Senior Project Developer

SENIOR PROJECT DEVELOPER
 

• Department: Engineering
• Location: United Kingdom or Europe
• Reporting To: Capital Projects Program Manager
   

Summary:
The Senior Project Developer leads and coordinates opportunity-level development activities for large, greenfield capital projects—from initial opportunity identification through to Final Investment Decision (FID). The role provides strong leadership across all major project development workstreams to ensure projects, typically in the USD $100M to $1B range, are technically sound, commercially robust, safe, and aligned with strategic objectives.

Operating within the capital project governance framework, this position is responsible for driving integration across planning & permitting, engineering, commercial, financial, safety, and risk workstreams, and for coordinating internal teams to support high-quality, informed investment decisions.

Key Responsibilities & Duties:
Tasks

• Provide leadership and day-to-day coordination across all capital project development workstreams, including planning & permitting, engineering, commercial, financial, safety, and risk activities.
• Execute development activities for individual greenfield capital project opportunities in accordance with established governance and decision-gate requirements.
• Progress and support planning and permitting workstreams, including coordination and oversight of external planning and permitting contractors and advisors.
• Prepare and maintain opportunity development materials including scope definitions, development plans, execution concepts, and supporting documentation.
• Ensure all development deliverables required for decision-gate reviews are complete, accurate, and timely.
• Integrate safety considerations into all stages of project development, including early hazard identification.

Strategy

• Support alignment of development-phase capital spend with approved business objectives and strategic priorities.
• Identify and evaluate opportunity-level risks and trade-offs related to scope, cost, schedule, safety, permitting, and execution strategy.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of capital project development processes, tools, and governance.

Leadership

• Provide strong cross-functional leadership and coordination across all project development workstreams within a matrixed organization.
• Align internal teams and external contractors to ensure safe, timely, and high-quality development outcomes.
• Demonstrate disciplined decision-making, accountability, and transparency throughout complex capital project development activities.

Stewardship

• Maintain complete and accurate records of opportunity development, assumptions, risks, safety considerations, and decisions.
• Support preparation of development updates and materials for senior management and governance forums.
• Ensure compliance with internal procedures, controls, and reporting requirements.

Stakeholder Management

• Coordinate cross-functional internal contributors including engineering, planning & permitting, commercial, finance, legal, regulatory, and safety teams.
• Support engagement with external partners, licensors, consultants, permitting authorities, and advisors.
• Provide clear, accurate, and timely updates on opportunity status, risks, and development progress to the Capital Projects Program Manager.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• More than 10 years of professional experience, with specific experience leading development activities for large, greenfield capital projects, typically in the USD $100M to $1B range.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating and leading all major project development workstreams, including planning & permitting, engineering, commercial, financial, safety, and risk.
• Strong understanding of safety and risk management principles applied during early-phase capital project development.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to influence across disciplines and organizations without direct authority.

Work Conditions:

• Able to work in a general office and/or remote environment within the United Kingdom or Europe.
• Sitting and working at a desk for extended durations.
• Working on a computer for extended durations.
• Travel up to approximately 40% within the United Kingdom and Europe and internationally to support project development, planning, permitting, and partner engagement activities.

With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.