Principal Engineer, Energy Solutions

Senior Process Engineer

Tract Capital seeks a Senior Process Engineer to join our dynamic team. The ideal candidate will bring extensive experience in process safety and process engineering, with a focus on behind-the-meter (BTM) power solutions supporting large-scale data centers.

Responsibilities

• Define process safety strategy and lead process hazard analyses (PHA) such as HAZOP, HAZID, What-If, and LOPA.
• Ensure Tract’s BTM assets are safe, compliant, auditable, and repeatable across campuses.
• Develop and maintain process design standards and methodologies for BTM solutions, including reciprocating gas engines (RICE) and turbines, fuel cells, and associated balance-of-plant, fuel-gas supply and conditioning, exhaust and emissions treatment systems, ventilation, and cooling interfaces and ancillary process skids.
• Establish risk acceptance criteria and ensure recommendations and action items have clear owners, due dates, and are driven to closure.
• Coordinate with controls, electrical, and mechanical teams to translate PHA outcomes into safeguards, alarms, trips, and procedures.
• Embed process safety in design, commissioning, and operations, driving inherently safer design by influencing layout, equipment selection, relief and vent systems, and segregation/containment strategies.
• Support development of cause-and-effect matrices, safety instrumented functions (SIFs), and SIL classifications where applicable.
• Provide process safety input to commissioning plans, PSSRs, and readiness reviews before startup.
• Partner with EHS and environmental teams to provide process safety content for permits and regulatory interfaces.
• Ensure process safety practices and documentation are audit-ready, including PHA records, action tracking, MOC history, and training evidence.
• Develop expectations for normal, abnormal, and emergency operating procedures, and partner with Operations to embed these into runbooks, SOPs, and drills.
• Support and improve Management of Change (MOC) processes for process-impacting changes in design, controls, or operating strategy.
• Participate in incident investigations and root cause analyses (RCA); capture lessons learned and convert them into standard updates across the portfolio.
• Track and report leading and lagging process safety metrics (e.g., PHA completion, action closure, near misses) to drive continuous improvement.
• Visit construction and operating sites to observe field execution, verify design intent, and identify practical improvements in safety and operability.
• Build strong working relationships with engineering, construction, commissioning, operations, and EHS to ensure aligned decision-making on risk.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Safety Engineering, or closely related discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in process safety and/or process engineering in industrial environments such as power generation (gas-fired, CHP, or similar), oil & gas/midstream/LNG, petrochemical/refining, large-scale industrial or energy infrastructure.
• Demonstrated expertise in process safety and PHA, including hands-on experience planning and facilitating HAZOP, HAZID, and What-If studies, LOPA, and other quantitative/qualitative risk assessments.
• Direct experience with fuel-handling and generation-adjacent systems, such as reciprocating gas engines (RICE), turbines, or fuel cells, fuel-gas supply, pressure reduction/conditioning, and metering, exhaust and emissions control systems, ventilation, and combustion air.
• Strong understanding of risk assessment and risk tolerance/acceptance criteria, Management of Change (MOC), and how to drive mitigation actions to closure across project phases.
• Proven ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering, construction, commissioning, and operations teams to embed safeguards, alarms, and interlocks into design and control strategies, translate complex process safety concepts into clear requirements, procedures, training content, and field guidance.
• Ability and willingness to travel to project sites (including active construction and operating facilities) to support PHAs, field reviews, PSSRs, and incident investigations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with behind-the-meter or distributed generation solutions (e.g., engine plants, peakers, hybrid engine + BESS).
• Familiarity with relevant codes, standards, and best practices, such as CCPS process safety guidance, IEC 61511/ISA 84 (SIS/SIF), NFPA and API/ASME standards for combustion equipment, gas systems, and pressure relief.
• Experience working within PSM- or RMP-like process safety management systems or equivalent corporate frameworks.
• Professional certifications such as P.E. (Chemical/Process/Mechanical), CSP, CCPSC, or equivalent process safety credentials.
• Experience mentoring junior engineers or serving as PHA leader/facilitator of record.

Location

Work location is flexible to Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, Denver, CO, or Arlington, VA.

Travel

Regular travel, as needed, to offices as well as to meet with Vendors.

Benefits

Tract Capital offers competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits, including 100% employer-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401K program, standard paid holidays, and unlimited PTO.