Lead Strategist - New Energies & Sustainability

Motiva•Houston, TX

About The Position

Reporting to the Director, New Energies & Sustainability, the Lead Strategist, New Energies & Sustainability is a senior individual contributor responsible for advancing Motiva’s energy transition and sustainability agenda through rigorous strategic analysis, business case development, and execution of discrete strategic initiatives. This role supports enterprise‑wide strategy formation and business development efforts by identifying, evaluating, and maturing opportunities across new energy value chains. The Lead Strategist owns specific initiatives end‑to‑end, translating market insight and financial analysis into investable, executable options that align with Motiva’s commercial objectives and long‑term strategy. The role leads business opportunities that can be internal to Motiva or externally through the development of third-party partnerships or joint ventures.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Engineering, Economics, Finance, or a related field.
10+ years of combined experience in either consulting, strategy, business development, corporate development, or commercial roles, with exposure to energy, downstream, midstream, or sustainability related initiatives.
Proven ability to develop comprehensive business cases and financial models to support investment decisions.
Strong market and commercial insight with the ability to independently assess opportunities, risks, and competitive positioning.
Demonstrated experience leading complex projects and workstreams autonomously.
Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills with the ability to influence across all levels of the organization.

Nice To Haves

Project & Business Development experience, supporting or leading mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, or strategic partnerships, including due diligence and integration planning.
Skill in negotiating complex commercial agreements and managing terms effectively with minimal supervision.
Highly analytical and detail oriented, with the ability to distill complex situations into structured, actionable insights.
Self-motivated and results oriented, with the ability to plan, prioritize, and manage multiple strategic initiatives simultaneously.

Responsibilities

Strategy Development: Support the development and communication of Motiva’s strategic objectives for New Energies and Sustainability initiatives.
Drive strategy execution by independently owning and delivering assigned workstreams, analyses, and recommendations.
Work collaboratively with Technical Excellence, Port Arthur Operations, Commercial, Finance, and Aramco corporate teams to assess, pilot, and advance new and emerging technologies within Motiva operations.
Support the formation and advancement of strategic partnerships across New Energies segments, including low‑carbon hydrogen and ammonia, carbon capture and storage, renewable power, sustainable fuels, and sustainable chemicals.
Opportunity Identification: Proactively build and maintain internal and external networks across the energy transition ecosystem.
Develop a strong understanding of Motiva’s business, value drivers, and third‑party interactions.
Conduct market and competitive analysis to identify, frame, and screen potential commercial opportunities.
Lead initial opportunity assessments and early‑stage maturation activities.
Support alignment with internal stakeholders and obtain required endorsements for further evaluation (Motiva and Aramco).
Engage with external counterparties as appropriate to test opportunities and refine commercial concepts.
Deal Design: Develop commercial frameworks and support structuring of new energy and sustainability opportunities.
Conduct commercial and strategic due diligence for preferred opportunities.
Evaluate commercial options, risks (upside and downside), and overall value propositions.
Build and maintain financial models to assess economic feasibility and strategic fit.
Support selection of preferred commercial options and preparation of investment materials for internal review and approval.
Stakeholder Management & Negotiations: Identify and engage key internal and external stakeholders across functions and leadership levels.
Understand stakeholder interests, concerns, and interdependencies to support alignment.
Use detailed analysis and commercial insights to support transaction planning and execution.
Support and, as appropriate, lead negotiation processes with external partners, including development of negotiation strategies and sequencing of engagements.
Maintain and manage external relationships and address issues as they arise throughout opportunity development.
Contracts & Agreements: Maintain working knowledge of commercial agreements commonly used in new energy, sustainability, and partnership transactions.
Review and assess key commercial and legal terms to support Motiva’s strategic and risk objectives.
Work closely with Legal to develop contract scenarios, evaluate tradeoffs, and support agreement drafting.
Ensure agreements are structured logically, align with commercial objectives, and reflect appropriate risk mitigation.