Saudi Aramco Work Values

Daily Duties at Saudi Aramco:

I was hired as a Project Engineer to oversee the Preliminary Engineering for the Ras Tanura Refinery Upgrade Project’s (RTRUP) Sulfur Recover Plant (SRU) and the Gasoline Treatment Plant. The SRU design was based upon an existing unit that had been built in Saudi Arabia but was shut down immediately after commissioning, because the location was too far from the sea to be suitable, but I worked with the design owner to put together the final, updated design for the Ras Tanura Refinery. The Preliminary Engineering Contractor prepared the drawings and I reviewed all of the PFD’s, P&ID’s, Plot Plans and all associated drawings in preparation for Detail Design, which ended up being in Reading, UK. Re the Gasoline Treatment Plant; we had several meetings with the licensor in St. Louis where we arrived at licensing and design costs, and had finally arrived at workable terms and had a gracious commitment by their design staff to start work prior to having signatures on the Letter of Agreement, which was against their Company’s procedures. As a result, when the RTRUP Planning group had decided to eliminate the FCCU from the scope, the licensor’s designers were suddenly at risk. Because I didn’t have authority to cover their work I immediately contacted my Manager who joined me in a call to the Legal Advisor I had been working with in the negotiations, and the attorney authorized me to phone the licensor immediately to stop their work, even though the Project’s change in scope had not been announced. During EPC bidding, I was sent to Saudi Arabia to assist in “as-builting” the old refinery’s drawings, in an attempt to identify all of the information that was available and to bring it all up to date. When I arrived, I was kidnapped by the Refinery Management System (RMS) package where I spent that 10 weeks reviewing all of the existing P&ID’s that could be found and scouring them looking for any updates, errors, or missing content. The work went well, so when the RMS group asked my Project Manager if they could have me reassigned to them, the PM asked me if I wanted to make the switch, to which he generously agreed. The RMS package went to San Francisco, where the Contractor was unable to grasp the detail and basis of such emerging technology, and it was downsized to a simple DCS system and the RMS team was disbanded and a few engineers pursued the final scope.

What they like about Saudi Aramco:

A hiring company that offers alternative approaches to pay, performance bonuses, and/or equity in the firm is very attractive to you. You're generally less interested in working for an organization offering only traditional, salary-based compensation, one with limited opportunity to acquire equity in the firm, or one that does not actively promote skill development. In addition, you are more likely to choose a company that offers a variety of internal career options, with defined career paths. You view the learning of new skills and development of your expertise as key to your career advancement. These aspects of an organization may become even more important to you as you progress in your field, and are especially critical if you change career or occupation.

Tags

Engineering, Management, Project, Systems, Organization, SAP, Budgeting, Documentation, Help Desk, Legacy

Skills

SAP, Budgeting, Documentation, Help Desk, Legacy

These are some of the questions we asked our climbers about their experiences with Saudi Aramco: