Principal Engineer
We are currently recruiting for an experienced Principal Engineer to join an established engineering operation in Scotland.
This is a senior technical leadership opportunity for an experienced engineering professional with strong expertise across welding engineering, weld overlay technology, metallurgy and materials engineering.
The role will provide principal-level technical leadership across relevant UK operations, supporting business growth in subsea oil & gas and nuclear markets while acting as a senior technical interface with customers, certification bodies, third parties and strategic partners.
Role Details - Location: Scotland
- Salary: £65,000 - £70,000 per annum
- Job Type: Full-time, Permanent
- Hours: 37 hours per week
- Department: Engineering & Technology
- Visa: Skilled Worker visa opportunity
- Relocation: Relocation support available
About the Role As a Principal Engineer, you will act as a senior technical authority across welding and materials engineering, providing technical leadership, governance and capability development across relevant manufacturing operations.
The role covers weld overlay cladding, corrosion-resistant alloys, hot induction bending, subsea pipeline products, high-integrity manufacturing, welding automation, materials technology and metallurgical performance.
Key Responsibilities - Act as the principal technical authority for welding and materials engineering
- Define and maintain technical governance, engineering standards and approval controls
- Develop long-term welding and materials technology strategies
- Establish consistent engineering practices across manufacturing operations
- Ensure compliance with customer specifications, approved procedures, applicable codes and regulatory requirements
- Review and approve critical technical decisions, concessions and deviations
- Lead engineering risk assessments for complex and high-integrity projects
- Provide expert resolution of complex welding, manufacturing, corrosion and metallurgical issues
- Provide technical leadership for weld overlay clad pipe manufacture
- Govern mechanised and automated weld cladding operations
- Lead qualification and industrialisation of new welding processes, equipment and consumables
- Define welding procedure qualification strategies and technical acceptance requirements
- Approve welding procedures and associated qualification records
- Direct weld repair, remediation and technical disposition strategies
- Drive welding quality, productivity, repeatability and process-control improvements
- Provide authoritative advice on carbon and low-alloy steels, stainless steels, duplex, super duplex and nickel alloys
- Review material specifications, procurement requirements, certification and traceability
- Lead metallurgical failure investigations, root cause analysis and corrective action development
- Provide strategic leadership for CRA weld overlay of pipes, bends, fittings and pressure-containing components
- Govern overlay qualification programmes and production control requirements
- Provide expert engineering oversight for hot induction bending
- Support qualification, testing and approval activities for subsea and pipeline products
- Lead technical input to major bids, proposals and contract reviews
- Build effective technical relationships with customers, industry bodies and strategic partners
- Mentor and develop welding and materials engineering personnel
- Support succession planning, competency frameworks and technical career development
What We're Looking For - Degree in Welding Engineering, Materials Engineering, Metallurgy, Mechanical Engineering or a closely related discipline
- Chartered Engineer status, or demonstrably equivalent professional standing appropriate to a principal role
- International Welding Engineer qualification, or equivalent recognised welding engineering competence
- Extensive experience in welding, materials and high-integrity manufacturing
- Extensive weld overlay cladding and corrosion-resistant alloy experience
- Experience with welding procedure and performance qualification
- Strong materials selection, metallurgical assessment and heat-treatment engineering experience
- Experience within subsea oil & gas or comparable high-integrity manufacturing projects
- Experience in root cause failure analysis and technical disposition of non-conformances
- Strong technical governance, risk assessment and engineering approval experience
- Senior customer-facing technical leadership experience
- Experience developing and mentoring engineering personnel
Desirable Experience - Postgraduate qualification in welding engineering, metallurgy, corrosion engineering or materials science
- CSWIP Welding Engineer or another relevant professional welding qualification
- Professional membership of TWI, IOM3 or another relevant institution
- Hot induction bending of clad and unclad pipe
- API 5LD clad pipe manufacture
- DNV-RP-B204 and NORSOK welding requirements
- ASME Section IX, ASME III or applicable nuclear codes
- Major operator, EPC contractor or subsea contractor project execution
- Technology strategy, automation and research & development leadership
Technical Knowledge Expert or authoritative knowledge in:
- Welding metallurgy and weld overlay technologies
- Corrosion engineering and materials degradation mechanisms
- Corrosion-resistant alloys and clad systems
- Heat treatment and thermal processing
- Mechanical testing, fracture behaviour and structural integrity principles
- Failure analysis and root cause investigation
- Welding procedure qualification and production control
- NDT technologies and interpretation of inspection results
- Materials, welding and manufacturing standards and specifications
- Engineering governance, technical risk management and change control
Skilled Worker Visa & Relocation Support This role offers a
Skilled Worker visa opportunity for eligible candidates.
The role is based in
Scotland. Through our bespoke
"Recruit and Relocate" solution, Workforce can support candidates willing to relocate, including sourcing suitable accommodation near the workplace.
If you are an experienced
Principal Engineer looking for a senior technical opportunity in the UK,
apply now!
