Principal Mechanical Engineer

Kiewit • Lenexa, KS

9d • Onsite

About The Position

As a Principal Mechanical Engineer in our power group at Kiewit, you will serve as a technical authority for the mechanical engineering scope of complex power projects. You will guide safe, constructible, cost-effective designs for greenfield and brownfield facilities, including simple-cycle and combined-cycle generation, cogeneration, and other evolving power technologies. Your work will shape the balance of plant systems and mechanical packages that make reliable power generation possible. You will provide mechanical guidance and expertise across pursuits, feasibility studies, and front-end engineering. You will also support detailed design efforts including procurement, construction support, commissioning and startup. Key functions of the role will be performing technical risk assessments, independent design reviews on high-risk designs and troubleshooting field issues. At Kiewit, designs become facilities built by one of the industry's largest self-perform contractors. This is an opportunity to provide principal-level technical leadership, mentor engineers and designers, improve mechanical standards, and help deliver next-generation power infrastructure across North America. Kiewit Engineering Group, Inc. is a full-service consulting and engineering firm serving infrastructure and industrial markets. Our engineers and design professionals work across major disciplines and bring construction focused engineering to projects from development and owner's engineering through detailed design, procurement, construction management, plant services, and commissioning. Our Power district includes civil, structural, piping, mechanical, process, electrical, and instrumentation and controls disciplines. We bring projects to life across North America in gas-fired generation, power delivery, environmental retrofits, renewables and new technologies, and water/wastewater. Our teams collaborate closely with Kiewit's construction organization to develop safe, cost-effective, innovative designs that achieve client expectations and support reliable project delivery.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline from an ABET-accredited four-year college or university is required.
• At least 15 years of mechanical engineering and plant design experience in power generation is required, including substantial experience with power plant mechanical systems, piping, and equipment layout.
• Demonstrated experience leading the mechanical scope of greenfield and/or brownfield utility-scale power projects through conceptual design, detailed engineering, procurement, construction support, and startup or commissioning.
• Deep technical knowledge of power plant systems and balance-of-plant equipment, including simple-cycle and combined-cycle arrangements, steam cycles, HRSGs, boilers, condensers, cooling systems, water treatment, fuel systems, and plant utilities.
• Strong experience with rotating and static equipment, including combustion turbine generators, steam turbine generators, pumps, heat exchangers, cooling towers, compressors and blowers, tanks, pressure vessels, and packaged equipment.
• Proven ability to prepare, interpret, and approve P&IDs, equipment datasheets, mechanical specifications, plant layouts, equipment arrangements, piping layouts, calculations, and procurement packages.
• Extensive knowledge of applicable mechanical codes and standards, including ASME B31.1, ASME B31.3, ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, NFPA, AWWA, applicable plumbing codes, and project-specific requirements.
• Experience applying engineering judgment to equipment sizing, hydraulic and pressure-drop evaluations, piping flexibility and thermal expansion, plant layout, equipment access, operability, maintainability, and constructability.
• Current Professional Engineer (PE) license; must be able to sign and seal work when required by the project and governing jurisdiction.
• Experience working within an EPC, design-build, or owner's engineering delivery model, with a strong understanding of construction, commissioning, startup, performance testing, and field execution.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, mentor engineers and designers, coordinate with clients and vendors, present technical information, and resolve difficult engineering and system integration issues.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the organization, time management, and attention to detail needed to manage multiple priorities and meet commitments.
• Demonstrated commitment to safety, quality, ethics, integrity, teamwork, and constructible design; able to work independently while contributing effectively to a high-performing project team.
• Willingness and ability to travel within the United States as required by project and business needs.

Nice To Haves

• Preferred experience with 3D plant design, P&ID, and engineering calculation tools such as SmartPlant, MathCAD, AFT Fathom/AFT Arrow, or equivalent applications.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the mechanical discipline technical authority and/or Mechanical Engineering Lead for EPC power projects, accountable for technical execution, deliverable quality, constructability, safety, and compliance with project scope, schedule, and budget.
• Lead or oversee mechanical engineering from proposals, feasibility studies, and front-end engineering through detailed design, procurement, construction support, commissioning, startup, performance testing, and as-built documentation.
• Establish and approve mechanical design criteria, system descriptions, design bases, engineering execution plans, equipment lists, line lists, mechanical load and auxiliary power estimates, and discipline deliverable plans.
• Direct the design and integration of plant and balance-of-plant systems, including gas turbine and steam turbine interfaces, HRSGs and boilers, steam cycles, boiler feedwater and condensate, cooling water, water treatment, fuel gas and fuel oil, compressed air, hydrogen, chemical systems, drains and vents, and plant utility systems.
• Perform or approve sizing calculations and specifications for major equipment and packages, including combustion turbine generators, steam turbine generators, HRSGs, boilers, condensers, cooling towers, pumps, heat exchangers, compressors and blowers, tanks, pressure vessels, and water treatment equipment.
• Develop and review P&IDs, equipment datasheets, mechanical specifications, general arrangements, piping layouts, 3D model interfaces, and procurement packages for mechanical systems and components.
• Optimize plant layout and piping routes using process diagrams, site constraints, access, operations, maintenance, safety, lifting and removal requirements, thermal expansion, and future expansion considerations.
• Oversee piping flexibility and thermal stress reviews, pipe support design, valve and in-line specialty selection, insulation requirements, and mechanical interface reviews; apply applicable ASME, NFPA, AWWA, plumbing, and project-specific codes and standards.
• Prepare technical scopes of work, RFQ packages, bid evaluations, recommendation summaries, and vendor coordination plans for major equipment and mechanical packages.
• Review and approve vendor drawings, calculations, data sheets, deviations, and equipment documentation for compliance with project requirements, specifications, codes, and applicable company standards.
• Lead model reviews, constructability workshops, value engineering, design risk reviews, and field walkdowns; incorporate construction and operations feedback into practical, cost-effective engineering solutions.
• Provide technical support to construction, commissioning, startup, and performance testing teams, including resolution of RFIs, design changes, nonconformances, equipment issues, and system integration challenges.
• Check and approve key mechanical deliverables, supplier drawings and data, material specifications, design changes, change orders, construction documents, and as-builts; sign and seal work when licensed and required by the project or jurisdiction.
• Lead technical content for proposals and pursuits, including client interviews, technical strategies, scope development, alternatives evaluations, capital and life-cycle cost input, and technical presentations.
• Provide technical mentoring, coaching, and training to engineers and designers; establish and improve mechanical engineering standards, tools, and best practices.
• Represent Kiewit in professional organizations and industry forums, monitor trends in power generation and decarbonization, and contribute to the growth of Kiewit's Power mechanical engineering practice.
• Travel to client, vendor, construction, and project sites in the United States as required, with frequency dependent on project phase and location.

Benefits

• top-tier medical, dental and vision plans covering eligible employees and dependents
• voluntary wellness and employee assistance programs
• life insurance
• disability
• retirement plans with matching
• generous paid time off

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior