Principal Structural Engineer

Job Title

Principal Structural Engineer – Design

Location

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Industry

Oil & Energy

Function

Civil & Structural Engineering

Experience

15–20 years in oil and gas structural engineering, detailed design, or EPC project leadership.

Job Type

Full‑time

Salary

38000-55000 (estimated)

Summary

The Principal Structural Engineer – Design leads FEED, detailed design, structural analysis, design verification, engineering coordination, and discipline execution across complex EPC projects, both offshore and onshore. The role converts project requirements into reliable calculations, specifications, technical reports, and engineering deliverables that meet client, code, safety, cost, and schedule expectations.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform conceptual, FEED, and detailed structural analyses and design in accordance with design basis, project specifications, design codes, and standards.
• Apply advanced structural engineering knowledge to solve complex problems, nonstandard design situations, and project execution challenges.
• Prepare accurate design calculations, analyses, design reports, procedures, specifications, and technical documentation.
• Manage assigned work priorities and forecast resource needs as Lead Engineer.
• Communicate structural concepts clearly and influence project stakeholders toward practical engineering solutions.
• Lead medium to large engineering teams when acting as Lead Engineer.
• Manage discipline engineering design for assigned work areas within agreed schedule, budget, standards, and professional quality expectations.
• Plan and direct discipline execution, including scope, deliverables, schedule, manpower resources, and coordination with the Discipline Manager.
• Ensure discipline interfaces, deliverables, engineering inputs, and design responsibilities are clearly identified and controlled.
• Maintain responsibility for engineering progress and productivity, identifying corrective actions where required.
• Represent the structural discipline in meetings with project teams, stakeholders, certifying authorities, auditors, and third‑party representatives.
• Train, mentor, and guide engineers and designers within the department.
• Assist and monitor MOPEX offices on project engineering activities where required.
• Coordinate with other engineering disciplines to obtain inputs needed for structural design development.
• Apply practical understanding of construction sites, fabrication yards, client requirements, and commercial project needs.
• Prepare bid inputs from sketching data, previous project experience, technical judgment, and scope understanding.
• Define scopes of work for engineering, construction, and fabrication yard activities.
• Provide engineering support during design, fabrication, construction, technical clarification, and project execution stages.
• Perform engineering checks of drafting work and review calculations prepared by others within the structural discipline.
• Carry out design verification through single‑discipline checks and support inter‑discipline checks.
• Prepare material take‑offs for structural scopes and support project quantity control.
• Prepare structural specifications, subcontract inputs, technical bid evaluations, and vendor data reviews.
• Coordinate and check the work of senior and junior engineers.
• Conduct peer reviews and provide specialist technical assistance when requested.
• Prepare structural analyses and calculation reports for complex structures, topsides, jackets, underground piping support, architectural elements, weight control, and centre‑of‑gravity requirements.
• Apply specialist knowledge across geotechnical design, steel structures, concrete structures, dynamic analysis, FEM, fatigue, earthquake design, blast design, hydrodynamics, and architectural structures.
• Use relevant structural design codes such as EC, ACI, AISC, API, GOST, and other applicable project standards.
• Check designs for operational requirements, constructability, maintainability, safety, and execution feasibility.
• Prepare project engineering guides and contribute to departmental technical improvement.
• Work as Lead Engineer on medium to large EPC projects when assigned.
• Control engineering work hours, materials, progress, deliverables, and discipline execution performance.
• Coordinate with the Design Coordinator, Project Manager, Project Engineering Manager, project controls, document control, procurement, QC, certification, subcontractors, vendors, and customers.
• Assist with deliverable control, schedules, progress reports, man‑hour estimates, and capital expenditure estimates.
• Manage design subcontrac