Sr Lead Mechanical Engineer QDC
Houston, TX - USA
Job Summary
QISG leverages Quantas comprehensive resources to deliver collaborative solutions for our partners energy infrastructure needs. We use in-house talent expertise and resources to plan design engineer manage conduct maintenance on and construct projects.
Our turnkey service capabilities provide our customers with efficiency consistency attention to detail and safe execution. The QISG team brings together Engineering Safety Quality Material Procurement QA/QC Right-of-Way Acquisition Scheduling Environmental Planning Permitting Title and Land Management expertise that ensure outstanding results for our clients.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Senior Lead Mechanical Engineer is the mechanical discipline lead on the QDC Engineering team responsible for the technical completeness technical compatibility and buildability of mechanical scope on fast-track advanced technology projects. On these projects the major mechanical equipment water-side and air-side is typically owner furnished and contractor installed (OFCI) and Quanta installs the equipment and the interconnecting piping and connections that tie it together. The Senior Lead Mechanical Engineer therefore owns two things: the technical integrity of the interconnecting mechanical piping systems (chilled water condenser water technology cooling water fuel oil makeup water and related utility systems) and the integration of owner-furnished water-side and air-side equipment into those systems and the facility reviewing vendor data against the system design and the clients basis of design and raising what is off before it reaches the QDCs current delivery model the detailed design is performed by Quanta engineering OpCos and third-party engineers of record; the Senior Lead Mechanical Engineer provides technical oversight of that work sets and enforces QDC design criteria reviews calculations drawings and specifications and asks the questions the designer cannot: is the system complete does it work with the equipment and the rest of the project and will it flush test start up and operate the way the client expects. The Senior Lead Mechanical Engineer reports to the (Sr) Engineering Project Manager QDC supports all projects in the division works hand in hand with the Senior Lead Mechanical-Piping Designer and serves as the mechanical technical point of contact between Engineering Procurement Field Operations and the client from proposal and early engineering through detail design construction startup and commissioning. As the QDC Engineering team grows this position is expected to lead the mechanical discipline planning assigning and reviewing the work of QDC engineers and designers.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Piping Systems & OFCI Equipment Integration
- Develop and maintain QDC mechanical design criteria and the project basis of design for the interconnecting piping systems including system topology and redundancy design pressures and temperatures flow and head requirements piping materials and specifications valve and specialty requirements insulation and flushing cleaning testing and commissioning requirements
- Develop or review P&IDs flow diagrams hydraulic calculations pipe sizing pump and system curve checks expansion and makeup provisions and piping material and valve specifications for chilled water condenser water technology cooling water fuel oil and related utility systems; confirm the system delivers the flows pressures and redundancy the equipment and the client require
- Review owner-furnished mechanical equipment water-side (chillers cooling towers and dry coolers pumps heat exchangers CDUs and similar) and air-side (CRAHs fan walls air handlers and similar) against the piping system design the facility interfaces and the clients basis of design using vendor drawings data sheets performance curves connection schedules and installation requirements; identify mismatches in piping and coil connections condensate and drain provisions duct and plenum interfaces flows pressure drops capacities clearances rigging and sequencing and raise them to the client the OEM and the OpCos with recommended resolutions
- Understand and apply the piping engineers stress analysis anchor guide and support requirements to the system design and the structural and equipment interfaces and know where ASME B31 analysis is required without performing the analysis
- Prepare or review specifications data sheets and technical requisitions for contractor-furnished mechanical scope (piping valves specialties insulation pumps or skids where Quanta furnishes them) and lead technical bid evaluations and vendor submittal reviews for that scope
- Apply applicable codes and standards (for example ASME B31.1 B31.3 and B31.9 ASHRAE standards and the Datacom series IMC/UMC and NFPA 30 and 37 for fuel systems) and client design criteria; identify deviations requirements versus preferences and the risks of each
- Support proposals and early engineering with mechanical system concepts order-of-magnitude piping and equipment quantities long-lead item identification and technical narratives
Design Oversight Review & Quality
- Provide technical oversight of OpCo and third-party mechanical design from concept through IFC: review calculations P&IDs drawings specifications and models for technical completeness technical compatibility constructability procure-ability and compliance with codes and QDC and client criteria
- Understand and coordinate with the mechanical scope designed by others including white-space airflow containment and CFD cooling capacity selection controls and building management sequences plumbing and fire protection so the piping systems and equipment interfaces are compatible with them without performing that design
- Confirm scope compatibility with the electrical and civil-structural scope and with the clients operating and maintenance requirements; raise questions early and discuss and explore alternatives with the OpCos the client and the field
- Participate in and help lead design reviews constructability reviews model (30/60/90 percent) reviews and IFC readiness reviews for mechanical scope; document review comments track them to closure and verify their incorporation
- Perform quality reviews of mechanical deliverables against QDC checklists and standards and provide recommendations to the OpCos and the Engineering Project Manager
Engineering Construction & Procurement Coordination
- Facilitate communication coordination and document flow for mechanical scope among the client Quanta engineering OpCos field execution teams equipment OEMs and third parties
- Identify and remedy gaps between Engineering and Construction and between Engineering and Procurement; remove hurdles and resolve issues
- Coordinate owner-furnished equipment delivery connection and installation requirements with the client and OEMs so water-side and air-side equipment arrives matched to the piping ductwork pads foundations and electrical that will receive it
- Coordinate equipment locations piping routing pipe rack and support loads anchor and penetration requirements and underground conflicts with the civil-structural and electrical disciplines and with the field working through the Senior Lead Mechanical-Piping Designer
- Support procurement with technical requisitions bid evaluations vendor drawing and submittal review and long-lead item tracking for contractor-furnished scope; flag designs that are waiting on owner-furnished equipment data
- Support the Engineering Project Manager with scope definition deliverable lists engineering schedules work-hour estimates and status reporting for mechanical scope
Change RFI & Documentation Management
- Provide the technical response to construction RFIs field change requests and redlines for mechanical scope or direct the OpCos response and confirm the answer is carried into the P&IDs drawings and model
- Assess the technical impact of proposed changes including late changes to owner-furnished equipment on the piping systems hydraulics schedule and cost and provide that assessment so the project team can run the change through the formal QDC change process rather than by informal agreement
- Keep mechanical engineering documentation current in the project document management system (e.g. Procore) including design criteria calculations P&IDs equipment data and inputs to the project issue RFI and decision logs
- Document assumptions decisions and handoffs in writing so alignment is created by documentation rather than by meetings alone
Team Leadership Best Practices & Lessons Learned
- Lead the mechanical discipline as the QDC Engineering team grows: plan and assign engineering work review the work of QDC engineers and designers and be accountable for the technical quality and schedule of the mechanical engineering package
- Mentor engineers and designers (QDC or OpCo) review their work and help build the QDC mechanical design criteria and standards as the team grows
- Capture lessons learned during the project; lead root-cause reviews of mechanical RFIs rework and design gaps including owner-furnished equipment interface problems and record the methods that saved time or money
- Develop and refine QDC mechanical best practices design criteria standard specifications OFCI equipment review checklists and templates (including where to design in capacity for change in piping space and supports) and help roll them out to OpCos and project teams
- Identify scope design procurement and change risks early and raise them to the Engineering Project Manager with proposed mitigations in support of the Project Risk Wheel and project risk register
Field Support & Stakeholder Relations
- Travel to project sites to walk down installations verify field conditions and installed equipment and piping against the design resolve technical issues and support flushing cleaning pressure testing startup and commissioning
- Present design criteria alternatives and recommendations in front of the client OEMs OpCos and field leadership; represent QDC professionally in design reviews coordination meetings and site meetings
- Be willing to speak up and ask questions; bring potential project-related problems and possible solutions to the attention of the responsible party
- Take personal responsibility for the quality and accuracy of his or her work; perform other duties as assigned
EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION
Candidates from industrial power and EPC mechanical engineering backgrounds (petrochemical power generation utilities heavy industrial) with strong utility and cooling water piping system design and equipment integration experience are encouraged to apply. A mechanical systems engineer who owns P&IDs hydraulics and piping specifications understands pipe stress and equipment vendor data without being the specialist in either and has overseen or reviewed the work of other design teams is the expected profile; data center experience is preferred but not required.
- Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from an ABET-accredited program
- Minimum 10 years of mechanical engineering experience on large commercial industrial power mission critical or EPC projects including at least 5 years in a senior or lead engineer role
- Demonstrated experience designing or owning fluid piping systems (cooling water chilled water fuel oil utility or process systems) including P&ID development hydraulic calculations pump and system curve application and piping material and valve specification
- Demonstrated experience reviewing equipment vendor drawings data sheets and performance data (chillers cooling towers pumps heat exchangers air handlers skids or similar) and integrating that equipment into a piping system and facility design
- Working familiarity with pipe stress analysis pipe support and anchor design and ASME B31 requirements sufficient to apply a piping engineers results and know when analysis is required (performing stress analysis is not required)
- Experience reviewing and directing the work of other engineers designers or engineering firms including calculations drawings specifications and 3D models; able to navigate Revit Navisworks or an equivalent model review environment (modeling proficiency is not required)
- Working knowledge of the codes and standards that govern mechanical piping systems (for example ASME B31.1 B31.3 and B31.9 ASHRAE standards IMC/UMC and NFPA 30 and 37) and the ability to apply them and to explain deviations
- Practical understanding of how piping systems and mechanical equipment are procured fabricated rigged installed and started up in the field and of what makes a design constructable procurable and maintainable
- A builders mindset: motivated to help establish a new team and its standards comfortable working without a fully defined playbook and eager to create processes rather than only follow them
- Experience supporting construction RFIs submittal review field verification and startup in a fast-paced environment
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Bluebeam or similar markup tools and project document management systems
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills; comfortable collaborating with multiple disciplines and companies and explaining and defending design decisions to engineers OEMs field leadership and the client
- Detail-oriented and organized; able to deal with ambiguity work independently manage multiple projects and set priorities in a complex multi-party environment
Preferred Qualifications/Skills
- Professional Engineer (PE) license in Texas or a PE license in another state with the ability to obtain Texas registration by comity
- Data center or other mission critical facility experience (hyperscale colocation or enterprise) including chilled water and condenser water plants CRAH and fan wall systems redundant (N1 2N) hydronic topologies and fuel oil systems
- Liquid cooling experience including coolant distribution units technology cooling loops and direct-to-chip or rear-door heat exchanger systems
- Experience on projects with owner-furnished contractor-installed equipment including OEM coordination and equipment interface review
- Experience with flushing cleaning pressure testing startup and commissioning of piping systems and the requirements they place on the design
- Experience on multi-company design-build or EPC projects where scope was split among several contractors and engineering firms including oversight of an engineer of record
- Familiarity with hydraulic and system modeling tools (e.g. Pipe-Flo AFT Fathom) and with reading CAESAR II or equivalent stress analysis output
- Experience with Autodesk Construction Cloud/BIM 360 Procore and model-based design review workflows
- Field or construction background (mechanical contractor project or field engineer startup or commissioning engineer) on large industrial or commercial projects
- Experience developing design criteria standard specifications design checklists and lessons learned programs
Travel/Office Location
- Houston TX office-based position supporting QDC projects
- Occasional travel (up to 30%) to project sites Quanta OpCo offices OEM facilities and client meetings for design reviews equipment reviews field walkdowns RFI resolution and startup support
- Specific targeted multi-week site presence may be needed during critical equipment setting piping tie-in flushing and testing startup and commissioning phases
- Competitive Compensation
- Comprehensive Health Coverage - Multiple Medical dental & vision plans with 100% preventive care
- 24/7 telehealth (Teladoc)
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Company-funded HSA and pre-tax savings options
- 401(k) Retirement Plan
- No-cost Short- and Long-term Disability
- Employer-paid basic Life & AD&D Insurance
- Paid Time off (PTO) and 10 Paid Holidays
- Paid Parental leave
- Education Reimbursement and Professional Development
- Employee discount program and optional insurance offerings:
- Identity Theft Protection
- Accident Insurance
- Voluntary Life (spouse and child)
- Critical Illness
- Hospital Indemnity
- Pet Insurance
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race color religion national origin or ancestry sex (including gender pregnancy sexual orientation and/or gender identity) age disability genetic information veteran status and/or any other basis protected by applicable federal state or local law.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer including disability and protected veteran status.
We prohibit all types of discrimination and are committed to providing access and equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities. For additional information or if reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application interview or hiring processes or to perform the essential functions of a position please contact us the Companys Human Resources department.
Required Experience:
Senior IC
About Company
Quanta has built the largest craft labor force in North America by uniting over 200 operating companies to tackle the most complex infrastructure challenges in the world.