Senior Engineer III, Mechanical, Projects

Phillips 66 • Houston, TX

1d • $180,900 - $221,100

About The Position

The Senior Engineer III, Mechanical, Projects role serves as a senior technical authority and owner’s engineer for fixed equipment and piping scope within the Projects organization for Refining. This role provides advanced technical assurance, strategic guidance, and business perspective across multiple projects, complex scopes, and key project decisions involving refinery fixed equipment, piping, materials, fabrication, inspection, and construction.

This position applies deep technical knowledge and broad practical experience to ensure that mechanical designs, specifications, vendor deliverables, fabrication approaches, and field execution plans are technically sound, safe, reliable, constructable, cost-effective, and aligned with Phillips 66 standards, business objectives, and Process Safety Management / Management of Change requirements.

This position is expected to operate with independence, influence, and organizational impact; resolve unusually difficult or high-consequence technical issues; coach and mentor engineers and project teams; and help improve mechanical engineering practices, standards, and execution quality across projects.

Requirements

• Legally authorized to work in the job posting country
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field
• 15 or more years of petrochemical, refining, or related industry experience
• Broad experience and understanding of plant maintenance, operating, reliability, inspection, turnaround, and project practices
• Deep technical expertise in fixed equipment and piping engineering, fabrication, materials, and construction practices associated with refinery or petrochemical projects
• Demonstrated ability to review and assess engineering work performed by others and provide clear, practical technical direction
• Strong understanding of front-end loading, detailed design, procurement, fabrication, construction, commissioning, and Management of Change processes for capital projects
• Ability to apply advanced technical expertise to solve complex problems while achieving broad business objectives
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence across project teams, sites, EPC contractors, vendors, and other stakeholders
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical issues to both technical and business audiences
• Personal discipline to balance short-term project needs with long-term safety, reliability, and business objectives
• Possess or ability to obtain TWIC card
• Possess a valid driver’s license
• Able to travel up to 30% of time domestically to Phillips 66 plants with potential for international travel to fabricators or contractors

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering
• Professional Engineer license
• Experience in design, fabrication, repair, and construction of fixed equipment and piping in refining or petrochemical facilities
• Experience reviewing work by EPC contractors, vendors, and third-party engineering firms
• Experience working for an EPC and or an owner/operator in project execution roles
• Experience with insulation, refractory, painting, and coatings
• Experience with various solids handling equipment such as conveyors, bucket elevators, and bridge cranes
• Experience with welding and welding engineering
• Strong working knowledge of applicable industry codes and standards for fixed equipment and piping
• Demonstrated ability to identify, communicate, and mitigate mechanical risk early in project development
• Recognized as a technical resource by peers and stakeholders beyond the immediate project team
• Ability to develop and communicate clear technical expectations, strategies, and lessons learned
• Demonstrated ability to mentor others, strengthen organizational capability, and improve execution quality across projects
• Ability to direct activities and priorities of others through influence
• Accepts ownership, is accountable, and delivers on commitments
• Drives company core values
• Encourages creativity, innovation, and continuous improvement

Responsibilities

• Serving as the owner’s engineer and senior technical resource for fixed equipment and piping scope on capital projects, with responsibility for technical assurance, quality expectations, and early risk identification.
• Providing mechanical technical leadership across multiple projects, complex scopes, or projects with significant technical, reliability, operability, cost, or schedule risk.
• Reviewing project scope, design basis, process conditions, design conditions, and execution strategies to confirm alignment with project objectives, site requirements, company standards, and applicable codes.
• Reviewing and approving key EPC, vendor, and fabricator mechanical deliverables to verify technical adequacy, constructability, completeness, and fitness for service.
• Establishing and reinforcing expectations for fixed equipment and piping quality across FEL, detailed design, procurement, fabrication, construction, pre-commissioning, and closeout.
• Leading resolution of complex or novel mechanical issues related to equipment design, metallurgy, corrosion, refractory, insulation, bolted joints, welding, inspection, repairs, piping flexibility, and field installation.
• Reviewing and consulting on equipment layout, piping routing, plot plan impacts, access, maintainability, operability, and constructability.
• Assuring appropriate design conditions, corrosion allowances, metallurgy selections, welding procedures, inspection requirements, and mechanical integrity considerations are incorporated into project designs.
• Performing or guiding bolted joint assessments and reviewing flange management strategies for critical service.
• Reviewing pressure vessel, exchanger, tank, piping, solids handling, and related mechanical packages for technical quality and alignment with project requirements.
• Providing technical input to contractor and vendor selection, fabrication strategy, inspection planning, shop surveillance, and quality hold points for critical equipment.
• Participating in design reviews, model reviews, constructability reviews, HAZOP / PHA interfaces, and issue-for-approval / issue-for-construction package reviews.
• Coordinating mechanical engineering aspects of Management of Change and helping ensure changes are technically justified, appropriately documented, and effectively implemented.
• Advising project teams on key mechanical risks, scope gaps, execution tradeoffs, and lessons learned so informed business decisions can be made early.
• Supporting development, improvement, and standardization of mechanical engineering work processes, refinery engineering practices, specifications, guidelines, and lessons learned.
• Coaching and mentoring project engineers, less experienced mechanical engineers, and EPC personnel on what good mechanical project execution looks like.
• Influencing decisions across disciplines and organizations without direct authority and aligning stakeholders around practical, value-adding solutions.
• Representing the mechanical discipline in broader business, site, corporate, or external technical forums as needed.
• Ensuring project scope and cost are controlled and that change is managed appropriately
• Establishing priorities, deliverables, and deadlines aligned with capital project strategies and business objectives.
• Successfully managing competing priorities and multiple assignments simultaneously while maintaining a long-term view of business value and technical quality.
• Accountable for managing time and commitments and for delivering clear, practical, and technically sound recommendations.

Benefits

• Annual Variable Cash Incentive Program (VCIP) bonus
• 8% 401k company match
• Cash Balance Account pension
• Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits with an annual company contribution to a Health Savings Account for employees on HDHP
• Total well-being programs and incentives, including Employee Assistance Plan, well-being reimbursement, and backup family care services

What This Job Offers

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