Indeed so, which is a very complex calculation that only professional performance engineers can perform. The result is often an OEI "escape" flight path that deviates from the SID.
Whilst the comment might be flattering to the egos of ops engineers and cause us to acquire swelled heads, the reality is that routine runway analysis work is not terribly difficult ... but certainly does require meticulous attention to detailed housekeeping. The situation in the missed approach is a little more complicated due to the need to figure out where the aircraft might be during the transition - far easier in these days of high accuracy navigation systems.
There is no reason why a pilot, for instance, with a modicum of basic technical training, cannot do the job just as well as (and, in some respects, better than) the specialist engineer. However, the oft-inferred suggestion that Captain Speaking can do the task as part of the preflight checks is probably a bit wide of the mark. A manual assessment for a difficult runway can take many, many hours of tedious work.
Another problem relates to the inability of most aircraft to maintain a constant climb OEI - ie there needs to be an acceleration phase for reconfiguration and, depending on the speed delta between initial and fnal climb speed, that acceleration can take a LONG time and distance OEI. Older twins are a case in point.