Startup Engineer

Job Summary

The Startup Engineer serves as the primary Client engineering representative that provides support to Operations, Maintenance, Construction, and other field support groups for a specific project or suite of projects. This is a key technical leadership position in assuring the business unit meets overall business goals and objectives for surface facilities performance and project integration.

Depending on the project(s) and the experience level of the engineer assigned, duties will vary. Upon deployment as a Startup Engineer, the incumbent shall meet with the Project Leader and the area Supervisor/Superintendent and the Site Facility or Remote Facility Engineer to determine specific duties.

Responsibilities

• Capital Projects Organization Requirements:
• Complete formal mechanical completions walk down for a designated system or sub system.
• Responsible for signing off on systems and ensuring the system, sub-system is mechanically complete.
• Responsible for signing the release for commissioning and ensuring the system or sub-system is ready for commissioning.
• Responsible for signing the Release for Startup by ensuring the system or subsystem is ready for operations.
• Work with Projects and Operations on system turnover. Specifically, work with the designated CPO Coordinator & FCO Supervisor to ensure proper sign offs are provided by O&M personnel in the Project Completion System.
• Provide the Construction Supervisor any forms that CPO/Operations need the installation contractor to complete. Examples are Rotating Equipment checklists and Vessel Closure forms.
• Management of Change Requirements:
• Create and manage the MOCs for all phases of operation - identify phases, create MOCs, and assign all tasks.
• Develop or refine Operating Procedures with the Project Operator including Commissioning and Startup procedures. Operating procedures may initially be developed by a PSM (process safety management) technical writer. Consult the Process Engineer, Pipeline Operator/Pipeline Coordinator (if applicable) and Facility Engineer as needed. The commissioning procedures shall include:
• Inerting/Purging
• Hydrocarbon/Process Commissioning
• Pressure Up – Ramp Up Procedure/Sequence of Events
• PHA of the non-continuous operating procedures (e.g. initial commissioning, pigging, etc.)
• Additional procedures as required by the project scope.
• Audit the PHAs and PPRs to ensure all issues are adequately addressed before equipment startup. Evaluate field changes to determine if they affect the PHA (changes are tracked by PCR, RFI, ECAR). Consider PHA/PSA for the step-by-step operating procedures.
• Automation Screens - Ensure that Automation has sufficient information to develop the IP21 screens and keep them informed of the schedule so they know when FCO will be taking place. Ensure that operator adjustable set-points are verified with the Board Operators and the Automation Engineers.
• All Process Safety Info - Startup Engineer should have an updated master set of Redlined P&IDs.
• Ensure Operators/ Craft Techs have required training for the new facility prior to startup. Ensure adequate training documents are prepared in addition to facilitating any required training sessions prior to start-up.
• Preventative Maintenance (PM’s)- Startup Engineer accountable, not directly responsible - ‘Who-to-do’ shall be determined and agreed upon with Operations prior to beginning of assignment as Startup Engineer. SIF’s have very specific PM requirements from ISA.
• Register any new chemicals onsite by completing the New Chemical Evaluation process with NSK Industrial Hygiene. This includes SDS submission.
• PSSR
• Verify system controller and alarm set points prior to startup.
• Prepare and maintain the PSSR or equivalent.
• Monitor documentation flow to ensure timely completion and turnover.
• Review P&ID redlines before the information is transferred to the final as-built drawing. The Start-Up Engineer should review the mark-ups for functionality and operability from a process point of view and for any impacts to critical safety devices and philosophies.
• Review vendor data to the extent possible and ensure it is uploaded against the correct functional locations.
• Product Structure Development in SAP - Master Equipment List - Review all RSPLs from the vendors and facilitate stocking levels and product structure development. ‘Who-to-do’ Product Structure development to be determined and agreed upon with Operations prior to beginning of assignment as Startup Engineer.
• Follow all punchlist/incomplete work items to completion until new facility is operating as desired by Operations.
• Communicate any open punch list items to the Site or Remote Facility Engineer prior to leaving the Start Up Engineer position.
• Provide Facility Engineering Relief
• Interface with Operations
• Regularly interface with the Facility Engineers and/or Operations Supervision as requested by Operations. Keep the Facility Engineers up to date on all issues which affect process, the HAZOP, or require significant engineering changes. Report metrics to the Operations Team as requested by Operations/Facility Engineering Supervision
• Other Tasks:
• There are several other tasks that need to be completed to integrate a project into an operating structure. The area Supervisor/Superintendent, area Facility Engineer, Startup Engineer, and Project Leader should meet to determine who will be responsible for executing tasks in the following section.
• Quality
• Participate in walk downs at the fab shop. and on-site, as appropriate.
• Coordinate with appropriate O&M personnel and Construction for final inspection of any equipment that has an entry point and any other activities that require buyoff by O&M personnel.
• Engineering Support
• Provide engineering technical support to Operations throughout the project
• Obtain all Specification Deviations for a project from the EPC contractor and review design against Client specifications if a specification question arises. Interface directly with Client and EPC project leads and the Project Operator to address operational concerns.
• Ensure a safe and timely start-up of the facility as the field technical expert during startup.
• Assist with any RFI’s - keep a full list (or have access to the full list) of changes and ensure that operations is kept aware of changes to the design.
• Understand environmental impacts including flow-backs for wells and flaring/venting during commissioning.
• Startup Spares - Product Structures and MSRs
• Accountable, not directly responsible. Lead the procurement process to identify vendor support, consumables used by operations, chemicals, start-up spares and critical spares required and create the BOMs/Purchase Orders to get them to the site. Who to do shall be determined and agreed upon with Operations prior to beginning of assignment as Startup Engineer.
• Vendor Support
• Support Ops Supervisor/CPO to coordinate vendor representative needs. Identify and work with the appropriate Maintenance Planner to create service PO’s for construction, start up, and commissioning vendor support.
• Operations Startup Plan
• Create an evergreen commissioning/startup plan for Operations. Even though CPO will maintain many of these documents for themselves, it is incumbent on Operations, and thus the Startup Engineer to ensure that a Startup Plan is developed from an operations perspective.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• 2 years of oil and gas industry experience including gas/oil production, gathering, separation & processing, chemical processing, refining, or related experience
• Bachelor's Degree or Higher in Engineering or Foreign Equivalent
• Ability to prioritize and execute multiple assignments in a changing environment
• Basic knowledge of Facility Engineering fundamentals including a working knowledge of Process Safety Management (PSM) and Management of Change (MOC)
• Basic knowledge of Industry Codes, Standards and Recommended Practices
• Current/valid driver's license
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Meeting Facilitation Skills - Able to focus a diverse team on a common direction and effective at conflict resolution
• Strong team leadership skills - Must be able to foster working relationships within numerous levels of the organization and other departments