LAMBDA ENERGY RESOURCES
Upstream · Gas Processing · Midstream Antrim & Niagaran Reef, Northern Michigan
Facilities & Senior Project/Process Engineer
Location
Kalkaska, Michigan
Reports to
Vice President of Operations
Type
Full-time, salaried exempt
Experience
5 to 15 years
Salary
$105,000 to $175,000+, dependent on experience and elite performer
Relocation
Assistance available for the right candidate
About the Job
Lambda Energy Resources produces crude oil and natural gas from the Antrim and Niagaran reef formations between Manistee and Millersburg, and we operate the gathering, treating, processing, and pipeline systems that carry it to market. We're looking for an engineer to join our operations group in Kalkaska.
This is a field job as much as an engineering job. You'll own process performance and equipment reliability from the wellhead through the plant to the pipeline interconnect, split roughly half process engineering and half capital project execution. If you like the idea of a wide scope, you'll get one. Dehydration, amine treating, compression, NGL recovery, custody transfer measurement, and pipeline integrity can all land in the same week.
We're prioritizing gas processing, automation depth, downstream processing and field compression sizing/installation experience.
Why Lambda
– The scope is real. You won't be handed one unit operation and told to stay in your lane. Small company, wide breadth of operations, and no shortage of projects.
– You finish what you start. Find the problem, build the economics, write the AFE, specify the equipment, and stand there when it starts up. There's no separate execution group waiting to take it off your hands.
– Short path to a decision. You report to the VP of Operations. Projects you can justify go into the budget, and you'll know within days rather than quarters.
– The work is already lined up. Gas cycling, compression debottlenecking, H₂S treating economics, and automation upgrades are live projects, not someday projects.
What You'll Own
Gas processing and treating
– Optimize and troubleshoot inlet separation, dehydration, amine CO₂ and H₂S removal, refrigeration, condensate stabilization, and cryogenic NGL recovery and fractionation.
– Run the process calculations and heat and material balances behind operating changes, and keep the ProMax and HYSYS models honest.
– Track plant recoveries against theoretical yield, then go close the gap.
– Own the chemical program. H₂S treating, corrosion inhibitor, methanol, and glycol, judged on effectiveness, cost, and whether the vendor delivers.
– Keep P&IDs, PFDs, equipment specifications, datasheets, and operating procedures current.
Field compression
– Size and select compression off wellhead and gathering conditions: stage count, cylinder and rod load, horsepower, cooling, and fuel gas conditioning.
– Specify, procure, and install new, used, and relocated packages, reciprocating and rotary screw, through foundations, piping, controls tie-in, and startup.
– Diagnose capacity loss, vibration and pulsation, high discharge temperatures, and unloading problems from performance data.
– Model gathering hydraulics to find suction pressure reduction opportunities and put a production number on them.
– Manage fleet economics: rent versus own, horsepower utilization, and maintenance cost per horsepower.
Automation, controls, and measurement
– Support and expand SCADA, RTU, and PLC systems across wells, compressor stations, the plant, and pipeline facilities.
– Configure and troubleshoot electronic flow measurement, gas chromatographs, transmitters, control valves, and ESD systems.
– Build out Wonderware HMI screens, alarm rationalization, trending, and automated reporting, so operating decisions come off trended data instead of windshield time.
– Push automation that takes cost out: remote start and stop, unmanned facility monitoring, and exception-based surveillance.
– Keep custody transfer measurement accurate and API MPMS compliant at both crude and gas sales points.
Production and pipeline
– Support field operations day to day on wells, tank batteries, separation, and gas cycling. Find production loss in the data, then design and execute the fix.
– Design and modify surface facilities: separation, storage, vapor control, water handling, and transfer.
– Support gathering and transmission operations, pigging programs, and integrity management, along with 49 CFR Part 192 and 195, PHMSA, MPSC, and operator qualification requirements.
Projects, safety, and compliance
– Write scopes, estimates, schedules, and AFEs with the economics behind them, then run the project through construction, commissioning, and closeout.
– Build the analytical tools and workbooks that support OPEX reduction and capital decisions.
– Participate in PHA and HAZOP studies, management of change, and pre-startup safety reviews. Support EGLE, EPA, and OSHA obligations including Part 615 and air permitting.
– Work to ASME B31.3, B31.8, and Section VIII; API 12J, 14C, 520, 521, 618, and MPMS; GPA; and NACE.
Your First Year
Twelve months in, we'd expect you to:
– Know the assets well enough to walk any facility in the operating area and tell us what's limiting it.
– Deliver at least one compression or processing project end to end, with a production or OPEX number attached to it.
– Have improved automation coverage and data quality enough that recurring decisions come off trends instead of field checks.
– Be someone the field supervisors call, which is the difference between recommendations that get built and recommendations that get filed.
What We're Looking For
– BS in Chemical, Mechanical, Petroleum, or Electrical Engineering from an ABET-accredited program.
– Five to Fifteen years in oil and gas, with real time in gas processing, gas treating, midstream or downstream processing experience.
– Elite or high performer with plenty of energy that is self-directed and takes ownership.
– Hands-on field experience with PLCs, RTUs, SCADA, or EFM systems.
– Working knowledge of natural gas compression, including reading engine and compressor performance curves and load data.
– Comfort with gas analyses, GPA specifications, and hydrocarbon phase behavior.
– Excel skills strong enough to build your own models and workbooks off raw operating data.
– Willingness to occasionally work outdoors in Michigan conditions, take calls outside normal hours, and travel within the operating area.
– Valid driver's license and an acceptable driving record.
What Sets a Candidate Apart
Two things carry the most weight: field compression sizing, specification, and installation experience, and hands-on PLC programming or SCADA configuration. Beyond that, any of the following will get our attention. ProMax, HYSYS, or ChemCad. Amine treating, CO₂ and H₂S removal. Michigan Basin, Antrim, or Niagaran reef experience, or comparable mature conventional assets. Wonderware, Ignition, Cygnet, Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Emerson ROC, or ABB Totalflow. PSM and HAZOP facilitation. EIT or PE. AutoCAD, MicroStation, or Bentley. Cryogenic or refrigeration NGL recovery, deethanizers, depropanizers, stabilizers or refinery processes.
Pay and Benefits
Base salary of $105,000 to $175,000+ dependent on level of experience and Elite demonstrated capability, with quarterly performance bonus eligibility. Health, dental, and vision coverage. 401(k) with a 6% company match. Paid time off and paid holidays. Company vehicle for field travel. Relocation assistance for the right candidate, and we'll cover professional licensure and training.
How to Apply
Send us a resume and a short note about your gas processing, compression, and automation experience. We read them as they come in and we'll get back to you.
If you've spent a few years cleaning up behind somebody else's design and you'd rather own the whole thing, this is the job.
Lambda Energy Resources is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, height, weight, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Employment is contingent on successful completion of a background check, motor vehicle record check, and pre-employment drug screen.
Pay: Up to $175,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Relocation assistance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
