Operations Director - South Texas

Western Midstream•The Woodlands, TX

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

Western Midstream is seeking a Director for its South Texas operations. Reporting to the Vice President of South Operations, this role bridges the gap between business strategy and field execution. The director is responsible for the safe and compliant operation of the region’s assets, meeting customer uptime and performance requirements, achieving cost efficiency and throughput targets, and driving “Operational Excellence”. As a champion of the organization’s culture, the Director sets the standard for WES’s core values, safety philosophy, and leadership development. The ideal candidate is a strategic leader with over 12 years of multi-commodity midstream experience, specifically in gas gathering and processing, NGL stabilization, and crude oil transport, who can effectively translate high-level objectives into tactical results. They must possess the financial acumen to drive operating expense and gross margin targets while maintaining technical expertise of the operated assets. Furthermore, this individual serves as a mentor who embodies WES Core Values, fostering a culture of safety and transparency to develop high-performing field leadership teams.

Requirements

Minimum of 12 years of progressive experience in oil and gas operations with specific exposure to cryogenic/amine gas processing, crude oil logistics, and saltwater disposal.
Minimum 5 years of experience in leadership roles managing large operations, engineering, or cross-functional teams of greater than 30 personnel.
Safety & Stewardship: Demonstrated history of prioritizing safety and environmental compliance as a core license to operate.
Business Acumen: Ability to interpret financial statements, drive operating expense reductions, and manage OpEx and CapEx budgets exceeding $50M+.
Servanthood Leadership: Proven ability to develop talent, acting as a mentor to field leadership and fostering a culture of transparency and collaboration.
Technical Expertise: Strong understanding of compression, separation, dehydration, and oil treating technologies.
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, or Petroleum) is preferred, other disciplines and degrees or lack thereof may be considered with appropriate experience.
Valid driver’s license with no restrictions that would prohibit driving a company vehicle.

Responsibilities

Ensures all contractors and employees adhere to WES best practices and safety procedures, maintaining "Stop Work Authority" as a cultural norm.
Ensures that training and compliance tasks are performed consistently across the asset—AVOs, smoke checks, LDAR, DOT OQ—to ensure WES maintains its license to operate.
Serves as the primary escalation point for regulatory agencies (PHMSA, TRRC, OSHA) and can act as the Incident Commander during high-level emergency response events.
Develops and executes long-term operational strategies to ensure alignment with corporate growth and EBITDA targets.
Drives operational efficiency by establishing KPIs for availability, throughput, chemical usage, and power consumption.
Monitors and drives continuous improvement key operational performance metrics including system operability, equipment runtime, plant recoveries, and capacity utilization.
Accountable for managing customer relationships by proactively ensuring all customer requirements are fulfilled and promptly addressing any concerns or issues as they arise.
Oversees implementation of pipeline integrity programs—including pigging, damage prevention, and corrosion monitoring—to ensure long-term reliability and compliance.
Develop and oversee the region’s preventive and corrective maintenance strategies, to minimize unplanned downtime.
Direct the high-level planning and execution of major scheduled maintenance turnarounds (TARs), ensuring alignment with commercial needs and in adherence to established budgets.
Leads the annual budgeting process for OPEX and maintenance CAPEX, conducting variance analysis to control costs.
Partners with Commercial teams to minimize system downtime and ensure throughput matches contractual obligations.
Evaluates and authorizes new technology implementation, such as automation upgrades or remote monitoring tools, to improve system efficiency.
Mentors and develop field leaders, preparing high-potential employees for future leadership roles.
Conducts performance reviews for senior field leadership and provides final approval for hiring, promotions, and compensation planning within the region.
Translates corporate goals into actionable plans for field teams, ensuring clear communication of procedures and strategic changes.
Facilitates collaboration among internal cross-functional teams to effectively resolve challenges and drive organizational efficiency improvements.