Senior Gas Plant Manager

Howard Energy Partners • Orla, TX

6d

About The Position

The Senior Gas Plant Manager leads the safe, reliable, and profitable operation of a full-scale natural gas processing facility, including inlet compression, amine treating, dehydration, cryogenic NGL recovery, fractionation, and residue compression. The role sets the plant’s strategic and operational direction and leads a multidisciplinary team of operations, maintenance, and technical staff. It ensures compliance with environmental, PSM, and DOT/PHMSA regulations, drives recovery efficiency and plant uptime, and manages operating and capital budgets. The manager works with commercial, gathering, and engineering groups to optimize throughput, product quality, and margins, while championing safety, workforce development, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical, Mechanical, or Petroleum Engineering, or a related technical field; an equivalent combination of education and progressive gas processing experience may substitute.
• 12 or more years of experience in natural gas processing, midstream, or a closely related hydrocarbon processing industry such as refining or petrochemicals.
• 5 or more years in a supervisory or management role, including direct leadership of operations and maintenance personnel.
• Hands-on experience with cryogenic NGL recovery plants, including amine treating, dehydration, compression, and expander-based processing.
• Demonstrated experience operating under OSHA PSM and environmental permit requirements, including audits, PHAs, and management of change (MOC).
• Experience developing and managing operating and capital budgets.
• Experience leading incident investigations and emergency response.
• Thorough knowledge of gas processing operations, including compression, amine treating, dehydration, cryogenic NGL recovery, fractionation, and residue systems.
• Ability to interpret P&IDs, process data, and performance metrics to diagnose problems and optimize operations.
• Working knowledge of maintenance and reliability practices, mechanical integrity programs, and turnaround execution.
• Familiarity with plant control systems (DCS/SCADA) and safety instrumented systems.
• Strong understanding of OSHA PSM, EPA air and environmental regulations, DOT/PHMSA requirements, and applicable FERC obligations.
• Ability to lead incident investigations and root-cause analyses and carry corrective actions through to completion.
• Knowledge of emergency response planning and incident command.
• Ability to lead, motivate, and develop a multidisciplinary workforce across operations, maintenance, and technical roles.
• Skill in setting expectations, managing performance, and building accountability.
• Ability to make sound decisions under pressure, including during upsets and emergencies.
• Ability to evaluate project economics and prioritize investments by safety, reliability, and margin impact.
• Understanding of how plant performance affects commercial results and contracts.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with all levels, from field staff to executives.
• Ability to work effectively with commercial, engineering, pipeline, and EHS groups.
• Skill in representing the company with regulators, landowners, contractors, and the community.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic 24/7 operating environment; commitment to integrity, safety, and continuous improvement.

Nice To Haves

• Three or more years of leadership experience in a full-scale processing facility as a Plant Manager, Assistant Plant Manager, Operations Manager, or similar role.
• Experience with fractionation, NGL product handling, and multi-train plant operations.
• Experience leading major turnarounds, capital projects, plant expansions, tie-ins, and startup activities.
• Experience in a unionized and/or multi-site operating environment.
• Knowledge of commercial processing operations, including contracts, plant balancing, and product marketing interfaces.
• Experience with interstate pipeline affiliates and FERC Standards of Conduct compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and sustain a strong safety culture, ensuring compliance with company safety programs, OSHA Process Safety Management, and incident prevention, investigation, and corrective-action processes.
• Ensure facility operations comply with permits and regulatory requirements for air, water, waste, PSM, DOT/PHMSA, and applicable FERC/Standards of Conduct obligations, and maintain audit readiness.
• Direct plant operations to meet throughput, NGL recovery, product quality, and residue gas specifications; optimize processing efficiency and respond to changing inlet conditions.
• Oversee maintenance strategy, mechanical integrity, and turnaround planning to maximize uptime and extend asset life.
• Develop and manage operating and capital budgets, control costs, and identify and execute projects that improve margins and plant value.
• Lead, staff, and develop the plant team; set expectations, conduct performance evaluations, plan succession, and ensure training and qualification requirements are met.
• Coordinate with commercial, gathering, engineering, EHS, and pipeline groups to align operations with business objectives and customer commitments.
• Maintain and lead the facility’s emergency response capability, including plans, drills, and coordination with local responders and agencies.
• Drive performance tracking, root-cause analysis, and adoption of best practices and technology to improve safety, efficiency, and reliability.
• Represent the facility with regulators, landowners, contractors, and the local community, protecting the company’s reputation and license to operate.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior