Lead/Senior Piping Stress Engineer

What Vista Does

Vista Projects is an integrated engineering firm who has been solving complex challenges in the energy industry since 1985. We are innovators at our core. We continually find better, smarter ways to design and deliver oil and gas projects, and we are proud to be contributing on some of the most exciting low-carbon and synthetic fuel developments in the North America. For our people, that means meaningful, varied work and a real chance to shape how modern engineering gets done.

We are innovators in the energy industry. We actively find ways to improve how oil and gas projects are designed and delivered, and we are contributing to some remarkable low-carbon and synthetic fuel developments; including electro sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) and gas-to-liquids (GTL) projects. We are headquartered in Calgary and maintain a satellite office in Houston.

Why We Do It

The world needs energy, and better engineering makes the projects that deliver it safer, more efficient and more sustainable. Our multi-discipline teams have designed some of the most challenging and successful projects in the North American energy sector, from early-stage studies and pilots to large-scale commercial expansions. We take pride in doing that work well, and just as much pride in continuously improving how we do it.

What You Would Do in This Role

We are seeking a Senior / Lead Pipe Stress Engineer to provide technical leadership on major oil and gas projects and grow SAGD pipeline business. This role is intended for a highly experienced professional who brings deep technical expertise in piping and SAGD pipeline stress and local stress evaluation, combined with the ability to lead the discipline, influence design decisions, and mentor engineering teams. You will act as the technical authority for facility piping and SAGD pipelines stress engineering, supporting projects from early design through construction and commissioning.

• Serve as the Lead Pipe Stress Engineer on assigned projects, establishing technical direction, execution strategy, and design philosophy
• Perform and oversee complex pipe stress analyses for static and dynamic conditions using AutoPIPE and CAESAR II and related tools
• Lead local stress and fatigue assessments using FEA tools such as NozzlePro to evaluate:
  • Pipe wall stresses at welded attachments (e.g., trunnions, shoes, dummy legs, and supports)
  • Local nozzle stresses
  • Compliance with applicable code allowables and fatigue requirements
• Establish project-specific stress analysis criteria, methodologies, and acceptance limits
• Review and approve stress models, calculations, FEA results, and technical reports prepared by the team
• Evaluate piping flexibility, restraint strategies, support loads, nozzle loads, and equipment interactions
• Perform flexibility analyses for critical piping systems to ensure system integrity and compliance with ASME B31.3 and CSA Z662 Codes as applicable
• Be fully familiar with the stress analysis of SAGD pipelines per CSA Z662
• Coordinate SAGD pipeline routing and support design working closely with pipeline and CSA designers
• Perform visual inspections and approve non-critical lines
• Provide expert input to piping layout, routing, welded attachment design, and support detailing to ensure structural integrity and constructability
• Interface closely with Piping Design, Mechanical, CSA, Process, and Project Management teams
• Review vendor drawings and data for stress-critical equipment and packaged units
• Participate in design reviews, HAZOPs, constructability reviews, and client technical meetings
• Assisting in the negotiation of critical engineering issues
• Provide engineering support during fabrication, construction, and commissioning, including resolution of field stress and nozzle-related issues
• Maintaining current knowledge of industry and regulatory standards
• Mentor and technically develop junior and intermediate pipe stress engineers, including FEA best practices
• Prepare and review specialty item datasheets for spring supports, expansion joints, snubbers, etc. Issue MRQs/MRPs
• Review technical bid evaluations for piping stress engineering items
• Planning, allocating and reviewing work programs.
• Preparing weekly progress reports for each project including work completed, work planned for the following week and discipline needs
• Updating project schedule on a weekly basis including marking tasks which are completed, in progress, and any potential delays.
• Ensure tasks are listed correctly in schedule. Project schedule along with tracking engineering tasks and deliverables are to be reviewed and maintained in conjunction with Project Management.
• Establishing scopes of work, man-hour estimates, schedules and priorities for projects or proposals
• Ensure stress work is on budget and schedule and meets all QAQC requirements
• Work on the change management

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent)
• Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) registered in Alberta, or eligible for registration
• 10+ years of progressive pipe stress engineering experience in the oil and gas industry including facility
• Experience with oil sands facility piping, well pads, SAGD pipelines, underground pipelines, LNG, refining/petrochemical facilities, gas processing plants
• Demonstrated experience leading piping stress scope on EPC projects
• Expert knowledge of applicable codes and standards (ASME B31 series, CSA Z662, ASME VIII, API)
• Advanced proficiency with AutoPIPE and CAESAR II
• Proven proficiency with FEA tools, specifically NozzlePro, for evaluating:
  • Local nozzle stresses
  • Pipe wall stresses at welded attachments and reinforcements
  • Fatigue and code compliance for stress-critical connections
• Strong understanding of dynamic analysis including wind, seismic, vibration, and slug flow
• Ability to exercise sound engineering judgment and defend technical decisions with clients and stakeholders
• Strong communication skills and experience in client-facing technical leadership roles
• Strong organizational skills, technical competence and attention to detail
• Self-motivated and efficient with time management
• Ability to meet safety requirements to attend site visits

Preferred

• Brownfield, MOC, and revamp projects in operating facilities
• 3 years of experience with SAGD pipelines
• Discipline Lead, Principal Engineer, or Technical Authority roles within an EPC organization
• Experience developing engineering standards, procedures, or best practices related to piping stress and local stress evaluation.

Why People Like Vista

We do not just say we're a great place to work, our people do. Vista has been recognized by Great Place to Work as one of the Best Workplaces in Canada, a Best Workplace for Mental Health, and a Best Workplace for Women. These awards are earned through confidential surveys completed by our own team, so they reflect how people here actually feel and not just how we choose to describe ourselves.

What our people value most is how we work together. You will join experienced leaders and mentors who are genuinely invested in your growth, in teams built around collaboration rather than silos. We hire capable people, trust them to do their best work, and treat them as people rather than employee numbers. We are proud of the culture this creates, and we work hard to protect it as we grow.

Vista is also a place for people who like to make this better. If you are energized by innovating, by questioning how things are done and by helping vista continuously improve, you will be in good company. We back that work with strong, modern project systems run by people who know how to get the most from them, but it is our people, not our tools, that make Vista what it is.

What We Offer

An opportunity with Vista is more than a job. It is the chance to do challenging meaningful work alongside talented and supportive colleagues who want to see you succeed.

Vista offers all employees

• A challenging and rewarding work environment where you will contribute to meaningful projects across the energy industry
• Talented, collaborative colleagues who are invested in one another's success
• The chance to work alongside some of the sharpest minds in the industry, where your ideas are heard and innovation is part of how we actually work, not just something we say.
• A strong value-based philosophy that provides an informal, close-knit team environment, where you and your family feel like a part of our organization, and not just an employee number
• Competitive compensation and benefits, including a performance-linked variable pay program
• Company-sponsored social events and team sports
• Half-day Fridays and free parking
• An organization that values and encourages diversity

How to Apply

Please complete the application form below and include a cover letter concisely demonstrating how your skills and experience align with our job posting. By submitting this application, you consent to our  Privacy Policy , and you consent to receive transactional electronic messages from Vista and third parties acting on our behalf.
Note:  As part of the interview process there will be a technical testing component that will take up to two hours and can be completed at home on your own timeline. Candidates may be required to complete a security clearance procedure prior to receiving an offer.