Subsea Pipeline Engineer

Role Summary

The Senior Subsea Pipeline Engineer is part of the Subsea, Civil, and Marine Engineering Team within the Chevron ENGINE Center, supporting Upstream Major Capital Projects and Base Business globally. The role focuses on installation engineering and offshore construction execution for rigid and flexible subsea pipelines, while also providing hands-on technical support for Base Business pipeline operational issues. This includes using engineering tools and software to perform installation analyses, mechanical and structural integrity analyses, such as finite element analysis, pipeline span assessments, global buckling, pipeline walking, dropped object impact evaluations, and other integrity-focused assessments that support safe day-to-day operations. The engineer is expected to translate installation constraints and offshore lessons into sound pipeline design and project decisions.

The role also provides design assurance, technical consulting, and pipeline engineering input across pre-FEED, FEED, detailed design, integrity management, life extension, remediation, and replacement scopes.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and review installation design basis, analysis reports, method statements, installation philosophies, engineering calculations, operating envelopes, and associated technical documentation.
• Perform and independently review subsea pipeline installation analyses for rigid and flexible pipelines using software such as OrcaFlex and where applicable Offpipe, covering S-lay, J-lay, and reel-lay installation on shallow and deepwater scenarios.
• Evaluate pipeline stresses, buckling, fatigue, installation feasibility and constructability, considering pipeline configuration, boundary conditions, environmental loading, seabed conditions, vessel limitations, installation tolerances, and sensitivity to key assumptions.
• Assess installation activities including initiation/laydown, abandonment and recovery, pull-in, lowering/landing, lifting and rigging, and installation fatigue.
• Review installation equipment and interface requirements, including tensioners, stingers or lay systems, reels, abandonment and recovery equipment, pull-in systems, installation aids, rigging arrangements, and subsea interfaces.
• Provide installation readiness and offshore campaign support, including constructability reviews, readiness assessments, management of change, resolution of field technical queries, review of installation deviations, and client representative oversight on contractor vessels when required. Bridge installation analyses to practical, safe, and executable offshore procedures.
• Support technical bid evaluations, contractor qualification, tender clarifications, installation-vessel and equipment assessments, and review of contractor deviations, exceptions, and proposed methodologies.
• Hands-on experience with tools/software to execute technical analyses (FEA, analytical modelling for pipeline spans, global buckling, walking, dropped object impacts, etc.) to support day-to-day pipeline operation issues with focus on pipeline integrity and safety.
• Apply Operational Excellence principles throughout design and execution; identify installation and offshore hazards; participate in risk, constructability, and readiness reviews; and ensure that proposed methods include practical aspects and contingencies.
• Define engineering scope, deliverables, technical risks and collaborate across pipeline, subsea systems, materials and welding, geotechnical, metocean, flow assurance, integrity, operations, and construction disciplines to manage technical interfaces.

Required skills

• You have at least 10 years of relevant subsea pipeline experience, with strong expertise in installation engineering and practical exposure to offshore construction, execution and operations of rigid and flexible pipeline systems.
• You have advanced hands-on experience using OrcaFlex for pipeline installation analysis and can independently establish, review, troubleshoot, and interpret installation models. You communicate technical assumptions, uncertainties, risks, and recommendations clearly and work effectively with project teams, contractors, vessel personnel, suppliers, and multidisciplinary stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience in subsea pipeline engineering, with substantial experience in the installation engineering of rigid and flexible pipelines and associated equipment.
• Demonstrated hands-on proficiency in OrcaFlex, including development, review, verification, and interpretation of pipeline installation analysis models.
• Experience preparing or reviewing installation analyses, method statements, and engineering procedures, with evidence of personally executing technical work rather than only coordinating or reviewing contractor deliverables.
• Preferred experience with loadout, transportation, mobilization, pre-commissioning, and associated construction and installation interfaces.
• Demonstrated understanding of pipeline capacity, acceptance criteria, limit states, buckling, fatigue, VIV, wave-induced behavior, stability, and the relationship between installation loads and in-service pipeline performance.
• Working knowledge of applicable subsea pipeline industry codes, standards, recommended practices, lessons learned, and engineering best practices.
• Working familiarity with OFFPIPE and applicable DNV engineering tools as complementary installation-analysis applications.
• Working familiarity with ANSYS or ABAQUS for relevant finite-element analysis applications is desirable.
• Proficiency in Mathcad and Microsoft Excel for engineering calculations, model checks, sensitivity assessments, data evaluation, and independent verification.