Project Appraisal Discipline Lead

Job summary

The bp Solutions Site Projects organization is accountable for the development and delivery of projects on behalf of Refining.

The team is seeking to appoint a Project Appraisal Discipline Lead who will report to the Project Management Discipline Manager within bp Solutions.

The Project Appraisal Engineering Discipline Lead will lead a team of Appraisal Engineers in multiple locations, working across the Pre-Project, Concept Development and Optimize stages of projects while providing quality assurance during Define and Execute. This is a key leadership role for all aspects of front-end project delivery and maintains a focus on quality assurance throughout the project lifecycle. The Project Appraisal Discipline Lead also plays a supporting role in building, prioritizing, and executing the business strategies at refining sites through each project development hopper.

The role is location agnostic with a preference for candidates currently based in Sunbury, Houston, or any bp refinery site. Applicants with relevant experience from other locations will however still be considered on a case by case basis.

What you will deliver

• Provide career guidance, coaching and technical development of the appraisal team to maintain and strengthen the health of the discipline.
• Drive excellence in the appraisal discipline including the development of standards, roles/responsibilities, and continuous improvement.
• Build, implement, and support the Squad Lead model for delivery of FEL 0-2 across Refining Site Projects, with a specific focus on assurance for FEL 1 & 2.
• Ensure efficient resource management and deployment for refining site projects through the Squad Leads onsite.
• Participate in the screening squad as a key technical member, which recommends projects for prioritization from business development submissions.
• Maintain relationships with key refining stakeholders such as business development, project management, engineering, and operations to ensure adequate resourcing in support of the project pipeline.
• Provide technical verification and oversight on projects, often serving as technical authority and process expert for FEL projects, including escalation paths or conflict resolution.
• Deliver project FEL requirements consistent with the projects common process and the appraisal guide
• Ensure the delivery model is efficient, fit for purpose, and integrated at the sites – including frequent interactions with DL-PM, DL-PDE, and the Unit Lead.
• Work with Process Design Engineering - DL to create a joint center of excellence, including maintenance of ‘how we work’ procedures.
• Leverage relationships and interactions with the larger appraisal community to stay connected within Production & Operations to support things like succession planning and technical info rollouts
• Performance manage the health of the discipline through real-time dashboard reporting and self-verification.
• Own advancements and continuous improvement in the analysis, prioritization, and execution of FEL projects.
• Work with Procurement and Site Projects to develop a contracting strategy for routine project development services, as well as contract resource flexibility at each site.

What you will need to be successful

• Significant experience as a project manager, appraisal engineer, process design engineer, or similar technical capability across bp’s operated sites
• Deep understanding of refinery processes, equipment, and operations
• In depth understanding of project stage-gated processes with a focus on engineering requirements. Within bp an in depth understanding of either Projects Common Process (PCP) or Major Projects Common Process (MPCP)
• Analysis, prioritization, and execution of FEL projects
• Experience in building, leading and developing diverse teams of engineers and technical professionals, including contractors
• Expert communicator and facilitator, often being required to build consensus amongst differing opinions as well as owning alignment around difficult decisions
• History of being able to manage up in the organization, including summary analysis, pre-reads, and other communication that drives alignment towards a group strategy
• Ability to travel between the various refining sites to perform duties, estimated travel at 20% total, with some periods requiring extended trips (less than 2 weeks)
• Ability to work non-routine or extended hours to support the team as necessary
• A personal desire and passion for team building, continuous improvement, diversity, and servant leadership

• Project Management Certification
• Heavy experience in business development, site business strategy, and project development
• Experience managing a globally diverse team
• Experience working with difficult and uncertain concepts while maintaining evergreen priorities
• Technical people leader experience
• Positive attitude, strong conflict resolution skills with peers and elevated tiers of the organization, and a desire to serve the team by example