Lead Mechanical Engineer

Job title
Lead Mechanical Engineer – Power Generation / Reliability / Maintenance

Location
Flexible, with domestic and international travel required (up to 90 days per year)

Employment type
Full-time, permanent

Visa and work authorization
Applicants must have legal authorization to work in their location. Sponsorship is not available.

Job overview
We are seeking an experienced Mechanical Engineer to support the evaluation and maintenance of power generation assets. In this role, you will act as a subject matter expert on mechanical systems and plant reliability, providing engineering guidance to minimise operational risk and improve asset performance. You will assess mechanical integrity, operational reliability, and potential failure modes across power generation facilities and associated balance-of-plant systems.

The role blends technical surveys, risk assessment, and reliability engineering, making it ideal for engineers who enjoy hands-on evaluation, problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration.

Key responsibilities

• Provide specialist mechanical engineering input for power generation assets, focusing on rotating equipment, thermal systems, and critical plant infrastructure

• Conduct detailed field surveys of operational and construction-stage facilities, evaluating mechanical condition, reliability, maintenance practices, and failure vulnerabilities

• Inspect and assess boilers, turbines, generators, transformers, pressure systems, piping networks, cooling systems, and auxiliary mechanical equipment

• Review maintenance regimes, inspection intervals, shutdown procedures, and condition monitoring programs for effectiveness

• Identify single-point failures, mechanical degradation risks, and system design weaknesses

• Develop engineering-based loss prevention and reliability improvement recommendations

• Present technical findings to plant engineering and maintenance teams

• Produce technically detailed survey and risk assessment reports, including calculations and failure analysis

• Perform desktop mechanical risk reviews using drawings, P&IDs, maintenance data, inspection reports, and third-party technical documentation

• Translate mechanical risk findings into clear guidance for internal stakeholders

• Manage technical survey programs, including planning, coordination, reviews, and engineering meetings

• Produce account summary reports with emphasis on mechanical reliability and asset condition

• Peer-review engineering survey reports for accuracy and coverage

• Analyse past loss events to identify root mechanical causes and preventive measures

Required qualifications and experience

• Degree-qualified Mechanical Engineer (or closely related discipline)

• 10+ years of industrial experience in power plant mechanical engineering, operations, or maintenance

• Direct experience with heavy rotating equipment and thermal systems such as steam turbines, gas turbines, boilers, heat recovery systems, and large transformers

• Practical knowledge of mechanical integrity, inspection, reliability engineering, and failure mechanisms

• Strong understanding of health, safety, and environmental requirements

Additional valuable experience

• Exposure to multiple power generation technologies including thermal, combined cycle, nuclear, and renewables

• Involvement in plant construction, commissioning, or major outages

• Experience performing mechanical condition assessments and reliability audits

• Previous work with insurers, risk engineering firms, or technical consultancies

• Experience across international sites and engineering teams

Technical skills and capabilities

• Strong mechanical engineering principles, plant equipment design, and failure mode knowledge

• Understanding of maintenance strategies, inspection techniques, and condition monitoring methods

• Ability to interpret mechanical drawings, layouts, and technical specifications

• Strong loss prevention and reliability engineering capability

• Excellent technical writing and documentation skills with attention to detail

• Ability to explain mechanical risks and impacts to technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Comfortable in office and heavy industrial plant environments, including climbing, extended walking, and working at elevation with PPE

• Self-directed, analytical, and technically decisive

• Effective team contributor and field survey lead

• Able to deliver reports and account reviews on schedule

Why apply

• Work on technically complex power generation assets

• Influence operational reliability and asset risk reduction

• Opportunity to lead surveys, assessments, and reliability improvement programs

• International travel and exposure to diverse engineering environments

• Professional development in a technically focused, collaborative environment