About this Role
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 client's basis of design and raising what is off before it reaches the field. In QDC's 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.
What You'll Do
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 client's 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 engineer's 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 client's 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 OpCo's 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
What You'll Bring
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 engineer's 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 builder's 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 (N+1, 2N) hydronic topologie
