Director, Business Portfolio

Worley•Long Beach, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Worley is a global professional services company of energy, chemicals and resources experts headquartered in Australia. Right now, we’re bridging two worlds as we accelerate to more sustainable energy sources, while helping our customers provide the energy, chemicals and resources that society needs now. We partner with our customers to deliver projects and create value over the life of their portfolio of assets. We solve complex problems by finding integrated data-centric solutions from the first stages of consulting and engineering to installation and commissioning, to the last stages of decommissioning and remediation. Join us and help drive innovation and sustainability in our projects. PURPOSE OF THE ROLE The Project Director – Chemicals & Fuels is accountable for the overall direction, governance, and successful delivery of portfolio, mid-cap, or large-cap Chemicals & Fuels projects, including refining, petrochemical, fuels, terminals, and related industrial facilities. These projects are typically brownfield, operating‑facility, or regulatory‑driven, requiring strong leadership in safety, risk management, constructability, operability, and stakeholder alignment. This role provides executive‑level leadership to ensure projects are delivered safely, compliantly, and profitably, in full alignment with contractual commitments, customer expectations, regulatory requirements, and Worley’s strategic objectives. The Project Director establishes the execution framework, leads senior project leadership, and fosters a high‑performance, safety‑focused culture across all project phases.

Requirements

University degree or equivalent qualification in Engineering or a related technical discipline.
Extensive experience (typically 20+ years) in project management, engineering, or technical leadership within the energy or power sectors.
Typically, 20+ years of experience in engineering, project management, or technical leadership roles.
Demonstrated success delivering large and mega‑scale Chemicals & Fuels projects, including EPCM and EPC delivery models.
Strong experience with brownfield and operating‑facility projects, including regulatory‑driven capital work.
Proven leadership in refining, petrochemical, fuels, terminals, or related industrial sectors.
Experience across project lifecycle phases including Pre‑FEED, FEED, detailed engineering, construction, commissioning, and startup.
Deep understanding of EPC project delivery, cost build‑up, and risk‑based contingency management.
Strong knowledge of constructability, operability, maintainability, and process safety expectations.
Experience managing complex commercial arrangements, subcontractors, and joint ventures.
Familiarity with regulatory and permitting frameworks relevant to Chemicals & Fuels projects, particularly in highly regulated environments such as California.
Proven ability to lead and influence large, multidisciplinary, multi‑location teams.
Strong mentoring and talent development capabilities.
Exceptional decision‑making, problem‑solving, and risk management skills.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage senior customer leadership.

Responsibilities

Provide overall leadership and strategic direction for large and mega‑scale Chemicals & Fuels projects.
Establish clear project objectives, success criteria, and execution strategies aligned with contract, customer, and Worley requirements.
Ensure robust project governance, decision‑making frameworks, and accountability across engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and startup.
Lead and mentor Project Managers, Engineering Managers, and Project Engineers.
Champion a strong health, safety, and environmental (HSE) culture, with particular emphasis on process safety in operating facilities.
Ensure compliance with regulatory, permitting, and owner/operator requirements, including Safety by Design principles.
Oversee identification, assessment, and mitigation of project risks using Worley risk management procedures.
Ensure project risk registers are actively maintained and used to inform contingency, execution strategy, and decision‑making.
Approve and oversee development of integrated project execution plans, schedules, and resource strategies.
Ensure engineering deliverables are fit‑for‑purpose for construction, commissioning, and operations, particularly in brownfield environments.
Drive constructability, operability, and maintainability considerations into project planning and execution.
Monitor project performance against cost, schedule, quality, and productivity targets, initiating corrective actions as required.
Ensure effective multi‑office and global workshare execution models are in place and performing.
Maintain full accountability for project financial performance, including budget, cost control, forecasting, margin, and cash flow.
Provide leadership on contract interpretation, commercial strategy, and change management.
Oversee management of subcontractors, suppliers, and joint venture partners where applicable.
Balance technical, commercial, and schedule considerations to optimize overall project outcomes.
Serve as senior‑level interface with customer leadership, technical authorities, and key stakeholders.
Build and maintain trusted relationships with owner/operator organizations, including engineering, operations, maintenance, and reliability teams.
Ensure transparent, proactive communication of project status, risks, and issues.
Align internal and external stakeholders on project priorities and execution strategies.
Ensure Worley methodologies, systems, and tools are consistently applied across the project.
Promote value creation, sustainability, and innovation in Chemicals & Fuels project delivery.
Support business development by contributing technical and execution expertise to proposals and strategic pursuits.
Develop and retain high‑performing project leadership talent.