Principal Process Engineer – Gas Processing Facilities
Onshore Gas Infrastructure | Long-term Contract | Outside IR35 | Leading Engineering Consultancy | Competitive Rate
The Opportunity
We're recruiting a Principal Process Engineer to deliver process engineering on onshore gas processing facility projects. You'll provide senior technical direction on engineering design projects, working with full technical authority on process discipline matters and delivering complex process engineering scope.
Contract Details: Outside IR35 | Long-term contract | Competitive rate |
This is hands-on technical delivery work at senior level. You'll execute process engineering design, perform own design work, approve discipline deliverables, and represent process engineering in technical discussions with clients and vendors. Your expertise in gas processing technology and process engineering design directly drives project delivery and technical quality.
What You'll Be Doing
Process Engineering Design & Delivery
- Execute process engineering scope of work on allocated projects
- Perform own design work and check work by others
- Develop and approve project process engineering deliverables when authorised by the Technical Authority
- Ensure compliance with company standards, client requirements, and relevant codes and standards
Technical Design Responsibility
- Develop Process Design Basis and Scope of Work
- Develop Heat and Material Balances and Process Flow Diagrams
- Develop Process Design Philosophies and Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs)
- Size and specify Process requirements for Unit Operations, Major Equipment, Utility Equipment, Equipment Packages and Piping
- Apply Process Simulation for design analysis and optimisation
Safety & Risk Management
- Lead Hazard Studies including HAZID and HAZOP
- Functional Safety Management including SIL Classification using LOPA
- Relief and Blowdown calculations to company and industry standards
- Technical Risk Management and mitigation
Project Coordination & Integration
- Represent Process Engineering in technical discussions with clients, vendors and third parties
- Work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary project teams
- Liaise proactively with other engineering disciplines
- Ensure integration of process requirements into overall engineering design
- Develop programme activities, deliverables and interdependencies
Technical Quality & Compliance
- Ensure discipline quality standards are maintained
- Monitor and report design progress and resource usage to project management
- Ensure personal compliance with company policy, relevant legislation, and Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental requirements
- Work in manner that prevents harm to self, colleagues, clients, subcontractors and environment
About You
Essential Experience & Qualifications
- First degree in Chemical Engineering
- Minimum 15+ years' process engineering experience
- MUST HAVE: Significant onshore gas processing facility design experience - proven track record in gas reception, gas treatment, underground gas storage, or equivalent gas processing technology
- MUST HAVE: Substantial FEED and EPC project experience - demonstrated delivery on major engineering and procurement projects
- Expert-level knowledge of:
- Gas Processing Technology and Compression systems
- Process Simulation tools and applications
- Heat and Material Balance development
- Process Flow Diagrams and P&ID development
- Hazard Studies (HAZID, HAZOP)
- Functional Safety Management and SIL Classification
- Relief and Blowdown calculations
- Technical Risk Management
- UK regulatory environment and relevant industry codes/standards
- Chartered Engineer status (MIChemE or FIChemE) — Preferred
- Recognised SHE Competence Card (CCNSG or CSCS)
Essential Personal Qualities
- Proactive and self-motivated
- Solutions-biased approach to technical challenges
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Excellent technical writing ability
- Proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel
- Commercial awareness
- Comfortable with travel to company, supplier or client offices/sites for business purposes
Advantageous Experience
- Engineering consultancy or contracting environment background
- Experience in other relevant sectors (LNG, petrochemicals, CCS, etc.)
The Role in Practice
You'll be allocated to specific engineering design projects, where you'll deliver process engineering design from concept through to detailed design. Your work combines technical design (developing process design basis, P&IDs, heat/material balances, equipment specifications), safety-critical analysis (HAZOP, SIL classification), and collaborative coordination with other engineering disciplines.
You'll represent process engineering in technical discussions with clients and vendors, ensuring process requirements are understood and integrated into overall project delivery. You'll approve process engineering deliverables when authorised by the Technical Authority, and you'll monitor and report on discipline progress, technical quality, and resource usage to project management.
This is senior technical delivery work - you're performing complex process engineering design work, not managing people or large teams. You're the technical authority on process discipline matters for your assigned projects.
Why This Role
Technical Depth: Gas processing facility design is specialist, technically rigorous work. This is genuine process engineering at senior level.
Project Scale: Working on major FEED and EPC projects means substantial technical challenges and portfolio diversity - not repetitive work.
Technical Authority: You have full authority to act as the lead process engineer for your discipline on projects. Real technical decision-making power.
Industry Criticality: Gas processing infrastructure is essential. Your design work directly impacts project delivery and operational performance.
Long-term Engagement: Long-term contract on allocated projects provides stability and genuine project ownership.
Commercial Awareness: You're not just designing in isolation - you're aware of commercial drivers and participate in discussions with clients and vendors.
