Lead Project Engineer - Oxy-Combustion

Why you should join Heirloom

• We are solving the challenge of our generation. Climate change is an existential threat, and we need as many of the world’s motivated minds as possible to help. There is no greater challenge or opportunity than fighting climate change.

• We are a world-class team. We are engineers, scientists, and concerned humans from a variety of backgrounds and experiences who are pooling our knowledge and skills to collectively build a more equitable, prosperous future for all.

• We remain united, resilient, and optimistic. We recognize the magnitude of the challenge ahead of us, yet believe that we can contribute to mitigating the worst effects of climate change. It won’t be easy, but we won’t quit.

The Senior Project Engineer owns the technical delivery of Heirloom's oxy-combustion island cradle to grave, from detailed design through procurement, construction, commissioning, performance testing and COD. A process engineer at heart, the role owns the island's heat and material balances, and the interfaces where steam generation, oxygen supply, flue gas treatment and CO₂ processing meet, then drives designers, OEMs and contractors to deliver on performance, schedule and safety. This job requires a 50% travel commitment.

Provides technical oversight of: process design basis and heat and material balances, PFDs and P&IDs, equipment specifications and datasheets, control narratives, HAZOP/LOPA/SIL, technical bid evaluations, vendor document review, inspection and test plans, FAT, commissioning, and performance and guarantee testing.

Process Design & Integration

• Own the island process design basis: heat and material balances, operating envelopes, and air-fired, oxy-fired and transition cases across load and ambient conditions

• Review and approve PFDs, P&IDs, datasheets, line lists and control narratives from the design engineer and OEMs; lead 30/60/90 design and model reviews

• Define and manage process interfaces with the ASU, CPU, steam turbine-generators and air-cooled condenser (O₂ purity and pressure, flue gas composition to CPU inlet spec, air in-leakage limits, steam conditions)

• Lead HAZOP, LOPA and SIL reviews with focus on oxygen service, oxygen-enriched and high-CO₂ atmospheres; drive action close-out

Procurement & Vendor Management

• Collaborate with Supply Chain on: technical specifications, RFPs and material requisitions for island packages

• Prepare technical bid evaluations and recommend awards

• Manage OEM technical deliverables, vendor document review and design changes; protect performance guarantees

• Witness shop inspections and factory acceptance tests for critical equipment

Construction, Commissioning & Turnover

• Serve as owner's technical lead on site for the island; resolve RFIs, field changes and nonconformances

• Develop and own the island commissioning strategy with the commissioning lead: system turnover, first fire on air and staged transition to oxy firing

• Lead troubleshooting and tuning of flue gas recirculation, oxidant flow and O₂ trim control with the OEM and controls team

• Plan and witness performance and guarantee testing; close punch items through COD; deliver turnover packages and operations readiness

Project Controls

• Maintain the island technical risk register, interface register and change log; flag engineering-driven schedule risk early

• Support cost and schedule updates for stage gates; manage technical change orders

• Develop engineering procedures, design guides and lessons learned so the island becomes more repeatable at each Energy Park campus

Education/Qualifications/Experience

• Bachelor's in Chemical or Mechanical Engineering (Chemical preferred); PE a plus

• 10+ years of engineering experience on power or industrial process projects, including 5+ as a project or lead engineer

• Delivered at least one major combustion, steam generation, gas processing or similar process unit from detailed design through commissioning and startup

• Hands-on field experience during construction, commissioning and startup troubleshooting

• Oxy-combustion, oxy-fuel or carbon capture experience is a strong plus

Knowledge/Skills (including technology)

• Process engineering: heat and material balances, PFDs and P&IDs, process simulation (Aspen Plus/HYSYS, Thermoflex or equivalent)

• Boilers/HRSGs, burners, flue gas recirculation, burner management systems and combustion controls

• Process safety: HAZOP, LOPA, SIL; oxygen service design and cleaning (CGA G-4.4 / EIGA practices)

• Flue gas treatment (SCR, direct contact coolers) and CO₂ compression, purification or cryogenic air separation interfaces

• Performance testing to ASME PTC standards; performance guarantees and OEM warranties

• Technical bid evaluation, vendor document control and scheduling tools (Primavera P6 or MS Project)

Attributes/behaviours

• Experience working with internal and external stakeholders (internal SMEs, OEMs, owner's engineer, contractors, GC)

• Owns outcomes end to end; holds vendors and designers to specification and guarantee

• Ability to unblock blockers, anticipate and resolve issues in a dynamic, early-stage environment

• Strong safety leadership around oxygen handling and high-CO₂ atmospheres

• Willing to travel ~50% to vendor shops and the West Texas site, and to take an extended onsite assignment during construction and commissioning

• Willingness to learn new technologies, evaluate and explore new ideas

You don’t have to have every listed requirement and skill to be a great fit. If you are passionate about this opportunity and think you have the skills to succeed, please apply!

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We encourage you to apply if you identify as Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Hispanic or Latino, LGBTQ+ – or with any other underrepresented group – even if you don’t tick all the boxes in the description below.

Perks and Benefits for Eligible Employees

• Excellent health, dental and vision insurance covered up to 100% by Heirloom. FSA option

• 16 weeks paid parental leave for all Heirloom employees

• Generous stock options

• Flexible PTO for exempt (salaried) employees & 120 hours for full time non-exempt (hourly) employees

• 401(k)

• Monthly health and wellness reimbursement

• Annual education and conference budget

Our Principles

• Radical Honesty. We strive to foster an inclusive environment premised on transparency and respect. We push for excellence, yet always remain thoughtful when challenging each other.

• Persistent Optimism. We show up to work with optimism and don’t shy away from a challenge. We recognize that the ambitious nature of our mission requires hopefulness, dedication, and persistence.

• Maximize Learning. Compounding knowledge is our key to victory - we continuously hone our crafts, seek the fastest paths to improve, and are quick to absorb and apply new insights.