Eric Walters

Eric Walters

Mechanical Engineering, B.Sc. — University of Alberta

EIT-eligible Mechanical Engineering graduate with co-op and field experience across upstream oil and gas, commercial HVAC, and drilling operations. Eager to take ownership of meaningful projects and grow as a versatile, hands-on engineer. CSWA-certified with coursework in design, manufacturing, and business management, complemented by self-taught software development and infrastructure design. Available for travel and relocation, graduating May 2026.

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
English · French · German (Beginner)
Open to relocation

Mechanical engineer with range across industry, design and systems.

Education B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering University of Alberta · 2026
Languages English · French · German Fluent · Proficient · Beginner
Location Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Open to: Canada, UK, EU, Australia
Focus Design · Operations · Sales Field engineering, project coordination

Co-op and field experience across upstream oil and gas, commercial HVAC, and drilling operations. Managed aproximately 52 conventional crude wells independently as a wellsite operator, supported commercial equipment sales on projects valued up to $2.5M, and spent over a year on drilling rigs in both sour gas and shallow crude programs.

Strong academic foundation in CAD, simulation, and design methodology. Led a capstone team of six through detailed design of a balloon-launched autonomous glider platform, producing ASME-compliant drawings and a 400+ part assembly for client hand-off. Winner of the Junior Honors Design Award.

3+ Years co-op and field experience
50 Wells managed independently
400+ Parts in capstone assembly
20+ Self-hosted services running

Building technical skills outside the classroom through a self-hosted infrastructure project running on Proxmox with segmented VLANs, VPN access, and 20+ containerized services. Currently working toward managing the full stack as infrastructure-as-code. This self-directed approach extended into web development, including this portfolio site, accelerated by working alongside AI tools as a research partner.

Professional experience across energy, HVAC, and operations.

May — Aug 2025 Bonnyville, AB

Well-Site Operator Summer Student

Canadian Natural Resources Limited

Served as the sole on-shift operator responsible for approximately 52 conventional crude wells distributed across 15 remote sites. Each shift required full operational ownership of field activities without on-site supervision, including oversight of the complete production cycle. Daily circuit checks involved monitoring well performance, recording runtime and production data, and maintaining natural gas-powered skid units such as motors, generators, and hydraulic power units. Responsibilities also included preventative maintenance scheduling, production optimization, fluid level monitoring, and coordination of third-party services ranging from tank hauls to engine and equipment repairs. Identification of underperforming wells was performed through fluid shot diagnostics, followed by adjustments to pump speeds and rod lift parameters to improve efficiency and restore output, successfully returning five wells to target production levels. Work followed a one-week-on, one-week-off rotation with full operational accountability for reliability, production performance, and site safety across all assigned locations.

Production Operations Preventative Maintenance Well Optimization Independent Field Work
Jul 2024 — Jun 2025 Edmonton, AB

Expeditor Lead

Cactus Club Café

Hired as an expeditor and worked as one of two expo leads coordinating up to eight team members per shift at the pass. Responsible for sequencing and calling orders, conducting final quality checks on all outgoing plates, and managing the flow between kitchen and front of house during services of 400–500 covers on peak nights. Ensured all items within each bill were plated and delivered simultaneously at temperature, requiring constant coordination with multiple kitchen stations. Served as a primary trainer for new expeditors and collaborated with management to develop an updated training program for incoming team members. Also worked porter shifts as needed to support operations. Balanced the role part-time alongside full-time studies in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta.

Team Coordination Quality Assurance Training & Development High-Volume Operations
May — Aug 2024 Edmonton, AB

HVAC Sales Engineer Intern

Trane Technologies

Worked under a senior sales engineer supporting the full commercial HVAC sales pipeline — from initial equipment specification with design engineers through to contractor bidding and final quotes. Supported 5–6 concurrent projects ranging from small retrofits to large-scale developments including multi-use recreation centers, downtown towers, and warehouse builds. Collaborated with consulting engineers on equipment selection, running humidity calculations and helping specify AHU configurations to optimize system performance and operating costs. Assembled and negotiated quotes for contractors across the full product range including rooftop units, chillers, air handlers and VRF systems while working with vendors to build competitive package pricing. Learned the commercial strategy side of engineering sales: managing margins and competitive positioning against other manufacturers. Progressed from background support to independently managing relationships with newer engineering clients and handling contractor-facing work by the end of the term.

HVAC Equipment Specification Client Management Technical Sales
Jan — Aug 2023 Kindersley, SK

Floorhand

Ensign Energy Services

Floorhand on a super single drilling rig operating shallow horizontal crude wells for Teine Energy. Primary responsibilities centered on equipment maintenance and operational upkeep, including servicing generators, pumps, and auxiliary rig mechanical systems. Monitored fluid systems and assisted with routine inspections of BOP equipment and safety devices. Conducted daily hazard assessments and supported safe, continuous drilling operations. Maintained 100% HSE compliance through 12-hour shifts in remote field conditions.

Equipment Maintenance HSE Compliance Drilling Operations Safety Systems
May — Dec 2022 Spirit River, AB

Floorhand

Precision Drilling

Worked as a floorhand on a triple drilling rig in remote northwestern Alberta, drilling 5–7 km horizontal sour gas wells for Tourmaline Oil. Operated on a walking rig that relocated between wellpads without disassembly. Responsible for all manual pipe handling operations on the drill floor, daily hazard assessments, and minor servicing of hydraulic, water, and steam systems. Participated in full rig moves including equipment teardown, transport coordination, and reassembly. Worked 20-day-on, 10-day-off rotations with 12-hour shifts.

Deep Well Drilling Rig Moves Pipe Handling Sour Gas Operations

Selected work

A capstone engineering project and an ongoing personal infrastructure build.

Capstone · Dec 2026

Balloon-Launched Drone Platform

Designed the balloon launch system for Landing Zones Canada's GITPO reusable RPAS. Led a team of six mechanical engineers through requirements definition, detailed design, and client hand-off of a 400+ part SolidWorks assembly with ASME-compliant drawing package.

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Client
Landing Zones Canada
Role
Team Lead — Design Direction, CAD Integration, Client Communication
Deliverables
400+ part assembly, ASME drawings, 3 technical reports
Personal · Ongoing

Vanaheim — Personal Cloud Infrastructure

Privacy-focused home infrastructure replacing cloud services with self-hosted alternatives. Built from used enterprise hardware running Proxmox, OPNsense, and 20+ containerized services across a five-VLAN segmented network. In daily production use.

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Stack
Proxmox, Docker, OPNsense, Caddy, WireGuard
Network
5 VLANs, AdGuard DNS, SSO, encrypted queries
Status
Production use — actively maintained and expanding

Technical skills, certifications and languages

Core Technical Skills

  • SolidWorks (CSWA Certified)
  • ASME-Compliant Engineering Drawings
  • FEA / CFD Analysis
  • GD&T / Technical Drawing
  • 3D Printing & Rapid Prototyping
  • MATLAB
  • Microsoft Excel

Applied & Self-Taught

  • Linux Systems Administration
  • Proxmox / Docker
  • Networking (VLANs, DNS, VPN)
  • Git / Version Control
  • AutoCAD
  • Adobe Photoshop

Certifications & Languages

  • CSWA
  • H2S Alive
  • Standard First Aid
  • Fall Arrest
  • English (Fluent)
  • French (Proficient)
  • German (Beginner)

Let's connect

Available for full-time opportunities starting May 2026. Open to positions across Canada, UK, EU, Australia.