Senior Project Manager BESS

Vopak; Rotterdam; Hybrid; EUR 105,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary 105,000–130,000 EUR

Annual bonus

Hybrid work schedule

Pension scheme

Job summary

Vopak, in collaboration with Green Energy Storage, seeks a Sr Project Manager to oversee a flagship BESS project in the Netherlands from construction through handover. Based at the Breda HQ, you will lead a team of Work Package Managers and a construction group to deliver on time, within budget and to safety standards.

You will own the baseline schedule, budget, and risk management, coordinating with BoP, HV, and integrator partners.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of project management experience in energy, infra, or industrial CapEx.
• Led large multidisciplinary project teams in multi-contractor or EPC environments.
• Strong commercial and contractual acumen with negotiations and reporting.
• Fluent in English; willingness to travel between sites.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coach the project team, building a culture of ownership and safety.
• Own the integrated schedule, budget, contingency, and forecast; manage changes.
• Align interfaces between work packages and contractors to avoid delays.
• Carry end responsibility for HSE, quality, permits, grid requirements, and contracts.
• Escalate with contracts manager; report progress and risks to investors and management.
• Deliver commissioning, handover to operations, and capture lessons learned.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Stakeholder mgmt

Team leadership

English fluency

Contract management

Education

Engineering degree

Construction/PM degree

Job description

With Vopak and the BESS developer Green Energy Storage joining forces, we’re accelerating the energy transition by deploying utility‑scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) across the Netherlands and internationally. In this position, you will be employed directly by Green Energy Storage B.V. (GES) and based at our BESS headquarters in Breda.

What will you do?

As Sr Project Manager you will carry end responsibility for one of our flagship BESS projects throughout construction, commissioning, handover, and close‑out. These are the largest sites currently under construction in the Netherlands: battery systems of 100 MW+, with budgets of EUR 100m+.

You lead an integrated project team that includes several Work Package Project Managers, typically three, each responsible for their own work package, alongside a construction manager, contracts manager, stakeholder manager, and project controls. You set direction, keep the work packages of the Tier‑1 BESS integrator, Balance of Plant (BoP) contractor, and high‑voltage specialists aligned, and are accountable for safety, schedule, budget, and quality of the project as a whole. Towards management, investors, grid operator, and authorities, you are the face of the project.

What does your day look like?

Operating closely with your project team, engineering, and contracts & procurement, your key responsibilities include:

• Lead and coach the project team, including the Work Package Project Managers, and build a culture of ownership, openness, and safe working.
• Own the overall project baseline: integrated schedule, budget, contingency, and forecast. Steer on critical path and cost at completion, and decide on changes within your mandate.
• Manage the interfaces between work packages and contractors, so that gaps, overlaps, and risks are resolved at project level before they cause delays on site.
• Carry end responsibility for HSE and quality on the project, and ensure compliance with permits, grid connection requirements, and contractual obligations.
• Act as the senior counterpart to our contractors and lead escalations, major variations, and claims together with the contracts manager.
• Report to and advise management and investors on progress, risks, and key decisions.
• Deliver commissioning and handover to operations, close out the project, and translate lessons learned into the project delivery standards for our next flagship projects.

Does this sound like you?

You are an experienced leader who has delivered large, complex projects before and knows what it takes. You give direction and trust to a team of senior professionals, keep the overview under pressure, and are as much at ease in the site office as in the boardroom.

• 10+ years of project management experience in energy, infrastructure, or industrial CapEx projects, including end responsibility for the construction of a project of EUR 100 million or more.
• Proven track record of leading large multidisciplinary project teams, including managing project managers, in a multi‑contract or EPC environment.
• Strong commercial and contractual acumen, with experience in major contractor negotiations, claims, and reporting to investors. Experience with battery storage, high‑voltage or grid infrastructure, or renewable energy is a strong advantage.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related field.
• Fluent in English. Command of other languages are naturally a plus.
• Willingness to travel between sites, suppliers and contractors.

Don’t meet all criteria? If this role energizes you and our culture feels like a good fit, we warmly invite you to apply anyway.

Why you'll love working with us

• Being part of an ambitious and entrepreneurial team.
• A salary between EUR 105.000-130.000 per year, depending on your skills and experience.
• Annual bonus opportunity.
• Travel allowance / mobility arrangement.
• A hybrid working schedule with our main BESS office located directly next to Breda Central Station.
• Attractive pension scheme.
• We’ll continuously invest in your personal growth, and future career path.