Mechanical Senior Piping Design Engineer

About the role

RINA is a global knowledge company where expertise travels across borders, disciplines, and industries. With a presence in more than 70 countries and 160 years of heritage, we turn individual know-how into collective progress. This position is based in Houston, TX within the Plant Engineering Division.

The Senior Piping Design Engineer leads and delivers advanced piping engineering activities for complex industrial and energy projects, ensuring technical excellence, compliance with applicable codes and standards, and effective integration with multidisciplinary engineering teams. The role is responsible for managing complex design scopes, guiding piping design engineers and designers, supporting project decision-making, and contributing to the continuous improvement of piping engineering practices, while ensuring safety, quality, schedule, and cost objectives are met.

Responsibilities

• Piping Engineering & Technical Leadership
  • Lead piping design activities for complex projects or critical project phases, ensuring technical quality, compliance with codes, and alignment with project requirements.
  • Define and validate plot plans, equipment layouts, and piping layouts considering safety, constructability, operability, and multidisciplinary interfaces.
  • Perform and/or review piping engineering studies, including stress and flexibility analysis in accordance with applicable standards (ASME B31 series).
  • Review 3D Models.
• Project Phases & Engineering Decisions
  • Contribute to and support feasibility studies, concept selection, FEED, basic and detailed design, and cost estimation activities.
  • Provide technical judgement and support decision-making on complex or critical piping design issues.
• Documentation & Quality Assurance
  • Supervise and validate piping technical deliverables, including design reports, specifications, MTOs, drawings, and construction/testing documentation.
  • Ensure compliance with company standards, regulatory requirements, and client specifications.
• Construction & Execution Support
  • Provide senior technical support during construction, installation, and testing phases.
  • Resolve complex layout, stress, and constructability issues arising during project execution.
• Team Guidance & Interfaces
  • Provide technical guidance, review, and mentoring to Piping Design Engineers, Junior Engineers, and Piping Designers.
  • Review and coordinate piping design activities performed by subcontractors or third parties.
  • Act as a technical interface with other disciplines, clients, vendors, and external partners.
• Continuous Improvement & Proposals
  • Support technical and commercial proposals and contribute to internal guidelines and procedures.
  • Promote innovation and continuous improvement in piping design methodologies and tools.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering or Mechanical Studies
• Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering or Mechanical Studies (preferred)
• About 6–10+ years of experience in piping design and engineering within industrial plants (oil & gas, power, chemical, refinery, petrochemical, LNG/LPG)
• Strong expertise in piping codes and standards: ASME B31.3, ASME B31.1, ASME B31.12, API, ISO, PED, NFPA
• Advanced proficiency in piping design tools (e.g., PDMS/E3D, SmartPlant 3D, AutoCAD Plant, NAVIS Software)
• Hands-on experience with stress analysis tools (e.g., Caesar II)
• Proven ability to interpret P&IDs and manage multidisciplinary inputs
• Strong technical judgement and problem-solving capability
• Ability to manage complex engineering scopes with limited supervision
• Effective communication with internal teams, clients, and external stakeholders
• Professional Engineer Licensure in a US state is required; Texas PE is preferred
• Experience in detailed facility and piping design for Tank and Terminal Storage Facilities

Competencies

• Domain & Business Acumen — Applying a scientific approach and critical thinking in operations and solution development within area of expertise.
• Foresight & Insight — Context awareness adopting a systemic perspective and informed decision making.
• Interpersonal Influence — Skills and strategies used to interact effectively with others.
• Personal Empowerment — Ownership for life, work and results, striving to grow professionally and personally.
• Workplace Dynamics — Resourcefulness in shaping progress and working efficiently.

Work environment

At RINA, your growth drives our innovation. We bring together engineers, inspectors, digital minds and specialists from more than 100 nationalities, creating an environment where diverse perspectives sharpen how we think, collaborate and deliver. Flexibility and respect drive how we work. We are committed to building a workplace where every person feels valued, empowered to develop their potential, and safe from discrimination or harassment of any kind.