Principal Piping Designer

Salary: Competitive rate - outside of scope of IR35

Job Reference: JOB-90264

Published: 18-02-2026

Duration: 12months+

Expiry Date: 18-03-2026

Country: United Kingdom

Principal Piping Designer - Contract (Outside IR35)
Location: Aberdeen Hybrid (minimum 3 days in office)

A respected engineering consultancy is seeking a Principal Piping Designer to shape complex brownfield projects across the Oil & Gas and wider Energy landscape. From Concept through FEED to Detailed Design, Construction and Commissioning, your fingerprints will be on work that truly moves the sector forward.

Note: This position requires attendance at the Aberdeen office at least three days per week.

The Opportunity

You will guide plant layout and piping design using the latest digital and CAD technologies, steering a team toward precision, safety, and excellence. Reporting to the Lead Piping Engineer, you'll ensure every deliverable meets the highest standard.

What You'll Be Trusted With

Leading and mentoring a team of piping designers to deliver on time and within budget

Owning all plant layout and piping design outputs - 3D models, isometrics, GAs, plot plans, and pipe supports

Planning resources, tracking manhours, and feeding into design progress reports

Raising risks, identifying scope change, and driving solutions early

Conducting site surveys where required (CSCS, CCNSG or equivalent may be needed)

Championing Health, Safety, Sustainability and Environmental standards across all activities

Chairing model and client design reviews with clarity and authority

Collaborating across disciplines to achieve integrated, constructible designs

What Sets You Apart

Proven leadership of small design teams in high-stakes project environments

Deep expertise in piping design and plant layout within Oil & Gas or Energy

Experience spanning front-end layout through brownfield modifications to AFC deliverables

Strong command of layout principles balancing safety, operability, maintenance, and constructability

Working knowledge of major codes including American Society of Mechanical Engineers B31.3 and relevant UK legislation

Confidence interpreting stress reports and embedding them into design

Skilled in reviewing vendor data and approving technical deliverables

Advanced CAD capability - fully conversant with AVEVA E3D, AutoCAD, Navisworks, and laser point cloud data