Senior Power Project Manager

Description

Wood is currently looking Senior Project Manager candidates for a role in Wood’s Thermal Power business unit. This role is hybrid, and would be located at either our Tucker, Georgia, Greenville, South Carolina, or Charlotte, North Carolina offices. We are seeking candidates with between 15 and 35 years of experience, having worked at an Engineering design firm as a design engineer in the power generation sector and/or project manager or project engineer. Candidates should have experience leading major power generation projects.  Project experience should include both studies and detailed engineering.

Applicants must be authorized to work lawfully in the US without sponsorship from Wood, now or in the future. No agencies please.

The ideal candidate would have the ability to act in several roles, including Project Director, Project Manager, or Project Engineer on large or complex projects. Field experience is highly desirable. The role will have responsibility for budgets, schedule, risk mitigation, multi-disciplinary team management, stakeholder engagement (internal and external), and meeting clients’ expectations. 

We are seeking a highly motivated individual with good interpersonal skills and with good communication and computer skills. Wood seeks a candidate that will take ownership of the work of the entire project team. 

Our Clients and Projects 

Designing the future. Transforming the world.

Wood’s Thermal Power business unit provides engineering services to the Power Generation industry (grid-tied), as well as power generation projects for industrial facilities, process plants, and pulp and paper mills. Recently, many of Wood’s projects are focused on behind-the-meter generation for datacenter customers. The Wood Thermal Power group has a legacy of industrial, pulp and paper, and utility power projects that goes back over 50 years. Projects have included studies, cycle analysis, and detailed design of power plants with technologies ranging from chemical recovery and biomass boilers in the pulp and paper industry, gas turbines as part of simple and combined cycle power plants, and thermal utility and industrial plants consisting of boilers of a wide variety of types and fuels. Projects have also included power plant air pollution control systems including FGD and SCR systems. Project sizes range from $50,000 study efforts to multi-million dollar engineering efforts for projects exceeding a billion dollars of total installed cost. 

Wood’s Thermal Power projects over the years have included some of the leading-edge technologies, such as solar thermal, geothermal, wind, renewable fuels, the latest gas turbines and steam turbines, bubbling fluidized bed boilers, and circulating fluidized bed boilers.

The Thermal Power team works in close collaboration with Specialty Chemicals and Forest Industry teams, sharing discipline resources. This multi-industry environment provides opportunities during market shifts for motivated project managers to lead projects in other markets.

What we can offer

• Meaningful and interesting projects  delivered to leaders of industry across our Power Generation sector.
• Flexible working arrangements  that balance client, team and individual needs offering hybrid working.
• Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion;  we are an organization actively committed to diversity and inclusion across our business with employee networks committed to giving all employees a voice.
• Competitive  salary with regular salary reviews to ensure we are rewarding at the right level in line with the market.
• Flexible benefits package  that can be adapted to suit your lifestyle.
• Commitment to continued professional development;  development plans that are tailored to your individual needs and interests.
• Global connections:  join experts around the world who are at the leading edge of our industry, shaping the standards of our profession.

Responsibilities

• Lead execution of major power capital projects and programs through all phases of delivery (study/front-end engineering, owner’s engineering services, time and material reimbursable mechanisms on detailed design, lump sum detailed design efforts, detailed design efforts with procurement and construction management services).
• Manage multiple small capital projects simultaneously through all phases of delivery.
• Engage with stake holders to define the scope, execution strategy, and estimate the Total Installed Cost of the project.
• Ensure that clear and complete scopes, schedules, and budgets are prepared and accepted by the client for assigned projects.
• Develop and document an execution plan for each project which is scaled to the size and complexity of that project.
• Deliver internal and external financial performance on project assignments.
• Lead negotiations with the client on change orders and contractual issues while maintaining a solid client relationship and client satisfaction.
• Lead project cost and schedule development and ensure successful execution
• Lead change, trend, and variance control with project controls (CPI/SPI), ensuring transparent forecasting and recoveries. 
• Promptly recognize, document, and communicate any scope, schedule, budget, or design changes and secure client authorization prior to allowing changes.
• Communicate regularly to keep team members and stake holders up to date on project status, schedule progression, costs, and other critical or contractual items.
• Oversee sourcing strategies for long‑lead materials and critical services
• Oversee the responses to Requests for Proposals and support the bid process to successfully negotiate new projects.
• Support feasibility assessments and cost estimates for clients.
• Direct multi‑discipline engineering (process, mechanical, civil, structural, electrical, instrumentation) with an emphasis on constructability, reliability, and maintainability; ensure onboarding and knowledge transfer

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering 
• 15 plus years of relevant experience (preferred) managing large capital projects (at least $200MM TIC) in the power generation industry. Experience with managing engineering effort on $1B plus TIC projects is desirable.
• Extensive experience in project management, project development, feasibility evaluation, and project finance
• Strong background in engineering management, project stakeholder management, and contract administration
• Demonstrated leadership of large, multidisciplinary technical teams
• Experience should include proven examples of the candidate’s ability to lead a team through the project life cycle from project conception (FEED/FEL and budgeting) to commissioning/startup support to deliver project and contractual obligations on time and within budget.
• Advanced knowledge of various forms of contracts/reimbursement mechanisms and the impacts to project setup, forecasting, management, stakeholder engagement, and risk mitigation.
• Have an advanced knowledge of project controls including scheduling, budgeting, risk management, progress monitoring and forecasting.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
• Able to motivate, engage and influence a diverse group of people, many without a direct reporting relationship 
• Flexible to respond and adapt to changing internal and external context 
• Decisive, with ability to make decisions and follow through, ensuring learnings are captured 
• Pragmatic in approach with a strong commercial bias and ability to balance commerciality with operational excellence 
• A motivated self-starter, who can self-direct when required, able to use own initiative to make appropriate decisions but also know when escalation is required 
• Critical thinker, able to interpret complex data and with strong problem-solving abilities 
• A pro-active approach to solving problems and getting the job done.
• Able to handle multiple activities simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.