Principal Pipeline Engineer

Principal Pipeline Engineer

Location: Houston, TX

Gulf Companies has served the global energy industry since 1953 by supporting the complete project lifecycle and developing valued business partnerships to ensure the success of the project. Our worldwide experience and multi-disciplined capabilities encompass all aspects of the Engineering, Procurement, Construction Management, Field Inspection, GIS Integrity, Staffing Services and more.

Seniority Level: Mid‑Senior Level

Employment Type:

Full‑time
Job Function:
Engineering and Information Technology
Industry: Oil and Gas

The Principal Pipeline Engineer handles medium, large and complex projects. They have wide latitude of technical authority with full work responsibilities, as well as limited administrative responsibilities, over a group of Pipeline Engineers and Designers. They may assign and review work of lower-level personnel, or function as the Lead Pipeline Engineer responsible for all discipline technical and scheduling matters pertaining to the assigned project.

Work is periodically reviewed by the Chief Pipeline Engineer for accomplishment of objectives.

• Function as the Lead Pipeline Engineer on smaller to mid-size projects.
• Oversee pipeline-related engineering work products (calculations, design, specifications, etc.).
• Maintain a good understanding of oil and gas pipeline design practices, project planning and cost control requirements and procurement procedures.
• Perform detailed design of gas or liquids pipelines (both preferred).
• Provide technical leadership to lower-level engineers.
• Prepare engineering training materials.
• Serve as interface between engineering teams, management and clients.
• Ensure all engineering work complies with applicable regulations, codes and Gulf procedures.
• Prepare or review discipline project specifications independently.
• Review the discipline scope of work to ensure it matches project specifications and/or proposal documents.
• Provide quality control checks on pipeline engineering documents.
• Perform routing, ROW and workspace selection; conduct studies on construction techniques and economic feasibility. Coordinate with field and third‑party personnel (Environmental, Geotechnical, Survey).
• Be familiar with permitting requirements for pipeline design and construction.

• Typically 8+ years of experience in pipeline engineering, pipeline operations, or pipeline construction.
• Familiarity with all relevant codes and regulations.
• Knowledge of computer systems in an engineering environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• BS in Engineering.
• Professional Engineer (PE) certification preferred.

• Results oriented.
• Customer focused.
• Focused on accuracy and quality of work.

• Working conditions are normal for an office environment.
• Frequent sitting and operating a computer.
• Must be able to use body members to work, move or carry objects or office materials.
• Must be able to exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally.
• Physical demands are at levels of those for sedentary work.

Pipeline Engineering is a highly specialized group whose function is to provide design‑engineering service covering:

• Pipeline Equipment and Piping System Design – develop the optimum system based upon desired performance, space constraints, reliability, maintainability, flexibility and cost.
• Calculations
  • Wall Thickness
  • API 1102 for Highway Crossing and Railroad Crossing
  • HDD Design calculations
  • Roping Calculations or Minimum Bending Radius
  • Wheel Load Calculation
  • Hydrotest
  • Buoyancy Calculation
  • Reinforcement Calculation
  • Maximum Allowable Span Length
  • Field Bending
• Studies/Plans
  • Hydrotest Plan
  • Class Location Study
  • HCA Study
  • Stress Analysis, HDD Design
• Site Layouts and Plot Plans;
  Access Roads;
  Storage Yards – Determine location, size and arrangement of major Pipeline equipment – Launcher, Receivers, MLVs; access roads, storage yards
• Typical Tasks – Routing; ROW Selection (Perm and Temp);
  Workspace Selection; FERC Filing Process;
  Class Location Study; MLV Spacing for Gas Pipelines; MLV Spacing for Liquid Pipelines; MLV Location for…