Consulting Engineer

Caterpillar•Houston, TX

8h•Onsite

About The Position

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc. When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering or related field
15–20+ years of experience in mechanical facilities or Balance of Plant engineering within upstream oil & gas, midstream, and energy infrastructure sectors.
Advanced knowledge of ASME, API, ANSI, and related codes governing pressure equipment, piping systems, and facility design.
Demonstrated experience serving as a technical lead or subject matter expert on complex facilities or BOP systems with a focus on gas compression and power generation.
Proven ability to integrate technical, commercial, and execution considerations in front-end engineering and proposal development.
Extensive experience with equipment specification, RFQs, vendor evaluation, and technical bid alignment.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders across technical and commercial functions.
Ability to manage multiple high-priority efforts simultaneously in a dynamic environment.
Assignments involve highly complex, multidisciplinary engineering challenges with incomplete or evolving definition.
Expected to frame problems, define assumptions, and establish the path forward, often in the absence of precedent.
Work requires development of defensible technical positions, clear documentation of assumptions and risks, and the ability to reconcile competing priorities across safety, operability, cost, and schedule.
Projects range from early-stage concept development to fully executable technical proposals and support of fielded solutions.
Operates with a high degree of independence and technical authority, under general direction from proposal or engineering leadership.
Serves as the primary technical authority for assigned facilities and BOP scope.
Influences decisions across disciplines and functions, including proposal management, engineering, and commercial teams.
Work is evaluated based on technical quality, risk management, and contribution to business success, rather than task-level execution.
Authorized to establish design approaches, challenge assumptions, and drive technical alignment across stakeholders.
Actively contributes to the development and evolution of engineering standards, tools, and work processes.

Nice To Haves

Professional Engineer (PE) license is preferred
Experience reviewing and guiding pipe stress analysis (e.g., CAESAR II) is a major plus
Familiarity with process simulation and hydraulic tools (e.g., Aspen HYSYS, ProMax) for development of PFDs and validation of system requirements.
Spanish language skills are a plus but not required.

Responsibilities

Serve as the technical lead for proposal and front-end engineering efforts, ensuring alignment between conceptual design, commercial strategy, and execution requirements.
Provide expert-level mechanical and facilities engineering guidance, ensuring designs meet industry codes, Solar standards, and customer expectations.
Define and govern the mechanical design basis for complex facilities, including identification and mitigation of technical, operational, and constructability risks.
Lead development, review, and approval of key engineering deliverables, including PIDs, layouts, one lines, block diagrams, and equipment specifications.
Apply advanced engineering judgment in ambiguous, early-stage design environments, balancing code compliance, operability, cost, and schedule.
Act as a technical mentor and reviewer, elevating engineering quality and consistency across the team.
Provide leadership in capturing and applying lessons learned from project execution to continuously improve proposal quality and technical standards.
Support fast-paced proposal efforts while maintaining technical rigor and defensibility; periodic travel as required.
Lead development and review of facility-level engineering deliverables, including PFDs, P&IDs, general arrangements, piping layouts, and 3D models.
Define and specify mechanical systems and equipment.
Establish and validate design philosophies and system operating strategies in coordination with process, controls, and electrical disciplines.
Provide oversight and technical review of pipe stress analysis and mechanical calculations.
Leverage process simulation outputs to validate system design and ensure compliance with Solar fuel and seal gas requirements.
Ensure designs are constructible, maintainable, and aligned with modularization and standardization strategies.
Act as the Technical authority for Solar’s modular gas compression standard offerings.
Lead preparation of RFQs and technical requisitions for major mechanical equipment.
Serve as the technical authority in vendor evaluation, bid clarification, and selection processes.
Review and approve vendor drawings, calculations, and documentation for compliance with project and company requirements.
Engage key suppliers to drive technical alignment and mitigate delivery or performance risks.
Act as a central technical interface across engineering, proposal management, quality, procurement, fabrication, and construction teams.
Engage directly with customers and suppliers to support technical clarification, solution development, and issue resolution.
Influence multidisciplinary teams to ensure consistent and aligned engineering outcomes.
Directly contributes to proposal win quality, project execution success, and long-term product and system improvement.
Drives early identification and mitigation of technical, commercial, and execution risks, improving predictability and performance across project lifecycles.
Acts as a key contributor to standardization, modularization, and cost optimization initiatives, strengthening Solar’s competitive position.
Provide technical leadership and authority for complex facilities and BOP systems.
Deliver safe, operable, and cost-effective engineering solutions aligned with customer and business objectives.
Establish clear design basis and defensible technical decisions during front-end engineering.
Identify and drive opportunities for cost reduction, risk mitigation, and standardization.
Mentor and elevate engineering capability across the organization.
Ensure accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of engineering deliverables.
Contribute to continuous improvement of standards, tools, and engineering practices.