Intermediate or Senior Functional Safety Engineer

About Fortress:

Fortress Engineering Ltd. (FEL) is a multi-disciplined engineering consulting firm based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Since 2007, Fortress Engineering has provided professional engineering solutions to the oil and gas industry, currently specializing primarily in truck and rail transloading facilities. Fortress relies on years of senior experience to balance cost, quality, and scheduling for projects of all sizes. Our goal is to ensure our clients’ assets are successfully developed in a cost-effective manner, with transparency and accountability.

Our team has a passion for innovation and the experience to get the job done right and on time.

We select people who share our values, beliefs, and commitment to this vision and who demonstrate the expected behaviors, competencies, and performance associated with their prospective roles within the company.

We offer industry-leading contract compensation plus profit sharing.

General Purpose:

We are seeking a highly experienced and technically proficient Intermediate or Senior Functional Safety Engineer to join our dynamic and growing team. This role is key to leading complex safety lifecycle activities, with a focus on Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) design, analysis, and verification. If you have deep knowledge of process safety, hands-on experience leading HAZOP studies, and strong proficiency with exSILentia software, we’d love to hear from you.

Responsibilities

- Lead and execute all phases of the functional safety lifecycle (IEC 61511/ISA 84), including hazard and risk assessment (HAZOP, LOPA), SIL determination, Safety Requirements Specification (SRS) development, SIS design, verification, and validation.

- Serve as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in functional safety, providing technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers.

- Utilize exSILentia software suite extensively for all aspects of the functional safety lifecycle, including:

- Enter SIF data and prepare SIL verification models

- Develop and review Cause & Effect diagrams.

- Conduct SIL Verification (SILver) calculations and document results.

- Develop SRS and proof test procedures.

- Generate Project Documentation reports (SRS, SILV, C&E, Proof Test Procedures) from exSILentia

- Leverage exSILentia's full capabilities to ensure compliance with relevant standards (IEC 61511, ISA 84, etc.) and best practices.

- Lead and facilitate complex HAZOP and LOPA workshops for various projects, ensuring thorough hazard identification, risk assessment, and safeguard identification.

- Guide multi-disciplinary teams through structured safety reviews, driving consensus and effective risk mitigation strategies.

- Develop and review detailed functional safety designs, including Safety Instrumented Functions (SIF), logic diagrams, and interlock narratives.

- Perform calculations and analyses to ensure SIS meets target SILs.

- Conduct independent reviews of functional safety documentation and designs.

- Ensure all functional safety activities comply with relevant industry standards, codes, and regulations (e.g., IEC 61511, ISA 84, CSA Z767, etc.).

- Stay updated on industry best practices and emerging technologies in functional safety.

Key Competencies

- Proven experience leading HAZOP and LOPA studies.

- In-depth understanding of the functional safety lifecycle (IEC 61511/ISA 84).

- Strong knowledge of SIS design, implementation, and maintenance.

- Comprehensive understanding of process control, automation, and instrumentation.

- Ability to interpret complex P&IDs, control philosophies, and design specifications.

- Demonstrated ability to lead technical discussions and facilitate workshops.

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly and concisely convey complex technical information.

- Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with multi-disciplinary teams, clients, and stakeholders.

- Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills.

Education and Experience

- Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, process systems engineering, electrical engineering, or related discipline. A master’s degree or professional engineering designation (P.Eng.) is an asset.

- Minimum of 10+ years of progressive experience in functional safety engineering within the oil & gas, petrochemical, or chemical industries.

- Advanced proficiency in the exSILentia software suite is required, including hands-on experience with PHAx, LOPAx, SILver, SRS, and Cause & Effect module integration, as well as developing proof test procedures.

- Strong proficiency with other process safety software tools and general engineering software.