What does a senior piping designer do?
A Senior Piping Designer is responsible for the scoping and technical execution of the piping design. They manage and supervise all aspects and details of the piping design.
Senior piping designer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior piping designer resumes:
- Work with JPL / NASA packaging and fabrication engineering leads (on-site).
- Perform field surveys, prepare piping plans & sections, fabrication and construction ISO's and BOM's.
- Fabricate steel platforms, column, ladders and stairs associate with containment tanks, pipe racks and pumps.
- Animate NAVISWORKS models to help clarify maintenance clearances.
- Train and provide support to new designers in PDMS.
- Convert 3D model to a NAVISWORKS model for client model review.
- Provide piping designs in various areas and systems for BP platform Valhall.
- Create custom pipe and fitting/valve catalogs to reduce the check time on isometric BOM.
- Develop layouts and perform associated technical calculations relate to HVAC and hull systems for ships.
- Modele all equipment from in-house data sheets, extract the BOM s from the models.
- Use the Tekla model to identify and resolve potential constructability problems and clashes before construction starts.
- Utilize interface between laser scan and PDMS to route and install new pipe and equipment in model.
- Work on the piping, cable tray and HVAC supports system for a highly complex set of offshore facilities.
- Club focuses on building working engine models using manual and CNC machines (internal combustion and steam engines).
- Design, detail, and create CNC programs of custom machinery for the pharmaceutical, food processing and manufacturing industries.
Senior piping designer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Senior Piping Designers are proficient in Autocad, Equipment Layout, and Refinery. They’re also known for soft skills such as Listening skills, Mechanical skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Senior Piping Designers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Autocad, 18%
Worked on other various small piping projects using AutoCAD including equipment and piping general arrangement drawings.
- Equipment Layout, 12%
Generated equipment layout, orientation, pipe routing, material take-off, field investigations and other engineering related activities.
- Refinery, 6%
Familiarized myself with specifications for General Refinery Piping Design Layout drawings, fabrication & materials.
- Navisworks, 5%
Located existing piping and tie-ins using LSM laser scan software, Used NavisWorks software for design review.
- ISO, 5%
Prepare field sketches, located and tagged tie-in s. Model pipe and equipment, ISO extractions in PDS.
- CADWorx, 5%
Design was done using AutoPlant 3D software and CadWorx P&ID.
Most senior piping designers use their skills in "autocad," "equipment layout," and "refinery" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential senior piping designer responsibilities here:
Listening skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a senior piping designer to have is listening skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "mechanical engineers often work on projects with others, such as architects and computer scientists." Senior piping designers often use listening skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "interfaced and communicated with clients with regard to resolving rfis issues related to structural drawings. "
Mechanical skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling senior piping designer duties is mechanical skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "mechanical skills allow engineers to apply basic engineering concepts and mechanical processes to the design of new devices and systems." According to a senior piping designer resume, here's how senior piping designers can utilize mechanical skills in their job responsibilities: "contract) (autocad 2007) alpha engineers and constructors, portland, or mechanical piping layout/design for petrochemical storage/transfer facilities. "
Math skills. This is an important skill for senior piping designers to perform their duties. For an example of how senior piping designer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "mechanical engineers use the principles of calculus, statistics, and other advanced subjects in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a senior piping designer: "create in cad a 3d blood flow geometry model of our lvas pump. ".
Problem-solving skills. senior piping designer responsibilities often require "problem-solving skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "mechanical engineers need good problem-solving skills to take scientific principles and discoveries and use them to design and build useful products." This resume example shows what senior piping designers do with problem-solving skills on a typical day: "project: t agos resolution of piping problems shipchecked drawings for as-built conditions updated drawing utilizing autocad release 14"
Creativity. A commonly-found skill in senior piping designer job descriptions, "creativity" is essential to what senior piping designers do. Senior piping designer responsibilities rely on this skill because "mechanical engineers design and build complex pieces of equipment and machinery." You can also see how senior piping designer duties rely on creativity in this resume example: "utilize solidworks, inventor, autocad, microsoft office, & epicor. "
The three companies that hire the most senior piping designers are:
- CDM Smith285 senior piping designers jobs
- Affiliated Engineers13 senior piping designers jobs
- Bechtel Corporation7 senior piping designers jobs
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Senior piping designer vs. Product engineer
A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a senior piping designer are more likely to require skills like "autocad," "equipment layout," "refinery," and "navisworks." On the other hand, a job as a product engineer requires skills like "cad," "product design," "project management," and "c++." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Product engineers earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $90,301. On the other hand, senior piping designers are paid more in the energy industry with an average salary of $141,196.The education levels that product engineers earn slightly differ from senior piping designers. In particular, product engineers are 10.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a senior piping designer. Additionally, they're 0.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior piping designer vs. Project engineer
A Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation. The Project Engineer will also recommend material, equipment, and the type of personnel needed. This position is integral in the smooth flow of any project, so hiring someone to hold this position will decide the success of a project.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that senior piping designer responsibilities requires skills like "equipment layout," "refinery," "navisworks," and "cadworx." But a project engineer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "project management," "construction management," "cad," and "ul."
Project engineers may earn a lower salary than senior piping designers, but project engineers earn the most pay in the energy industry with an average salary of $85,761. On the other hand, senior piping designers receive higher pay in the energy industry, where they earn an average salary of $141,196.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Project engineers tend to reach higher levels of education than senior piping designers. In fact, they're 10.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior piping designer vs. Chief engineer
A chief engineer is responsible for monitoring the engineering department's overall operations, ensuring performance efficiency, and everyone's strict compliance with the safety standards and regulatory procedures. Chief engineers manage the distribution of the tasks to the team, communicate with the clients and management for instructions and specifications, monitor expenses and forecast sales reports, analyze and approve designs, negotiate contracts, and process disputes. A chief engineer must have excellent knowledge of the engineering disciplines and exemplary leadership skills to handle the team's performance towards the company's objectives.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, senior piping designers are more likely to have skills like "autocad," "equipment layout," "refinery," and "p id." But a chief engineer is more likely to have skills like "plumbing," "customer service," "life safety systems," and "boilers."
Chief engineers earn the best pay in the transportation industry, where they command an average salary of $114,862. Senior piping designers earn the highest pay from the energy industry, with an average salary of $141,196.chief engineers typically earn higher educational levels compared to senior piping designers. Specifically, they're 10.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior piping designer vs. Engineer
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
Types of senior piping designer
Updated January 8, 2025











