Process Safety Engineer

NES Fircroft is a leading global technical recruitment company providing professional contract and permanent staff to a diverse worldwide client base within the oil & gas industry.Job Title: Process Safety HAZOP LOPA FacilitatorLocation: Fort Saskatchewan, ABLength: 18-Month Contract to StartRotation: Mon-Fri 8 hours a day. Up to 5 days a week on-siteDescription:

We are seeking a highly skilled HAZOP Facilitator with deep expertise in the refining and chemical processing industries. This role is responsible for Leading Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) workshops to identify, assess, and mitigate process safety risks in complex, high-hazard operations. The ideal candidate will bring strong technical knowledge, facilitation experience, and a collaborative mindset to support safe and reliable plant operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead HAZOP studies and other PHA methodologies (e.g., What-If, HAZID, Bowtie) for refining and chemical processing units.
• Facilitate LOPA and SIL studies as part of the broader risk management framework.
• Identify Tolerability and/or ALARP gaps that could result in LOPCs and/or major process safety incident.
• Apply Risk Assessment Matrix (RAM) to evaluate potential consequences from the release of a Hazard.
• Collaborate with operations, engineering, and maintenance teams to ensure comprehensive risk identification and mitigation.
• Document workshop findings, recommendations, and action items in detailed, high quality reports.
• Present risk assessment outcomes and ALARP justifications to technical and Leadership teams.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards (e.g., IEC 61882, API RP 14J, CCPS guidelines) and regulatory requirements.
• Interpret and validate P&IDs, cause and effect diagrams, and process flow diagrams.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of process safety practices and knowledge sharing across teams.
• Plant visits to conduct barrier assurance field walks
• Identify Health, Safety, Security, and Environment Critical Equipment (HSSE CE) and critical activities (HSSE CA) as part of the HEMP process. Support Manage Equipment Care with equipment care strategy.
• Ensure barrier effectiveness in the field by engaging appropriate Discipline Barrier Owners and process performers

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical, Mechanical, or Process Engineering (or related field).
• Minimum 5 years of experience in process safety or process engineering or other related engineering disciplines within refining or petro-chemical manufacturing environments.
• Proven experience facilitating HAZOP and other PHA studies in brownfield plants
• Familiarity with flare systems, pressure relief, and safeguarding design principles.
• Proficiency in PHA software tools (e.g., PHA-Pro, PHAWorks).
• Functional Safety certification (e.g., TUV FS Eng) is an asset.

Preferred Skills

• Strong communication, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience with LOPA, SIL verification, and barrier management.
• Knowledge of applicable standards such as API 520/521, API 537, and OSHA PSM.
• Understanding of Human Factors, Operability, and Maintainability principles.
• Ability to lead workshops both on-site and remotely.

Apply here or send your resume to trevor.parlee@nesfircroft.com