Director of Commissioning, Start-up, and Operations (CSO)

KBR Careers; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K plan with company match

Medical, dental, vision

Job summary

KBR Sustainable Technology Solutions (STS) seeks a Director of Commissioning, Start-Up & Operations (CSO) to provide strategic and technical leadership for commissioning, start-up, and operational readiness across major industrial projects.

Leads multidisciplinary teams, defines standards, manages turnover, and drives safe, reliable project delivery while aligning with operations and business growth objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field; equivalent experience may substitute.
• 15+ years in commissioning, start-up, operations, or major industrial project execution, with 5+ years in leadership.
• Experience leading commissioning, start-up, turnover, and operational readiness for large capital projects in energy, petrochemical, LNG, oil & gas, or process industries.
• Strong knowledge of pre-commissioning, commissioning, start-up, system turnover, and plant operations.
• Experience directing multidisciplinary teams, contractors, and commissioning personnel across multiple project phases.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and governance of the CSO function across all projects.
• Establish and improve commissioning, completions, start-up, turnover, and operational readiness standards and procedures.
• Define systemization, completions management, and turnover strategies from CC to handover to Operations.
• Lead implementation of Completions Management Systems with consistent data structures and reporting.
• Oversee resource planning, staffing strategies, and manpower forecasting for CSO activities.
• Support business development through proposals, planning, staffing, and client presentations.
• Build strong client relationships and advise on commissioning, start-up, and readiness matters.

Skills

Leadership

Client engagement

Project governance

PSM

Regulatory compliance

Staffing

Mentoring

Safety culture

Education

Bachelor's degree

PE registration or certifications

Tools

Completions Management Systems

Project controls software

Job description

Title: Director of Commissioning, Start-up, and Operations (CSO)

KBR Sustainable Technology Solutions (STS) provides holistic and value-added solutions across the entire asset life cycle. These include world-class licensed process technologies, differentiated advisory services, deep technical domain expertise, energy transition solutions, high-end design capabilities, and smart solutions to optimize planned and operating assets.

KBR is seeking a Director, Commissioning, Start-Up & Operations (CSO) who will provide strategic and technical leadership for commissioning, start-up, operational readiness, and plant operations activities across major industrial projects. This role is responsible for overseeing all phases of system turnover, commissioning, and start-up execution, ensuring equipment, systems, and facilities are safely and efficiently transitioned from construction to operations.

This role is responsible for overseeing all phases of system turnover, commissioning, and start-up execution, ensuring equipment, systems, and facilities are safely and efficiently transitioned from construction to operations. The Director leads multidisciplinary teams, develops and implements functional strategies, standards, and processes, and serves as a key interface with clients, project leadership, and operations personnel.

Leveraging extensive technical and leadership experience, this position drives safe, reliable, and successful project delivery while supporting organizational objectives, operational excellence, and long-term business growth.

Functional job responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership, governance, and functional oversight of the Commissioning, Start-Up, and Operations (CSO) function across all projects, ensuring consistent execution, performance, standards, and compliance with organizational objectives.
• Establish, implement, and continuously improve commissioning, completions, start-up, turnover, and operational readiness standards, procedures, best practices, and execution methodologies across the organization.
• Define and oversee systemization, completions management, and turnover strategies from Construction Completion (CC) through Ready for Start-Up (RFSU), Start-Up, Substantial Completion (SC), and project handover to Operations.
• Lead implementation and governance of Completions Management Systems, ensuring consistency in data structure, workflows, reporting, and project controls across all projects.
• Direct resource planning, staffing strategies, workforce deployment, and manpower forecasting for CSO activities across Home Office, Module Yard, and Site locations, ensuring alignment with project schedules, execution requirements, and business priorities.
• Support business development efforts through proposal development, execution planning, staffing strategies, commissioning assessments, risk evaluations, client presentations, and pursuit activities for new opportunities.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships while serving as a senior advisor on commissioning, start-up, and operational readiness matters to support successful project delivery and future business growth.
• Ensure effective integration and alignment among Engineering, Construction, Procurement, Project Controls, and Operations to optimize commissioning execution, system turnover, start-up readiness, and project performance.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for resolving project execution challenges, cross-functional conflicts, commissioning risks, and operational issues that may impact project objectives or schedule commitments.
• Ensure all commissioning, start-up, and operations activities are executed in compliance with Process Safety Management (PSM), regulatory requirements, company policies, and industry best practices, with an unwavering focus on personnel safety, asset integrity, and operational excellence.
• Oversee development and implementation of commissioning, start-up, operations, and maintenance procedures, while ensuring readiness of systems, personnel, spares, consumables, and supporting resources required for successful project execution.
• Monitor commissioning progress, system completion status, readiness metrics, risks, and recovery plans, providing accurate and timely reporting to project and executive leadership.
• Lead, mentor, and develop CSO Managers, Commissioning Managers, Leads, and Coordinators, fostering technical excellence, leadership capability, consistency of execution, and succession planning across the organization.
• Maintain alignment with internal and client commissioning and operations leadership, supporting successful transition from project execution through start-up, handover, and early operations support.
• Support both Home Office and Site-based project activities as required.

Required Education, Experience, & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field required; however, equivalent relevant work experience may be substituted in lieu of a degree.
• 15+ years of experience in commissioning, start-up, operations, process engineering, or major industrial project execution, including 5+ years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience leading commissioning, start-up, turnover, and operational readiness activities for large capital projects within the energy, petrochemical, LNG, power, oil & gas, or process industries.
• Strong knowledge of pre-commissioning, commissioning, start-up, system turnover, performance testing, and plant operations.
• Experience directing multidisciplinary teams, contractors, craft labor, and commissioning personnel across multiple project phases.
• Proven ability to coordinate equipment and system checkout, flushing, cleaning, testing, initial operation, and start-up activities.
• Strong understanding of process systems, rotating equipment, electrical, instrumentation, and utility systems.
• Experience evaluating design changes, operational impacts, and startup risks, and providing technical recommendations to engineering and project teams.
• Working knowledge of Process Safety Management (PSM), regulatory compliance, risk management, and safe work practices.
• Strong leadership, communication, client engagement, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to support both Home Office and Site-based assignments, including travel as required.
• Successful completion of a background check is required.

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills

• Advanced degree in Engineering, Business, Project Management, or a related field.
• Experience leading commissioning and start-up functions across multiple projects, business units, or geographic regions.
• Experience supporting EPC or EPCM project execution environments.
• Knowledge of commissioning management systems, completions management systems, and digital turnover platforms.
• Experience developing commissioning strategies, operational readiness plans, start-up procedures, and plant operating manuals.
• Familiarity with project controls, scheduling, construction-driven commissioning, and execution planning.
• Experience supporting business development, proposals, client presentations, and project pursuits.
• Professional Engineer (PE) registration or relevant industry certifications.
• Demonstrated success in mentoring and developing commissioning, operations, and project leadership teams.

KBR offers a selection of competitive lifestyle benefits which could include 401K plan with company match, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D, flexible spending account, disability, paid time off, or flexible work schedule.

We support career advancement through professional training and development.

KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

KBR – Delivering Solutions, Changing the World.

KBR brings together the best and brightest to deliver science, technology and engineering solutions that help governments and companies around the world accomplish their most critical missions and objectives. In everything we do, we are guided by our ONE KBR values: We Value Our People – We create diverse, inclusive environments in which each person can feel safe, respected and valued, and where everyone has opportunities to grow and reach their full potential. We Deliver – We are uncompromising in our commitment to deliver innovative, high-quality, technology-led solutions for our customers and exceptional, sustainable value for all our stakeholders. We Are People of Integrity – We value honesty, trust, courage, fairness, prudence and tenacity. We believe doing what’s right for the planet, the communities where we work, and our people is good for business. We Empower – We empower our people with a shared purpose, the right tools and the supportive culture they need to be proactive decision-makers, to be adaptive to change, and to succeed. We Are a Team of Teams – We have a will to succeed, but we value the achievements of our team of teams over individual accomplishments. Our collective focus makes us a better, stronger, more effective company. We have also embedded environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles in every business operation and corporate function. Not only are we committed to operating safely, sustainably and equitably, but we are also committed to using our capabilities and expertise to help our customers accomplish their sustainability goals. Worldwide, KBR employs a diverse workforce approximately 29,000 people strong, with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in 40 countries. At KBR, We Deliver.