Freelance or permanent - Senior Mechanical & Piping Project Engineer, Technical Lead

📋 Tasks and responsibilities

This role focuses on senior technical project engineering rather than administrative coordination or conventional project management. As the technical lead in multidisciplinary CAPEX projects, you help deliver safe, feasible and maintainable solutions within a controlled project environment.

You operate in an operational brownfield setting where safety, reliability, technical quality and limited disruption to production are essential. The position combines specialist Mechanical & Piping expertise with a broad view of engineering, execution and handover activities.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain the technical basis, design philosophy, project scope and battery limits.
• Lead and align engineering work across disciplines, with Mechanical & Piping as the core area and close cooperation with process, E&I, automation, civil, safety and infrastructure teams.
• Organise design reviews and assess solutions for safety, compliance, functionality, reliability, maintainability, constructability and lifecycle value.
• Convert process and project requirements into Mechanical & Piping concepts, and oversee the quality of layouts, P&IDs, equipment specifications, piping classes, routing and isometrics.
• Evaluate technical alternatives with regard to feasibility, safety, reliability and cost-effectiveness.
• Give technical direction to engineering partners, suppliers and contractors, and critically review their content, quality, planning and deliverable completeness.
• Support technical decision-making, record assumptions and deviations, and ensure that decisions and follow-up actions remain traceable.
• Identify technical and project risks, assessing how changes may affect scope, schedule, cost, execution and business continuity.
• Contribute to technical specifications, tender packages, bid evaluations, supplier selection and contractual technical clarifications.
• Follow up Mechanical & Piping activities where relevant, including fabrication, inspections, FAT, delivery, installation, SAT and punch-list management through mechanical completion.
• Provide engineering support during construction, pre-commissioning, commissioning, start-up and handover.
• Support the Project Manager with clear technical recommendations and transparent stakeholder reporting.
• Coach engineers and contribute to project engineering standards, methodologies, lessons learned and knowledge sharing.

📝 Your profile

• You have a master's degree in a technical discipline, or an equivalent level gained through relevant experience. A background in electromechanics or chemical technology is particularly relevant.
• You bring extensive experience in technical design and engineering within an industrial or process environment.
• You have demonstrable specialist knowledge of Mechanical & Piping engineering in the process industry or another heavy industrial environment.
• You have proven experience with multidisciplinary CAPEX projects, from concept and basic engineering through execution and completion.
• You can provide technical direction to engineering partners, suppliers and contractors and critically assess their deliverables.
• You are familiar with applicable Mechanical & Piping standards and good engineering practices, including PED, ATEX and EN 13480.
• You hold a VCA-VOL certificate or are willing to obtain one before the start.
• Knowledge of AutoCAD Plant 3D is an asset.
• You can work with project controls covering scope, schedule, costs, risks, changes and stakeholder management.
• You combine technical depth with a broad overview, decisiveness and a pragmatic approach to problem-solving.
• You communicate complex technical topics clearly and work effectively with different stakeholders.
• You work in a structured, autonomous and results-oriented manner, with a strong sense of ownership.
• You communicate fluently in Dutch and professionally in English. Other languages are an advantage.

Location

Olen, with 100% onsite presence.

Selection procedure

The selection process consists of two interview rounds: an initial interview via Teams, followed by an on-site interview that includes a business case.

💼 Offer

You will be part of a growing Belgian SME where initiative and personal development are encouraged. We will provide you with an enjoyable work environment with fun colleagues. We will work out a career plan with you, with attention and a budget for extra education/certification. You can count on an attractive salary, supplemented with extra-legal benefits, including a company car.
(Freelance is also possible)