Pressure Vessel Specialist

Pressure Vessel Specialist

Axens

Rueil-Malmaison, France

Missions:

The Pressure Vessel Specialist is the technical authority for pressure vessels (columns, reactors, heat exchangers, etc.) and is involved in all project phases: development, design, procurement, document validation, manufacturing, and installation.

Your main responsibilities will be as follows:

At bid stage or during project execution:

• Advise Process Engineers on pressure vessel designs proposed to clients (supports, end types, transitions, piping positions, interfaces with internals, ...).
• Advise on the feasibility of reusing pressure vessels or equipment as part of unit revamps.
• Perform and validate design and calculations according to codes (mainly ASME VIII Div. 1 & 2, and sometimes PD5500, EN 13445, AD 2000, GOST, etc.).
• Analyse customer specification, prepare technical requisitions and equipment datasheets to purchase pressure vessels and internals.
• Provide technical support to industrial design teams, purschasing team or project managers in front of clients or suppliers.
• Review and approve calculation notes, general arrangement drawings, and detailed drawings, ensuring compliance with applicable standards and project requirements, while coordinating with other disciplines (heat transfer, piping, instrumentation, structural, etc.).
• Provide technical assistance to subcontractors, both on manufacturing choices and issue resolution.
• Conduct equipment inspections at manufacturers’ facilities, independently or with clients.
• Supervise and manage subcontracted pressure vessel design studies from bid phase to final document validation.

Continuous improvement, Training:

• Monitor construction codes, standards and regulation to maintain calculation tools and design guides (ASME VIII, API, PED, etc.).
• Act as a mechanical expert on pressure vessel for new processes under development, proposing innovative design solutions and identifying associated risks.
• Ensure lessons learned are effectively integrated into engineering processes and future projects.
• Contribute to the improvement and structuring of pressure vessel activities within the engineering department (standards, procedures, tools, subcontractor qualification, interfaces, etc.).
• Deliver internal training sessions on pressure vessel topics.

KNOWLEDGE AND REQUIRED LEVEL:

• You hold a degree in Mechanical Engineering or an equivalent qualification.
• You bring approximately 15 years of experience in pressure vessel design and calculation, acquired within the Oil & Gas sector.
• You demonstrate strong technical expertise in:
  • Pressure vessel design and calculation in compliance with international codes and standards, particularly ASME.
  • The use of specialized pressure vessel design software (such as PV Elite or equivalent).
  • Metallic materials and manufacturing processes, including welding, heat treatment, and non destructive testing (NDT).
• You are comfortable working in a project driven environment (Oil & Gas, petrochemicals, nuclear, or related industries).

Associated Skills

• You demonstrate strong scientific rigor and meticulous attention to detail, consistently delivering high‑quality, reliable technical outputs.
• You bring proven leadership, coordination, and problem‑solving capabilities, successfully applied in complex engineering environments.
• You are able to work independently while thriving in multidisciplinary teams, adapting easily to diverse project contexts.
• You communicate clearly and effectively, fostering strong alignment across internal teams and productive collaboration with external stakeholders.
• You exhibit a proactive and decisive mindset, with the confidence to justify, defend, and stand by technical decisions.
• You have solid experience in subcontractor management, ensuring performance, quality, and adherence to project requirements. You are fluent in English, both written and spoken, enabling you to produce technical documentation and collaborate effectively in international environments.
• You demonstrate flexibility and availability for short international business trips to suppliers’ and customers’ sites.