Civil Structural design for oil and gas facilities.
• Experience in brownfield & asset services type project/contracts.
• Excellent technical and practical engineering skills and able to consistently deliver quality, accurate, and timely work to clients.
• Expertise in Engineering and Designing of structures and foundations associated with Oil & Gas and Infrastructure Facilities.
• An excellent knowledge of applicable local and international standards and statutory and regulatory requirements.
• Competent in the use of relevant Civil Structural discipline specific software.
• Extensive knowledge and application of multi-level equipment structures, structural design of roads, bridges, culverts, drainage ditches, open channels, retaining walls, blast-resistant buildings, and substations.

Essential Competencies

• Deciding and Initiating Action:
  • Initiates and introduces changes into work processes; makes quick, clear decisions that may include tough choices or considered risks.
• Leading and Supervising:
  • Provides team members with a clear direction; motivates and empowers others.
• Persuading & Influencing:
  • Gains clear agreement and commitment from others by persuading, convincing, and negotiating.
• Applying Expertise & Technology:
  • Applies specialist and detailed technical expertise; demonstrates an understanding of different organizational departments and functions.
• Analyzing:
  • Able to analyze engineering/design problems methodically and arrive at satisfactory solutions; demonstrates an understanding of how one issue may be a part of a much larger system.
• Delivering Results and Meeting Customer Expectations:
  • Focuses on customer needs and satisfaction; sets high standards for quality and quantity.

Desirable Competencies

• Adhering to Principles and Values:
  • Upholds ethics and promotes equal opportunities; encourages organizational responsibility toward the community and the environment.
• Presenting & Communicating Information:
  • Speaks fluently and expresses opinions clearly; responds quickly to the needs of an audience.
• Creating and Innovating:
  • Produces new ideas, approaches, or insights; creates innovative products or designs.
• Adapting and Responding to Change:
  • Approaches change positively and drives change to improve systems.
• Coping with Pressures and Setbacks:
  • Works productively in a pressurized environment; keeps emotions under control during difficult situations.
• Entrepreneurial and Commercial Thinking:
  • Identifies business opportunities for the organization; maintains awareness of developments in the organizational structure and politics.

Industry Specific Experience

• Extensive work experience at a senior level within the Oil & Gas industry.
• Minimum 15 years design experience within the oil and gas industry, with at least the last 5 years leading a team of Civil Structural discipline engineers and designers.

Education – Qualifications, Accreditation, Training

• Full-Time Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from an accredited university.
• MME (Ministry of Municipality and Environment) engineering accreditation is a mandatory requirement. Candidates not holding this accreditation must be willing to achieve this within the probationary period.
• Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) status or undertaking the same will be an advantage.

HSE Capability

• Maintain HSE focus with the team to ensure OHSE requirements are met.
• Demonstrate behavior and business practices commensurate with a culture of world's best health, safety, and environmental performance.

IT Skills

• Proficient in STAAD Pro, SACS, MathCad, and MS Office Software.

People Skills

• Able to work in diverse teams and effectively manage conflict.
• Highly effective people management skills such as leadership, team, interpersonal, coaching, mentoring, and supervisory skills.

Other

• Good English communication skills (spoken & written).
• Able to work on multiple projects of various sizes and complexities.