mechanical engineer

electrical engineer

welding engineer

metallurgical engineer

engineer

Bechtel Plant Machinery

The company's procedures and work instructions are often poorly documented, making it difficult to perform tasks consistently without seeking guidance from more experienced employees. Unfortunately, asking for help frequently results in receiving multiple, conflicting answers, highlighting a lack of standardized processes and training. Communication and knowledge sharing are highly siloed, which creates barriers to collaboration and problem-solving.

Management support is often insufficient, leaving employees without the resources or direction needed to successfully complete their responsibilities. There were also instances where completed work and project contributions were not accurately recognized or acknowledged. The overall culture lacks a strong team-oriented mindset, and employees are often left to navigate challenges independently. Success in this environment requires maintaining detailed records of your work and proactively protecting your interests.

I've been frustrated on the with being responsible for everything but not being able to actually do anything about problems myself. Anytime anything happens, I have to send it to someone else (or a number of people) to review it, sign off on it, etc. And every time you try to do anything everyone has a million comments back. I published my first letter recently and it was an actual horror trying to coordinate everyone to work on it. I was given the responsibility of a project manager without being able to actually direct any work. It's a similar story working with suppliers. There are so many times where I would ask, "hey can you get me this by next week?" and they say "oh absolutely". And then I call again the next week and I get the same response. Simultaneously, there's pressure from management to get the things done, but there's nothing I can directly do about it. I have to constantly bug people all the time to get any kind of motion, and any motion you do get is SLOW.

The work environment is generally stable, and the daily tasks are highly predictable. If you prefer a routine where you know exactly what is expected of you every day, you may find the rhythm comfortable.

Cons: The organization struggles significantly with institutional inertia. There is a heavy reliance on "red tape" and complex approval layers that make even minor tasks feel sluggish. Much of the workload consists of repetitive, manual processes that leave little room for creative problem-solving or professional growth. Furthermore, there is a noticeable lack of drive for innovation; new ideas are often met with resistance or buried in committees, making it difficult for anyone looking to make a meaningful impact or drive change.

Overall, I like the company.  Most positions, you just work 40+ hours in your cubicle, interfacing with other departments in the company.  Phone calls with suppliers or government representatives are common.  Certain positions let you travel to suppliers and shipyards.  If you want to change departments, it could take awhile.  Engineers who want hands on, laboratory experience should check out Bettis in West Mifflin instead.  

Its an office filled with about 600 engineers and a few hundred contract professionals and other roles. The building is nice, the benefits and consistency are nice, the pay is slightly on the low end but still solid. The atmosphere is soul-sucking, the management is focused on whatever gets them bonuses, and the overall environment is mentally draining. Clubs and events like Food Truck Day attempt to make the grind more fun but don't. It seems like a great place for an older engineer to settle and retire, but has a steep learning curve for younger engineers to learn the rules and become useful. You can also wait up to a year for government clearance before you can start working, but that's alot of government engineering. 

Challenging work environment where there was a great comradery and support from peers and support groups.  I was fortunate to work for experienced management that would provide guidance and direction when needed.  Hardest part of job was adhering to all of the changing security requirements while maintaining efficiency and proficiency of the job.  The most enjoyable part was completing a new test or design program with successful and beneficial results.

Naval work is slow, try to stay busy, sit in cubicle work and mgrs look at personnel as bodies that are just numbers.  Most are pigeon holed and not happy, but putting in time to hopefully retire.  After 20 yrs people are hoping to get promoted but being a good soldier is required.  Job security is good but a lot of people with under 5 years service are bored and leave. Many with over 15 yrs wish they had left and are willing to slog it out as long as they can stand it. 

BPMI is a great place to work if you want somewhere you can show up, do your job, and go home at the end of the day.  There are occasional emergencies that may require overtime or odd working hours, but they are infrequent.  The work itself was pretty mundane - manage suppliers, try and get things on schedule, maybe do some occasional technical calculations.  But its not the fast-paced creative design work some engineers are looking for (myself included) so keep that in mind when trying to decide if it's the right fit.

Work as an engineer is interesting and engaging.  There is always something going on and you are learning something new almost every day.  People are, for the most part, very nice and helpful.  Company has made some advances to reduce needing to be working from the office 100% of the time. 
There is not much room for promotions and some groups/sections are understaffed, causing more delays than usual considering all the red tape there is to do anything you need to do. 

It's a great place to work, but the hours can be very demanding. Also I can't describe it in detail, but you work on some advanced technology.  Also while the majority of the work is project-engineering (exposing you to a variety of technologies), when things break you are expected to lead the troubleshooting efforts.  This makes you dive into the details for any given technology.  All this culminates in quite a bit of overtime.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Mechanical engineer 34 salaries reported	$108,678 per year
Electrical engineer 22 salaries reported	$112,717 per year
Welding engineer 23 salaries reported	$106,877 per year
Metallurgical engineer 19 salaries reported	$110,711 per year
Engineer 4 salaries reported	$97,500 per year

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