Operational Readiness Lead

Location: The Woodlands, TX Required travel to offshore and onshore facilities for site visits, commissioning support, and readiness walkthroughs. Schedule: Monday - Friday 9/80 Hybrid Operational Readiness Lead Description The Operational Readiness Lead serves as the primary interface between Operations and Project teams, ensuring new facilities, equipment, and systems are designed, commissioned, and handed over with a strong focus on safety, operability, reliability, maintainability, and long-term asset performance. This role is responsible for integrating Operations and Maintenance requirements throughout the project lifecycle, from concept selection through startup and operational acceptance, to ensure projects are delivered ready for safe and efficient execution. Roles and Responsibilities Stakeholder Engagement & Operational Integration Serve as the primary liaison between Field Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and Project teams throughout project development and execution. Facilitate stakeholder alignment and ensure Operations requirements are identified, communicated, and addressed at each project phase. Advocate for operational excellence and lifecycle asset performance during project decision making. Design & Operability Assurance Participate in design reviews to ensure facilities and equipment are safe, operable, maintainable, and aligned with operational requirements. Lead and coordinate operability reviews to identify potential operational challenges, startup risks, and maintainability concerns. Ensure Operations has meaningful input into equipment layouts, process designs, human factors considerations, and system functionality. Review and provide input to operating philosophies and operating strategies for major projects. Risk Management & Hazard Reviews Participate in HAZOPs, JHAs, and other project risk assessments to ensure operational hazards and execution risks are properly identified and mitigated. Provide Operations perspective on project risks, safeguards, and risk reduction opportunities. Work Execution & Construction Readiness Review and provide operational input to work execution plans, construction strategies, and project execution activities. Review, approve, and sign off on work packs to ensure they support safe, efficient execution and startup objectives. Ensure operations considerations are incorporated into project turnover and handover plans. Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) Participate in Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) activities for critical equipment and systems. Coordinate with Field Ops Leadership to have field operations personnel attend Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) activities for critical equipment and systems. Verify equipment functionality, operability, maintainability, and compliance with project and operational requirements before shipment. Maintenance & Reliability Readiness Ensure Maintenance has input into equipment strategies, maintenance philosophies, and long-term asset management plans. Lead critical sparing reviews and ensure appropriate spare parts are identified and available prior to startup by the project team. Verify preventive maintenance programs, equipment hierarchies, and asset data are established within SAP before operational handover. Training & Procedure Development Support development of training plans and competency requirements for Operations and Maintenance personnel. Review and provide input to training materials to ensure they accurately reflect field operating requirements. Review and provide input to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), operating instructions, and startup documentation to ensure operational effectiveness and consistency. Commissioning & Startup Readiness Review and provide operational input into commissioning plans, commissioning procedures, and startup strategies. Support commissioning and startup activities to ensure systems are delivered to Operations in a safe and fully functional condition. Track readiness milestones and verify operational acceptance criteria are met prior to handover. Cost Optimization & Lifecycle Value Participate in OPEX and Total Installed Cost (TIC) reviews to ensure operational and maintenance costs are considered during project development. Identify opportunities to improve reliability, maintainability, and long-term operating efficiency while minimizing lifecycle costs. Influence project decisions to optimize asset performance and total cost of projects. Required Knowledge, Experience, Skills, and Competencies Education High School Degree / GED Required. Preferred: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Petroleum, Chemical, or Electrical Engineering. Experience Minimum 10 years of oil and gas industry experience, including significant offshore operations and/or maintenance experience on Gulf of America deepwater platforms. Prior experience supporting capital projects, commissioning, or operational readiness/handover activities strongly preferred. Offshore Gulf of America experience pr