Willow Operations Representative

ConocoPhillips•Houston, TX

About The Position

ConocoPhillips is hiring a Willow Operations Representative with a strong understanding of North Slope production facility, drillsite and pipeline operations, maintenance and interplay between other infrastructure on the North Slope. This position will benefit from an understanding of trade-offs between major project capital expenditure and future operations and maintenance constraints and costs, particularly in the current project “execute” phase where changes to facility design and equipment are increasingly difficult to accommodate. The Willow Operations Representative will report, as part of the team of O&M representatives, to the Willow Operations Rep Team Lead, and is intended to transition into the long-term Willow O&M organization during mobilization to the North Slope for final commissioning and startup of full-field operations. As part of the Willow Asset Team, the Willow Operations Representative will represent the needs of the future Willow O&M Organization within the project team, with specific focus on fabrication, commissioning and overall delivery of the Willow Central Facility (WCF) and Drillsites (BT1/2/3). Selected individual(s) will be expected to take an active, hands-on role in mechanical completion and commissioning in the fabrication yard and on the North Slope, regularly receiving tactical work direction from the construction and commissioning teams. Additional responsibilities include supporting Willow Operations Readiness planning and task leadership and execution, and North Slope drilling, completions and well delivery support. Willow O&M representatives are expected to work closely with the project team, North Slope Operations (NSO), Drilling & Wells team and corporate and global peers, providing opportunity to expand the individual’s leadership skills, professional network, ability to work cross-functionally, and communicate effectively. The work schedule and location for the Willow Operations representative will be dynamic through the project execution phase. The timeline below provides an initial depiction and duration of the various phases of the role. Flexibility in schedule and availability will be required during critical periods to ensure delivery of key project milestones. It is expected that regular travel and temporary relocations or living situations will be required to support these requirements. Using the current project execution plan as a basis, the estimated work location schedule is as follows: Q2 2026: COP/Wood offices, Houston, TX Q3 2026 through Q2 2027: Fabrication yard, Ingleside, TX (rotational) Q3 2027 through Q4 2027: North Slope, AK (rotational) + Anchorage, AK (CPAI Office) Q1 2028+: North Slope, AK

Requirements

Legally authorized to work in the United States
Valid/current driver’s license
5 or more years of experience in arctic oil production operations
Intermediate level of knowledge of industrial operations and maintenance including oil/chemical processing, gas compression, power generation and utilities operation, chemical treating, and well operations
Intermediate level knowledge of business computer and communications systems, such as Microsoft Outlook, Word, PowerPoint & Excel
Willing and able (with or without reasonable accommodation) to relocate to Houston, TX and Ingleside, TX and work in both an office and fabrication yard environment
Willing and able (with or without reasonable accommodation) to travel up to 25% of the time both domestically and internationally

Nice To Haves

10 or more years of Operations experience, including certification as a control room “board” operator
1 or more years of experience in O&M leadership role (i.e. operations lead, projects lead or similar role)
1 or more years of experience working with major projects, engineering contractors in project design or execution
1 or more years of experience with Operations and Maintenance readiness, commissioning and/or startup planning, execution and early operations
Intermediate knowledge of Willow project scope, general facilities design and operational and maintenance parameters
Intermediate knowledge of Operations Excellence (OE) and Operability Assurance (OA) standards and procedures
Ability and willingness to innovate and consider solutions outside the current North Slope paradigm
Ability to consider complete project lifecycle costs and adapt as project progresses and new information becomes available
Builds positive relationships based on trust and seeks collaboration across organizational boundaries to achieve outcomes
Listens actively and invites new ideas for exchanged opinions, then influences and acts to drive positive performance and achieve results
Drives thoughtful and pragmatic change, encourages innovative thinking and continuous improvement, and models adaptability through resourcefulness, flexibility and positivity

Responsibilities

Safety Leadership – Bring field operational experience and practical application to HSE processes in all areas of activity, including the fabrication yard, activity planning and the north slope. This key Operations role within the team carries a unique opportunity and expectation to beneficially influence the focus on Process Safety from engineering controls to O&M procedures and human factors. Similarly, this position will play a key role in setting the Willow HSE culture including support for company and BU safety initiatives, process and procedure adaptations and environmental and cultural respect and compliance
Fabrication, Installation & Commissioning – Provide direct planning, support and hands-on execution of fabrication and commissioning in the fab-yard, and final hookup and commissioning on the North Slope
FAT participation – Travel and engage with vendors across the United States and globally to ensure operability and maintainability. Identify potential issues and assist in developing fit-for-purpose solutions enable cost and schedule-efficient correction and/or O&M management plans
Operations Readiness Planning – Work closely with the Willow Readiness Lead through detailed development and execution of full-field operational readiness scope and assigned tasks. This includes but is not limited to standard operating and maintenance procedure (SOP) development, key O&M workflow development, information and documentation management, and overall early O&M organization design and staffing
Design Input– Provide and coordinate North Slope O&M input into WCF and DS final design changes, with consideration for both near term project spend and long-term O&M cost and value. Leverage O&M experience as well as engineering and O&M resources to provide early recognition of design details that are problematic (operability, reliability, maintainability, safety, etc.) and collaborate to develop solutions, including operational and maintenance work-arounds, optimized for lifecycle cost and startup performance
Controls System Development & Acceptance – Support and work with DCS contractors to provide functional requirements and expectations in the creation of control system HMI. Support overall functional acceptance testing (FAT) and testing control narratives and troubleshooting process control systems. Provide input into creation, testing and maximizing value of an OTS (Operator Training Simulator)
Production Startup & Well Delivery – Provide detailed planning, support and execution of full-field production startup, early operations and well delivery of a fast-pace, high-value well delivery program. Act as key interface with Drilling, Wells and Asset Development teams in planning and execution of well flowback, preservation, startup and well operational guideline development
HAZOP & PHA - Act as primary Willow Operations representative in the project Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) process, where required, to manage changes and safe startup procedure development. Capture and ensure resolution of PHA identified issues and action items requiring Operations or Maintenance action
Inclusive Behavior – Continue to develop and foster a collaborative one-team environment, solving problems creatively with value in mind. Develop relationships and maintain close engagement with both local and corporate functional leads and partners as well as external vendor representatives
BU O&M Engagement – Interface regularly with North Slope O&M personnel, providing regular status updates to Alaska Operations, Maintenance, and leadership. Represent long-term O&M needs and perspective regarding project issues. Highlight and effectively communicate issues requiring elevation to Willow O&M leadership
Cross-functional communication - Lead initiatives, meetings and conversations outside area of expertise to support O&M Readiness. Functional areas may include information management, materials and spares, subsurface engineering, global technical functions, and local and global leadership
Innovation and Digital Technology - Progress early implementation of foundational O&M technology and work processes as they apply to Operation and Maintenance of Willow. This includes Digital Control of Work systems, Advanced Surveillance, Digital Twin and Condition Based Monitoring tools. Interface closely with Willow Operations Solutions Engineers, IT and Telecommunications leads to ensure supporting systems are in place and function as needed. Lead and influence change and technology pilots in the AKBU and other areas across COP
Value impact awareness – Provide input into operating cost estimate for project life cycle of the Willow Asset. Support identification and mitigation of risks to O&M costs and project value