Senior Project Engineer

Airgas•Radnor, PA

23d

About The Position

The Senior Project Engineer manages the end-to-end technical delivery of small capital investment projects valued at less than $30 million USD within Airgas Merchant Gases. Serving as the central technical integrator, the role leads facility design from conceptual front-end engineering design (FEED) through execution and handover, meeting safety, budget, quality, and schedule standards. The engineer applies engineering strategies to address complex challenges, identifies risks, and develops contingency plans, while providing independent technical support across the project portfolio to promote operational safety, reliability, and compliance with standards. The position is location-flexible in the United States, with primary hubs in Radnor, Pennsylvania; Houston, Texas; and Independence, Ohio. Proximity to one of these locations or residence near a major commercial airport is preferred. The role requires approximately 30–40% cyclical travel to project and plant sites nationwide. The Senior Project Engineer collaborates during early opportunity evaluation to define technical solutions aligned with capital and operating expenditure targets. The role leads preparation and maintenance of foundational engineering documents, including the Project Basis of Design, Site Data Sheet, and Block Flow Diagram; develops scopes of work and FEED requests for proposals; coordinates discipline authorities and subject matter experts; leads design reviews; and represents the owner in oversight of external engineering firms. It also supports procurement, equipment testing, field issue resolution, pre-startup safety reviews, punch-list closeout, as-built documentation, and asset turnover. The engineer applies multidisciplinary expertise across civil and structural, mechanical, process piping, cryogenic, electrical, instrumentation, and process automation engineering. Relevant process knowledge includes industrial gas production, especially cryogenic air separation, carbon dioxide purification and liquefaction, and VSA/PSA adsorption. The position calls for sound owner-focused engineering judgment, strong communication and stakeholder leadership, mentoring of Project Engineers, and the ability to balance safety, quality, cost, technical performance, and long-term asset reliability.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical, Chemical, or Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience.
At least 7 years of experience in continuous-process plant design or capital projects.
At least 5 years of experience in industrial gas, cryogenic separation, or petrochemical industries.
Comprehensive understanding of civil/structural, mechanical, process piping, cryogenics, electrical, instrumentation, and process automation engineering disciplines.
Strong theoretical and practical knowledge of industrial gas processes, including cryogenic air separation units, carbon dioxide purification and liquefaction, and non-cryogenic VSA/PSA adsorption.
Demonstrated expertise sizing, evaluating, and commissioning heavy machinery, including multistage centrifugal and integrally geared compressors, reciprocating compressors, cryogenic pumps, ambient vaporizers, and cryogenic tanks.
Strong working knowledge of industry standards and statutory codes, including ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII, ASME B31.3, CGA standards, NFPA 55, and NFPA 70 (NEC).
Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate complex technical concepts across plant, contractor, and executive audiences.
Ability to exercise sound engineering judgment as an owner's representative, balancing technical performance, cost efficiency, safety, and long-term asset reliability.
Influential leadership, results orientation, interpersonal capability, conflict resolution, and collaborative stakeholder engagement skills.
Demonstrated accountability, ownership, initiative, structured analytical thinking, adaptability, and ability to influence cross-functional teams without formal authority.
Proficiency in Google Workspace, Bluebeam Revu, Smartsheet, Autodesk Navisworks, and AutoCAD.
Willingness to travel approximately 30–40%, depending on project locations.

Nice To Haves

Experience as an Owner’s Representative managing external EPCm contractors and stage-gate reviews.
Professional Engineer (PE) license.

Responsibilities

Embed safety-by-design principles throughout engineering lifecycle stages and enforce project safety protocols.
Align project development and execution with organizational guidelines, technical rules, and regulatory codes.
Partner with IRM on Project Risk Identification; participate in PHA/HAZOP and LOPA reviews and track resulting actions and safeguards to closure.
Maintain quality control over technical documentation and modular equipment; lead engineering capitalization evaluations and capture lessons learned.
Collaborate with business development and management during early opportunity evaluation to define technical solutions aligned with CAPEX and OPEX targets.
Lead creation, formalization, and maintenance of the Project Basis of Design, Site Data Sheet, and Block Flow Diagram.
Develop detailed scopes of work and FEED requests for proposals for internal teams or third-party engineering contractors.
Assign and coordinate Design Authorities and Subject Matter Experts across disciplines to validate technical solutions.
Evaluate system integration, lifecycle costs, technical feasibility, and impacts on plant operations.
Lead mandatory formal design reviews.
Represent the owner with third-party engineering firms; manage requests for information, evaluate change-order requests, and track deliverables.
Apply design-to-cost, minimum essential philosophy, and value engineering to improve capital efficiency without compromising safety or quality.
Perform technical evaluations for requests for quotation, qualify supplier Inspection Test Plans, manage spares, and oversee factory and site acceptance testing for major equipment.
Resolve site requests for information and non-conformances with field teams; support pre-startup safety reviews, punch-list resolution, and as-built documentation for asset turnover.
Monitor technical deliverable schedules and budgets, manage change-control workflows, and mitigate risks to project baselines.
Communicate complex technical concepts, facilitate design reviews, and provide milestone reporting to stakeholders and leadership.
Mentor Project Engineers and team members, and help improve engineering standards, process knowledge, and contractor oversight.
Establish engineering standards, update internal quality assurance processes, and troubleshoot non-standard technical failures.