Senior Project Engineer

At Airgas, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace that embraces the diversity of our employees, our customers, patients, community stakeholders and cultures across the world.Airgas is Hiring for a Senior Project Engineer!JOB SUMMARY: The Senior Project Engineer (Sr. PE) manages the end-to-end technical delivery of small capital investment projects (Additionally, the Sr. PE provides independent technical support across the portfolio to ensure operational safety, reliability, and standards compliance.

Location: Flexible / Primary Hubs (Radnor, PA | Houston, TX | Independence, OH)Work Arrangement & Travel: This position offers location flexibility across the U.S.

Proximity to one of the Airgas locations listed above or residence near a major commercial airport is preferred. Requires approximately 30-40% cyclical travel to project and plant sites nationwide.Key responsibilities include:Safety, Quality Assurance, GovernanceSafety Excellence: Embed safety-by-design concepts across all engineering lifecycle stages and enforce project safety protocols.Governance Standards: Align development and execution workflows with organizational guidelines, baseline technical rules, and regulatory codes.Risk Mitigation: Partner with IRM on Project Risk Identification (PRI); participate in PHA/HAZOP and LOPA reviews, tracking action items and safety safeguards to closure.Quality Continuous Improvement: Maintain quality control over technical documentation and modular equipment; lead engineering capitalization evaluations and capture lessons learned.Project Development PhaseSolution Strategy Development: Collaborate with business development and management during early opportunity evaluation to define technical solutions aligned with CAPEX/OPEX targets.Early Foundational Engineering Documents: Lead the creation, formalization, and maintenance of the Project Basis of Design (BoD), Site Data Sheet (SDS) Block Flow Diagram (BFD), ensuring alignment with customer specifications, process requirements, and site atmospheric/environmental conditions.Engineering Scope FEED Packages: Develop detailed Scope of Work (SoW) packages and FEED RFPs for internal resources or third-party engineering contractors.Detailed Design Engineering ManagementDesign Governance: Assign and coordinate Design Authorities (DAs) and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) across disciplines (Process, Mechanical, Civil, EI) to validate technical solutions.Technical decision-making: Rigorously evaluates system integration, life-cycle costs, technical feasibility, and plant operational impacts.Formal Design Reviews: Lead mandatory design reviews as required.Contractor Oversight: Act as Owners Technical Representative for third-party engineering firms; manage RFIs, evaluate request change orders (RCOs), and track deliverables.Design-to-Cost (DTC), Minimum Essential Philosophy (MEP) and Value Engineering (VE): Drive cost transparency, eliminate unnecessary project scope, and optimize capital efficiency without compromising safety or quality.Execution Handover to OperationsProcurement Support: Perform technical evaluations for RFQs, qualify supplier Inspection Test Plans (ITP), manage spares, and oversee FAT/SAT testing for major equipment.Field Support Handover: Resolve site RFIs and non-conformances with field teams; support PSSR, punch list resolution, and as-built documentation packages for asset Turnover.Cost, Schedule, Risk Control: Monitor technical deliverable schedules and budgets, manage change control workflows, and mitigate technical risks threatening baselines.Technical Knowledge ExpertiseTechnical Aptitude Multidisciplinary Mastery: Comprehensive understanding of Civil/Structural, Mechanical, Process Piping, Cryogenics, Electrical, Instrumentation, and Process Automation engineering disciplines.Industrial Process Expertise: Deep theoretical and practical knowledge of industrial gas production processes, preferably cryogenic Air Separation Units (ASUs), Carbon Dioxide purification and liquefaction, and non-cryogenic adsorption (VSA/PSA).Rotating Static Equipment Acumen: Demonstrated expertise in sizing, evaluating, and commissioning heavy machinery, including multi-stage centrifugal compressors, integrally geared machines, reciprocating compressors, cryogenic pumps, ambient vaporizers and cryogenic tanks.Communication Skills: Excellent written, verbal, and presentation capabilities, with demonstrated success communicating complex technical concepts across maintenance teams, plant managers, engineering contractors, and corporate executive leadership.Codes and Consensus Standards Mastery: Strong working knowledge of industry standards and statutory codes, including ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (Section VIII), ASME B31.3 Process Piping, Compressed Gas Association (CGA) standards, NFPA 55, and NFPA 70 (NEC).Decision-Making Owner Mindset: Demonstrate ability to exercise sound engineering judgment and make decisions as an Owners representative that balance technical performance, cost efficiency, safety, and long-term asset reliability.Management Interpersonal Skills: Proven influential leadership, results orientation, strong interpersonal capability, conflict resolution, and collaborative stakeholder engagement skills.Innovation Best Practices: Establishes engineering standards, updates internal quality assurance processes, and troubleshoots non-standard technical failures.Leadership and Behavioral SkillsDemonstrates results-oriented accountability and a strong sense of personal ownership over technical outcomes.Influences cross-functional project teams, internal Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), external engineering firms, production/operations and contractors without direct formal authority.Proactively takes initiative to address project bottlenecks, drive decision-making, and uphold the owner’s best interests.Establishes strong working relationships across diverse stakeholders and maintains alignment by incorporating operational constraints, plant operator requirements, and customer expectations into collaborative solutions.Applies structured analytical thinking to design challenges and technical disputes, de-escalating issues with data-driven solutions while firmly protecting project baselines.Thrives in fast-paced environments, remaining calm during unexpected changes while flexibly adapting tactics to safeguard safety, quality, and project standards.Demonstrates strong oral, written, and presentation skills to effectively communicate technical concepts, facilitate design reviews, and provide clear milestone reporting to leadership.Acts as a senior mentor to Project Engineers and team, elevating engineering standards, industrial gas process comprehension, and external contractor oversight across the department.Education & ExperienceEducation: BS in Mechanical, Chemical, or Electrical Engineering (or equivalent experience).Experience: 7+ years in continuous process plant design/capital projects, with 5+ years in industrial gas, cryogenic separation, or petrochemical industries.Owners Rep Experience: Preferred experience as Owner’s Representative managing external EPCm contractors and stage-gate reviews.Travel Requirements30–40% travel depending on project locations.Computer SkillsProficient in Google Workspace, Bluebeam Revu, Smartsheet, Autodesk Navisworks (3D model reviews), and AutoCAD (PIDs, one-line diagrams, site layouts).Certifications & LicensesProfessional Engineer (PE) is preferred.