Principal Process Engineer

Manchester, England, United Kingdom

7/21/2025

Job Description

We are seeking to recruit a Lead/Principal Process Engineer to work within a multi-disciplinary team delivering projects in our Natural Resources Sector with a focus on our Energy projects. This may cover a range of projects from Concept Studies through to detailed design.

A Principal Process Engineer will normally be the most senior engineer of his discipline on a particular project with overall accountability for delivering the process engineering aspects of the project and providing technical leadership. The role reports to the Head of Process Engineering.

The role will be based at the Costain Aberdeen Office with an expectation of office-based working for at least two days per week - our informal dynamic working policy allows all employees to discuss and agree flexibility to where, when and how they work based on individual preferences and subject to role requirements and team needs.

Flexibility required for site visits, design reviews and client meetings, mainly within the Northwest region. Support and guide more junior team members. Challenge and deliver value engineering solutions. Confident and authoritative in front of clients.

Responsibilities

As a client facing Principal Engineer, your responsibilities will involve:

• Responsibility for Process Engineering discipline technical input for projects and/or proposals; including preparation, checking and/or approval of engineering documentation.
• Organising discipline staff allocated to the project, allocating work and ensuring delivery against plan.
• Production of high-quality engineering deliverables to schedule, budget and client satisfaction
• Ensuring all applicable national and international codes of practice, legislation and company/client standards and procedures are complied with.
• Reviewing supplier’s quotations and preparing technical bid assessments
• Representing the Process Engineering in discussions and meetings with client, vendors and third parties.
• Proactive liaison with other engineering disciplines to ensure integration of Process Engineering design requirements into the overall engineering design.
• Offering advice and support to colleagues and subordinates on development needs taking into account work activities, learning ability and circumstances including mentoring and developing graduates and less experienced engineers.
• Displaying Costain values and behaviours, and commitment to the highest standards of safe and ethical behaviour, to ensure safe and reliable operations and client satisfaction.
• Ensuring personal compliance with current company policy, relevant legislation and company and client’s requirements for Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental matters and work in such a manner not to cause personal harm or injury to fellow workers, client and subcontractor employees or the environment.
  
  

More Specific Tasks Include

• To communicate to team members the project objectives and execution strategies and provide training as required on company workflow, methods and business systems.
• Developing discipline programme activities/deliverables and interdependencies
• Planning for adequate resources; monitoring and reporting design progress and man-hour usage to the project management team.
• Optioneering assessments, defining scopes of work, supporting estimates and business development.
• Providing advice and guidance on specialist discipline matters relating to nuclear sector requirements, regulations, latest technologies and industry best practice.
• Supporting the Project Manager in identifying change, progress reporting, tracking of issues, risks and resolutions
• Supporting the Head of Process Engineering in delivering the company performance management process including setting objectives, assisting colleagues and subordinates in achieving their objectives, conducting performance reviews of team members where delegated and/or providing feedback on team member performance to their line managers.
• Supporting the Head of Process Engineering in technical development of the function.
  
  

Qualifications

• Degree in Chemical Engineering
• Minimum Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering or related fields, or Master's
• would be preferred.
• 5-10 years of experience within the Energy Industry with an emphasis on pre-feasibility and feasibility studies.
• Minimum of 5 years' experience with process modelling tools like UniSim, HYSYS, ASPEN Plus, VMGsim
• Significant experience in chemical/process engineering design experience for chemical plants
• Significant experience in an engineering consultancy/contracting environment.
• Good knowledge and experience of oil and gas and energy industry sector working practices and industry standards
• Extensive knowledge of UK legislation and standards
• Awareness of risk identification, quantification, management and of HSE requirements
• Experience in the full engineering project lifecycle including.
• Development of process design deliverables including Process Flow Diagrams, Heat and Material Balances, Process Design Philosophies, P&ID’s, Process Line List, Cause & Effect’s, Process Equipment & Instrument specifications, Relief and Blowdown calculations.
• Technical safety & environmental knowledge and experience including HAZID, HAZOP and SIL Classification using LOPA.
• Technical Risk Management.
• Commercial Awareness.
• Proactive, self-motivated and solutions biased.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Effective communicator.
• Strong technical writing skills.
• Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Word and Excel.
  
  

About Us

Costain helps to improve people’s lives with integrated, leading edge, smart infrastructure solutions across the UK’s energy, water, transportation and defence markets. We help our clients improve their business performance by increasing capacity, improving customer service, safeguarding security, enhancing resilience, decarbonising and delivering increased efficiency. Our vision is to be the UK’s leading smart infrastructure solutions company. We will achieve this by focusing on blue chip clients whose major spending plans are underpinned by strategic national needs, regulatory commitments, legislation or essential performance requirements. We offer our clients leading edge solutions that are digitally optimised through the following five services which cover the whole lifecycle of their assets: future-shaping strategic consultancy; consultancy and advisory; digital technology solutions; asset optimisation and complex programme delivery. Our culture and values underpin everything we do.

Costain appreciate the time and effort taken when applying for one of our positions but, due to the high volume of responses, we are unable to provide individual feedback on candidates at application phase.

We do share individual feedback following an interview .

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that disclose they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer.

It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people.

For more details please go to the Disability Confident website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/disability-confident-campaign