Pipeline Design/Facilities Engineer, Natural Gas (remote)

Vitaver & Associates•Palm Beach, FL

15h•Remote

About The Position

This is a remote, temporary project position with an estimated duration of 12 months, potentially with extensions. The role involves performing and supporting pipeline design and engineering, as well as facilities engineering for natural gas transmission systems. The engineer will be responsible for ensuring designs comply with federal regulations and industry standards, supporting the design and specification of various facilities, reviewing engineering deliverables, and providing vendor surveillance. The position also requires support for cathodic protection systems, welding procedures, and material selection. Additionally, the role involves serving as a technical lead and owner's engineering representative for the planning, design, construction support, and operational integration of natural gas metering, regulating, and compression facilities. This includes leading engineering support for pipeline hubs, providing technical oversight for custody transfer metering, pressure regulating stations, and mainline valve assemblies, and ensuring SCADA system integration. The engineer will also review and approve multidisciplinary engineering deliverables from third-party firms and EPC contractors, and support construction planning, commissioning, and startup activities.

Requirements

Experience in pipeline engineering, facilities engineering, or pipeline construction support (7+ years)
Experience with natural gas transmission pipelines and station facilities, class location requirements, hydrotesting, welding, NDE, and CP fundamentals
Experience reading and interpreting engineering drawings, specifications, and field documentation
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Civil, or related Engineering discipline
Experience in natural gas pipeline facilities engineering, metering and regulating station design, or transmission system operations (7+ years)
Experience with natural gas transmission facilities, metering and regulating stations, pipeline interconnects, mainline valve assemblies, pig launcher and receiver systems, custody transfer measurement systems, pressure regulation systems, and pipeline SCADA and telemetry systems
Experience with natural gas transmission systems, pipeline hydraulics, custody transfer metering, pressure regulation and flow control, gas quality measurement, overpressure protection systems, pipeline automation and telemetry, SCADA integration, launcher and receiver operations, and pipeline operational flexibility
Experience with ASME B31.8, API standards, AGA measurement standards, PHMSA regulations, and SCADA and automation systems
Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline
Experience in natural gas pipeline compression engineering or major gas transmission infrastructure projects (10+ years)
Experience with solar gas turbine compression systems, GE/Baker Hughes compression systems, Caterpillar reciprocating engine systems, centrifugal and reciprocating compressors, pipeline compression operations, and pack-and-draft systems
Experience overseeing third-party engineering firms and EPC contractors
Experience with compressor station process design, pipeline hydraulics, surge control systems, compressor performance analysis, overpressure protection systems, industrial acoustics and noise mitigation, and pipeline throughput optimization
Experience with API 617, API 618, API 616, ASME B31.8, NFPA requirements, and PHMSA regulations
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related engineering discipline

Nice To Haves

Experience with hydraulic modeling software to establish flow performance parameters
Experience supporting M&R stations, CP systems, DCVG surveys, and start-up/commissioning
Experience participating in HAZOP or formal risk review processes
Experience with AutoCAD, alignment sheets, and pipeline data systems
Professional Engineer (PE) license or progress toward EIT certification
Experience with interstate pipeline systems and hub facilities
Experience supporting large-scale pipeline expansion projects
Experience with gas control operations and pipeline scheduling
Experience with ultrasonic metering and flow computer configuration
Experience overseeing third-party engineering firms and contractors
Professional Engineer (PE) license
Experience supporting interstate natural gas transmission systems
Experience with large-scale pipeline expansion projects
Experience with pipeline control room operations and SCADA systems
Experience with compressor station commissioning and startup operations
Professional Engineer (PE) license

Responsibilities

Perform and support pipeline design and engineering in accordance with applicable federal regulations and industry standards, including class location studies, MAOP verification, wall thickness design, and High Consequence Area evaluations.
Support the design, specification, and review of measurement and pressure regulation facilities, including meter runs, regulators, control valves, heaters, filtration, instrumentation, and overpressure protection systems.
Review P&IDs, equipment layouts, control philosophies, and vendor submittments, and support station tie-ins, start-up, commissioning, and in-service activities.
Provide vendor surveillance for major pipeline and station equipment, including shop inspection planning, oversight of Factory Acceptance Testing, and development and review of Inspection and Test Plans and Quality Control Plans.
Support materials selection for line pipe, fittings, valves, and coatings, and contribute to technical bid evaluations, clarifications, and award recommendations for engineered equipment and services.
Support development and review of welding procedures, welder qualifications, NDE methods, hydrotest section limits, test pressures, and procedures, resolving construction issues as needed.
Support cathodic protection system design and commissioning, coordinate and interpret DCVG/ACVG surveys, and ensure completeness of as-built drawings, alignment sheets, test records, and turnover packages.
Serve as the technical lead and owner's engineering representative for the planning, design, engineering oversight, construction support, and operational integration of natural gas metering and regulating facilities associated with interstate and intrastate pipeline systems.
Lead engineering support for the development of a natural gas pipeline hub connecting multiple pipeline systems, evaluating operating pressures, flow balancing requirements, and system hydraulics across interconnected pipelines.
Provide technical oversight for the design and operation of custody transfer metering stations, pressure regulating stations, gas filtration and separation systems, and overpressure protection systems, ensuring accuracy, reliability, and future expansion capability.
Oversee the engineering and design of mainline valve assemblies, automated block valve stations, emergency isolation systems, pig launcher and receiver facilities, and blowdown systems, ensuring operational pigging and pipeline integrity requirements are met.
Provide technical oversight for pipeline telemetry and SCADA system integration, reviewing RTUs, PLC-based control systems, communications infrastructure, alarm and shutdown philosophies, and ensuring compatibility with existing pipeline control systems.
Review and approve multidisciplinary engineering deliverables including P&IDs, facility layouts, instrumentation and control philosophies, civil and structural designs, and electrical systems from third-party engineering firms and EPC contractors.
Support construction planning, constructability reviews, FAT/SAT testing, commissioning, and startup activities for greenfield and brownfield facilities, while ensuring compliance with PHMSA regulations, ASME B31.8, API standards, and participation in PHA and HAZOP reviews.
Serve as the technical lead and owner's engineering representative for the development, design review, construction, commissioning, and operational integration of natural gas pipeline compression facilities.
Lead technical evaluation and provide final authority on key compression system design decisions including redundancy philosophy, surge control strategies, recirculation systems, and overpressure protection.
Review and approve EPC and third-party engineering contractor deliverables, maintaining oversight of compressor station layouts, piping systems, and mechanical system designs.
Support compression facilities that aggregate and balance gas flow from multiple interstate and intrastate pipelines, evaluating system hydraulics, compression staging strategies, and transient operating scenarios.
Lead the review of compressor station acoustical design and noise mitigation strategies, ensuring station and building designs meet regulatory requirements and minimize noise impacts to surrounding communities.
Review compressor control philosophies including anti-surge control systems, emergency shutdown systems, station automation, and SCADA integration, with technical oversight for electric motor and VFD applications.
Support project execution planning for greenfield and brownfield compression projects, participating in factory acceptance testing, site commissioning, startup, and performance testing activities.