Project Director

CDI Engineering Services•Houston, TX

7d•Remote

About The Position

The Project Director will serve as the senior leader responsible for the end‑to‑end delivery of green fertilizer production facility, integrating renewable energy, green hydrogen, and downstream ammonia and nitric acid processing, and granulation plant. This role provides strategic direction, technical leadership, and full life‑cycle project oversight across development, design, execution, commissioning, and transition to operations. As a project with high complexity, emerging technologies, and novel integration challenges, the Project Director must balance innovation with disciplined project governance, ensuring delivery certainty, stakeholder confidence, and operational readiness. To lead the successful delivery of the project by establishing a high‑performance project organization, securing required approvals and funding, managing strategic partners and delivery contracts, overseeing safety and technical integrity, and ensuring the project meets the company commercial, schedule, sustainability, and performance objectives.

Requirements

15+ years of engineering/project engineering/project control experience in EPC environments.
Experience of chairing senior management meetings at executive and board level operating within an SPV model alongside equity and lending partners.
Strong track record in major project execution performance with special focus on financial and schedule delivery performance objectives.
Proven track record in client-side large capital projects (energy, renewables, oil & gas, utilities, chemicals, heavy industry, or infrastructure).
Experience working with multilingual, multicultural project teams.
Strong understanding of Project execution aligned with organisational and delivery structures
Solid knowledge of Major Project Execution workflows (management techniques, engineering deliverables, procurement cycle, construction sequencing and completions/commissioning)
Understanding of project reporting requirement and control tools with progress measurement systems. Alignment with KPI performance objectives and reporting measures
Familiarity with international engineering standards (ASME, IEC, ISO, API, etc.).
Understanding and interpretation of P6 scheduling and critical paths.
Excelentcommunication and stakeholder management capabilities.
Strategic thinker in execution of project scopes and resourcing.
Strong analytical mindset and attention to detail.
Problem-solving orientation and ability to perform under pressure.
Organised, proactive, and collaborative.

Nice To Haves

Infrastructure and fertiliser project delivery experience would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

Provide leadership & governance direction with executive oversight aligned with key decision making within DOA rules
Anticipate and manage emerging FOAK risks, technology readiness challenges, and integration complexities.
Establish and maintain an effective project governance framework, including oversight of steering committees and reporting structures
Maintain clarity on project objectives, success criteria, scope boundaries, and deliverables in line with lender and shareholder performance agreements and reporting schedules and ensure clarity of these within project team members aligned with company corporate strategy, green energy ambitions, and sustainability commitments.
Review scope, schedule, and cost baselines, and ensure all project plans, controls, and procedures align with these baselines.
Ensure that all changes to scope, cost, or schedule follow the approved change control process where approvals will be sought‑control process where approvals will be sought from Steering Team Board
Establish and lead the Integrated Project Team, ensuring roles, responsibilities, and reporting lines are clearly defined while ensuring technical integrity and design optimization for renewable energy inputs, electrolysers, ammonia synthesis, and fertilizer production processes.
Ensure the project is adequately staffed with competent resources and that team members understand their responsibilities
Foster collaboration, communication, and accountability across all project participants within a heavy focus on strategic direction and performance, building strategic relationships with external stakeholders to support permitting, grid integration, and supply chain development.
Ensure local community engagement and socioeconomic considerations align with Company values.
Provide leadership in the identification, assessment, and management of project risks and opportunities and maintain the Project risk register
Approve risk mitigation and response strategies and ensure they are implemented effectively.
Oversee escalation and resolution of significant issues that may impact project performance.
Approve the project’s contracting, procurement, and commercial strategies in collaboration with the Procurement & Project Services Manager ensuring the EPC has alignment with any Company corporate expectations with regular communication with EPC Project Director
Ensure that procurement activities support timely delivery and comply with organizational and regulatory requirements.
Overview all contractors’ performance and intervene where necessary to maintain project objectives.
Act as the primary point of accountability for communication with senior leadership, regulators, partners, and key stakeholders.
Ensure that project reporting is accurate, timely, and aligned with organizational expectations.
Maintain strong relationships and alignment across all stakeholder groups.
Monitor project performance against approved baselines, ensuring variance analysis and corrective actions are undertaken promptly.
Ensure project execution complies with applicable policies, standards, regulations, and governance requirements.
Approve updates to the Project Charter and PEP as required to reflect changes, decisions, or evolving project conditions.
Oversee project completion activities, ensuring all deliverables meet agreed standards.
Ensure that project documentation, performance data, and lessons learned are captured, archived, and communicated for organizational benefit.
Confirm that final acceptance, handover, and closeout processes are completed in accordance with governance requirements.
Foster a culture of safety, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Ensure knowledge transfer and capability development across the company emerging project portfolio
Manage major procurement packages, EPC contracts, and involved in commercial negotiations.
Ensure project remains financially viable, fundable, and competitive within the green fertilizer market.
Strengthened Company reputation as a leader in green hydrogen and sustainable fertilizer solutions.
Delivery of a scalable model enabling future Company projects and commercial expansion.