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Category
Subsea Engineering
Work Pattern
Onshore / Hybrid
Reports To
Subsea Engineering Manager / Asset Manager
Position Overview
The Subsea Production Systems Engineer takes a holistic, systems-level view of subsea field architecture — integrating trees, manifolds, controls, SURF, and host facility interfaces into a coherent production system. This role is crucial during concept select and FEED phases, and continues through detailed design and into operations. The ability to optimise system architecture for reliability, maintainability, and production uptime sets this role apart.
Key Responsibilities
- Define subsea field architecture and system configurations for greenfield and brownfield developments.
- Develop subsea system design bases, philosophies, and equipment specifications at concept and FEED stages.
- Perform system reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM) analyses to optimise subsea architecture.
- Coordinate interface management across all subsea disciplines and with topside/host facility teams.
- Evaluate subsea processing technologies (boosting, separation, compression, injection) and integrate into field design.
- Lead or participate in design reviews, HAZIDs, HAZOPs, and SIL assessments for subsea production systems.
- Develop operational philosophies, including start-up, shutdown, and emergency response procedures.
- Support technology qualification of novel subsea equipment and systems.
- Review and approve contractor and vendor deliverables for system-level compliance.
- Provide ongoing technical support during operations, including production optimisation and failure investigation.
Qualifications
Required
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Subsea, or Petroleum preferred); Master's advantageous.
- Certifications: BOSIET/FOET with CA-EBS; Offshore Medical.
- Experience: 10–15+ years in subsea engineering with broad exposure across multiple subsea disciplines and project phases.
- Technical Skills: Deep understanding of API 17A, API 17D, API 17F, DNV-ST-F101; RAM modelling tools; system integration expertise; operational phase experience.
Preferred
- Experience with subsea processing systems (subsea boosting, separation, compression).
- Familiarity with digital twin platforms and real-time production monitoring.
- Chartered Engineer status.
- Track record in multiple deepwater developments across different basins.
Market Intelligence
$1,050–$1,450/day
Shortage Level: High
Key Skills Gap: True systems-level thinkers who can integrate across all subsea disciplines and understand operational implications are uncommon; many engineers are siloed into single equipment categories.
Regions in Highest Demand: North Sea, West Africa, Brazil, Gulf of Mexico
Demand Drivers: Increasing complexity of subsea developments (subsea processing, long tiebacks); operators demanding integrated system assurance; brownfield optimisation of existing subsea assets.