Senior Project Manager
Position Summary
The Senior Project Manager is responsible for leading the planning, development, execution, and successful delivery of capital projects and strategic asset improvement initiatives that support manufacturing operations. This position provides technical, financial, and leadership oversight for projects ranging from equipment upgrades and reliability improvements to major capital expansions and infrastructure investments.
The Senior Project Manager serves as the primary liaison between Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Reliability, Procurement, Health, Safety, Environmental and Quality (HSSEQ), and external contractors to ensure projects are executed safely, efficiently, and in alignment with business objectives. The role requires strong engineering expertise, strategic thinking, and demonstrated success delivering complex projects within a chemical manufacturing or heavy industrial environment.
Key Responsibilities
Capital Project Leadership
- Lead the development and execution of the capital investment portfolio for assigned operating areas.
- Manage multiple concurrent capital projects from concept development through startup, commissioning, and project closeout.
- Ensure all projects are executed in accordance with established safety, quality, scope, schedule, and budget expectations.
- Develop project strategies that align with site, business, and corporate objectives.
- Facilitate Front-End Loading (FEL) activities including project justification, alternatives analysis, cost estimating, risk evaluations, and capital authorization requests.
Project Planning & Execution
- Develop and maintain detailed project execution plans, schedules, cost estimates, procurement plans, and resource requirements.
- Coordinate project activities among engineering disciplines, operations personnel, maintenance teams, contractors, suppliers, and consultants.
- Monitor project performance and proactively manage project scope, schedule, costs, and risks.
- Ensure proper reports and updates are communicated promptly during each phase of the project.
- Lead project reviews, design reviews, constructability assessments, and readiness evaluations.
- Ensure successful project startup, commissioning, and transition to operations.
Financial Management
- Develop capital expenditure requests and supporting business cases.
- Accountable for overall project financial performance, including forecasting, cash flow management, cost tracking, and change management.
- Monitor project expenditures and identify opportunities to improve project value while maintaining required objectives.
- Provide accurate reporting regarding project status, capital spending, forecasts, and financial risks.
- Ensure projects comply with approved capital budgets and financial controls.
Safety, Environmental & Regulatory Compliance
- Promote a culture of safety excellence and ensure all project activities are conducted in accordance with company safety standards.
- Ensure compliance with Process Safety Management (PSM), Management of Change (MOC), OSHA regulations, environmental requirements, and applicable engineering standards.
- Lead project risk assessments, hazard reviews, and safety planning activities.
- Address safety concerns proactively and ensure contractor safety performance meets site expectations.
- Support process hazard analyses (PHA) and safety improvement initiatives associated with capital projects.
Contractor & Vendor Management
- Lead and manage relationships with engineering firms, construction contractors, equipment suppliers, and technical consultants.
- Evaluate contractor performance, establish project expectations, and ensure accountability for deliverables.
- Review bids, scopes of work, contracts, and technical proposals.
- Support procurement activities associated with capital projects.
- Ensure contractor work is completed safely, efficiently, and in accordance with project specifications.
Operational Partnership
- Collaborate closely with Operations, Maintenance, Reliability, Technical Services, and HSSEQ teams to identify and prioritize capital improvement opportunities.
- Support long-range planning efforts through identification and development of future capital investment projects.
- Drive projects that improve site reliability, production capacity, asset integrity, energy efficiency, product quality, environmental performance, and operational effectiveness.
- Serve as a trusted advisor and technical resource to site leadership.
Leadership & Development
- Provide leadership to cross-functional project teams.
- Mentor Project Engineers and junior project management personnel as necessary.
- Promote project management best practices, continuous improvement, and knowledge sharing.
- Foster collaboration and accountability across all project stakeholders.
- Effectively communicate project performance, risks, and recommendations to site and business leadership.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, or related Engineering discipline from an accredited university.
- Minimum 8 years of engineering, capital project management, or related industrial manufacturing experience.
- Demonstrated experience managing multiple capital projects within a manufacturing, petrochemical, refining, chemical processing, power generation, or heavy industrial environment.
- Strong knowledge of project lifecycle management, project controls, budget management, and execution methodologies.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and contractor organizations.
- Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and project management software.
Preferred Qualifications
- 10+ years of capital project management experience.
- Professional Engineer (PE) License.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification.
- Experience managing capital projects exceeding $5 million.
- Experience within chemical manufacturing, petrochemical, refining, or process industries.
- Knowledge of Process Safety Management (PSM) and Management of Change (MOC) requirements.
- Experience with SAP, Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, or other project controls systems.
- Experience supporting plant turnarounds, outages, and large-scale asset improvement initiatives.
Knowledge, Skills & Competencies
Technical Competencies
- Capital Project Management
- Engineering Design Review
- Construction Management
- Cost Estimating & Cost Control
- Project Scheduling & Planning
- Risk Assessment & Mitigation
- Process Safety Management (PSM)
- Management of Change (MOC)
- Procurement & Contract Administration
- Asset Reliability Principles
- Process Improvement Methodologies
- Root Cause Analysis
- Startup & Commissioning Support
Leadership Competencies
- Strategic Thinking
- Business Acumen
- Decision Making
- Executive Communication
- Team Leadership
- Stakeholder Management
- Conflict Resolution
- Negotiation Skills
- Coaching & Mentoring
- Change Management
- Accountability & Ownership
Behavioral Competencies
- Safety Leadership
- Results Orientation
- Continuous Improvement Mindset
- Collaboration & Teamwork
- Adaptability & Resilience
- Customer Focus
- Problem Solving
- Initiative
- Integrity & Professionalism
Working Conditions
- Work is performed in both office and manufacturing plant environments.
- Regular field presence is required in operating units, construction sites, and contractor work areas.
- May require climbing ladders, ascending structures, navigating uneven surfaces, and use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
- Occasional travel may be required to support projects, vendors, contractors, and company facilities.
Success Measures
A successful Senior Project Manager will:
- Deliver projects safely with zero serious safety incidents.
- Execute projects within approved scope, budget, and schedule targets.
- Improve plant reliability, safety, capacity, and operational performance through capital investments.
- Build strong partnerships across Operations, Reliability, Maintenance, and Engineering organizations.
- Develop and maintain a sustainable portfolio of future capital improvement projects.
- Drive continuous improvement in project management processes and execution standards.