Director, Downstream Site Project Execution

Director, Downstream Site Project Execution

Location: Toledo, OH | Lima, OH | Dublin, OH | Superior, WI

(Primary location preferred in Ohio: Dublin, Toledo, or Lima. Up to 33% of travel required)

About this Opportunity

On behalf of our client, we are seeking a Director, Site Projects Execution, to join their Downstream Technical and Projects organization. In this executive leadership role, you will be accountable for the safe, reliable, predictable, and competitive delivery of a $300M–$400M annual project portfolio across their Downstream refining assets.

You will lead team members and experts across design engineering, contracting strategy, construction, project controls, and commissioning. Key focus areas include leading Stages 3 (Define), 4 (Execute), and 5 (Operate) of the client's capital process, while partnering closely with Front-End Development (FED) in Stages 1 and 2 to optimize capital costs to a target of <$25MM USD/EDC over a five-year cycle.

Key Responsibilities

• Portfolio Leadership: Lead and develop multidisciplinary project management, engineering, and controls teams across US and Canadian refining sites to deliver a high-impact capital portfolio.
• Stage-Gated Execution: Drive end-to-end project lifecycle activities (develop, engineer, procure, construct, commission) in strict compliance with stage-gated project processes, safety mandates, quality standards, and budget targets.
• Process Ownership & Standards: Own and continuous-improve capital project work processes for detailed design, construction, equipment turnover, closeout, and site asset handovers.
• Governance & Controls: Oversee the project controls organization across all execution and front-end stages; direct forecasting, long-range planning (LRP), and capital reporting.
• Strategic Integration: Partner across site operations, Turnaround, Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE), Commercial, and Supply Chain Management to align business objectives and adhere to COIMS requirements.
• Safety Culture & Assurance: Provide visible safety leadership, fostering a proactive safety culture across internal teams and external contractor partners.

Candidate Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from an accredited institution.
• Experience: 20+ years of progressive leadership in refinery or petrochemical project engineering, project management, or operations.
• Authorization: US Citizen, US Green Card Holder or qualify for a TN Visa.

Key Competencies & Skillsets:

• Proven track record managing large-scale engineering and construction portfolios in heavy industrial/refining environments.
• Deep experience establishing contracting strategies, project controls, and stage-gated governance framework execution.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills with a demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional site and executive leadership teams.
• Strong focus on capital efficiency, quality assurance, and continuous process improvement.

Equivalent combinations of education and transferable experience will be considered.