Job Summary:
The Tunnel Design Engineer will support the design and delivery of large diameter Circulating Water System (CWS) intake and outfall tunnels, a temporary water discharge tunnel, and a fish recovery and return system tunnel for the AP1000 Nuclear Power Plant project in Poland. The role will provide technical oversight and project execution support for tunnel and shaft systems being developed by external tunnelling consultants and Design & Build contractors across all project phases from planning through execution. These tunnels will be built in soils (soft ground) and most of their lengths will be offshore.
This position will function as part of Bechtel G&HES team and will be responsible for coordinating tunnel and shaft engineering activities, supporting development of project execution strategies, assisting with regulatory and permitting requirements, and providing technical oversight during design and construction of underground works.
Major Responsibilities:
Engineering Oversight & Deliverables
• Support design development and technical review of submittals prepared by tunnelling design consultants for tunnel and shaft engineering deliverables.
• Review design basis documents, geotechnical baseline reports (GBR), shaft and tunnel design calculations, temporary works concepts, and tunnel boring machine (TBM) selection studies.
• Assist in evaluation of constructability, installation methodologies, and associated execution risks for underground works including marine shafts and soft ground tunnelling systems.
• Support development and implementation of tunnel and shaft Project Execution Plan (PEP) across all phases of project delivery.
Planning & Scheduling
• Develop and maintain a Level 3 schedule for tunnel and shaft design and construction activities.
• Interface with project planning and construction teams to ensure alignment of engineering deliverables with execution sequence and construction readiness.
• Support planning activities for Design & Build (D&B) delivery phase of underground work.
Contracting & Procurement Support
• Assist in defining contracting strategies for tunnelling and shaft construction works.
• Support preparation of Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) package Scope Requirements (SR) for underground works.
• Identify and prequalify potential tunnelling contractors and specialist subcontractors to support local content requirements.
• Participate in technical capability assessments and audits of prospective contractors.
Other Major Responsibilities:
Regulatory & Permitting Support
• Support identification and integration of Polish regulatory requirements related to tunnelling and shaft construction.
• Provide technical input to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) documentation and permit submissions associated with underground works.
Execution Phase Support
• Assist in coordination between engineering and construction teams during execution.
• Support development of execution phase staffing plans including hiring and training of local engineering resources.
• Provide technical oversight of tunnelling and shaft construction activities during the execution phase, including interfaces with Design &Build contractor engineering teams.
Education and Experience Requirements:
- Requires MS degree (or international equivalent) in engineering geology/ geotechnical engineering/tunnelling engineering from an accredited institution and minimum 11 years of relevant experience.
- Experience in design or execution of soft ground tunnels and/or deep shafts constructed using TBM, slurry, earth pressure balance (EPB), or similar mechanized methods.
- Experience supporting engineering deliverables for underground infrastructure projects.
Required Knowledge and Skills:
- Experience with large diameter marine intake or outfall tunnels.
- Familiarity with Design Build delivery models for underground work.
- Experience supporting EPC execution of tunnelling projects.
- Knowledge of European tunnelling standards and regulatory frameworks.
- Experience coordinating with multidisciplinary construction teams.