Port Infrastructure & Terminal Planner

0072 Port of Houston Authority; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 95,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

Port Houston is seeking an experienced Planning professional to lead port infrastructure and terminal planning studies from scope through to handoff. You will coordinate with Operations, Strategy, Finance, Legal, and Environmental teams to ensure practical, aligned recommendations that support current and future capacity needs.

The role requires a Bachelor's degree in Planning or related field and 3+ years in port planning or marine terminals, with strong analytical, project-management, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Planning, Architecture, Business Administration, Maritime Administration, Logistics or a related discipline from an accredited academic institution required.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Three (3) or more years of progressively responsible experience in port or marine terminal operations, planning, logistics, infrastructure, or a related maritime environment.
• Experience independently leading projects or workstreams and coordinating cross-functional teams, consultants, or stakeholders.
• Proficiency with spreadsheet, data analysis, presentation, and project management tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead port infrastructure and terminal planning studies from scope definition through recommendation and handoff.
• Develop scopes of work, procurement and evaluation materials, project schedules, budgets, and consultant work plans.
• Direct and manage consultant performance, deliverables, schedules, budgets, and issue resolution within the approved scope.
• Lead cross-functional planning activities that bring together stakeholders from across departments and divisions.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Planning, Architecture, Business Administration, Maritime Administration, Logistics or a related discipline from an accredited academic institution

Master’s degree in related discipline or recognized qualification in port management, logistics, planning, or project management

Three (3) or more years of progressively responsible experience in port or marine terminal operations, stevedoring, port planning, logistics, infrastructure, project development, or a related maritime environment

Proficiency with commonly used spreadsheet, data analysis, presentation, and project management tools

Job description

Thank you for considering a career at Port Houston. We appreciate your interest in joining our team. By applying, you are taking an important step toward advancing your career with an organization committed to excellence. Port Houston offers competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and a diverse, inclusive work environment. Joining our team means embarking on a fulfilling career path with opportunities for growth and impact. Before submitting your application, please ensure your resume is ready for upload in either .doc or .pdf format.

Position Summary

Leads and supports assigned planning activities related to Port Houston’s marine terminals, operational infrastructure, capacity, and long-term facility needs. The position applies practical knowledge of marine terminal operations, cargo handling, stevedoring, vessel and landside flows, and port infrastructure to identify operational constraints, assess infrastructure requirements, evaluate alternatives, and develop decision-ready recommendations. Serving as the Planning team’s primary operational and terminal-planning resource, the position works cross-functionally with Operations, Port Infrastructure, Strategy, Commercial, Finance, Maintenance, Technology, Environmental, and other organizational functions to ensure that planning recommendations are practical, appropriately scoped, and aligned with Port Houston’s strategic objectives and operating requirements. The role actively facilitates inclusive, cross-functional planning by bringing together relevant operational, technical, commercial, financial, strategic, and other perspectives early in the planning process, ensuring that differing needs, constraints, ideas, and potential impacts are understood and appropriately reflected in recommendations. The position is expected to independently organize and drive assigned work from problem definition through recommendation and handoff; engage the appropriate stakeholders, consultants, and technical subject matter experts; identify and resolve issues; and follow actions and decisions through completion. The role provides the operational and terminal-planning perspective necessary to inform infrastructure development while relying on qualified technical specialists for engineering, environmental, legal, financial, and other specialized professional judgments.

Key Responsibilities/Duties

Lead assigned port infrastructure and terminal planning studies and workstreams from scope definition through recommendation and handoff. Establish work plans, schedules, responsibilities, dependencies, deliverables, and decision points, and actively drive work through completion. Support master, long-range, facility, and terminal planning by assessing terminals, berths, yards, gates, road and rail interfaces, storage areas, cargo flows, equipment, and related infrastructure to identify current and future operational constraints and capacity needs. Apply practical knowledge of marine terminal operations, cargo handling, and stevedoring to evaluate vessel and berth operations, yard and gate processes, equipment and labor interfaces, operating windows, landside logistics, safety considerations, and other factors affecting terminal performance. Conduct and coordinate capacity and operational analyses using available data, field observations, stakeholder input, consultant studies, and industry benchmarks. Clearly document assumptions, data gaps, root causes, limitations, and conclusions. Develop and evaluate planning alternatives considering operational benefits, capacity, cost, risk, implementation timing, long-term flexibility, strategic alignment, and, in coordination with appropriate subject matter experts, constructability, maintainability, permitting, environmental, technology, and other technical considerations. Serve as Project Manager or Planning Lead for assigned planning efforts, including master planning, feasibility studies, concept development, site planning, terminal optimization, and other port development initiatives. Develop scopes of work, procurement and evaluation materials, project schedules, budgets, and consultant work plans for assigned initiatives. Direct and manage consultant performance, deliverables, schedules, budgets, and issue resolution within the approved scope. Lead and facilitate cross-functional planning activities that bring together appropriate stakeholders from across departments and divisions to define problems, identify needs and constraints, develop and challenge alternatives, and build alignment around recommended solutions. Actively solicit and incorporate relevant perspectives and ideas while maintaining accountability for timely decisions, documented actions, and outcomes. Identify the stakeholders, subject matter experts, and organizational functions affected by assigned planning initiatives and engage them at appropriate stages of the work. Reconcile competing priorities and perspectives where possible, clearly document areas of agreement and disagreement, and elevate material trade-offs or unresolved issues with recommended paths forward. Review consultant and internal deliverables for completeness, operational practicality, consistency with approved scope and assumptions, and alignment with Port Houston objectives. Coordinate appropriate reviews by engineering, environmental, financial, legal, technology, or other subject matter experts as required. Translate operational, technical, financial, and analytical information into concise, decision-ready reports and presentations that clearly define the issue, assumptions, alternatives, trade-offs, recommendation, risks, and required next steps. Define and document the planning basis, operational requirements, performance criteria, constraints, assumptions, and unresolved decisions required for effective handoff of planning concepts to engineering, project delivery, operations, or other responsible functions. Maintain appropriate study records, planning assumptions, schedules, status information, decisions, and supporting documentation for assigned initiatives, and support incorporation of completed work into Port Houston master plans and related planning documents. Provide operational, terminal, and infrastructure planning input to Strategy, Commercial, Finance, grant, partnership, and other enterprise initiatives as assigned, ensuring recommendations reflect terminal operating realities and infrastructure constraints. Maintain awareness of relevant port and maritime industry trends, terminal operating practices, regulatory requirements, environmental considerations, and safety standards that may affect port planning and development decisions. Act in accordance with Port Houston core values (respect, excellence, accountability, diligence, and you). Perform other duties as required.

Education/Experience

Bachelor's degree in Planning, Architecture, Business Administration, Maritime Administration, Logistics or Supply Chain, Transportation, Economics, Engineering, or a related discipline from an accredited academic institution required. Master’s degree in related discipline or recognized qualification in port management, logistics, planning, or project management preferred. Three (3) or more years of progressively responsible experience in port or marine terminal operations, stevedoring, port planning, logistics, infrastructure, project development, or a related maritime environment required. Direct experience in marine terminal operations, cargo handling, stevedoring, or another port operating function strongly preferred Demonstrated experience independently leading assigned projects or workstreams and coordinating cross-functional teams, consultants, or stakeholders without relying on direct authority. Demonstrated ability to identify operational, capacity, or infrastructure issues, evaluate relevant information and alternatives, and develop practical, evidence-based recommendations. Experience managing consultants or external service providers, including scope, schedule, deliverables, and issue resolution, preferred. Proficiency with commonly used spreadsheet, data analysis, presentation, and project management tools used to organize, analyze, and communicate planning work. Strong written, verbal, presentation, facilitation and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with operational, technical, management, and external stakeholders. Working familiarity with environmental, regulatory, safety, and permitting considerations affecting marine terminal operations and infrastructure development. Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision, exercise sound judgment, manage multiple concurrent priorities, proactively advance assigned work, and raise issues with recommended actions.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Behaviors

Applied knowledge of marine terminal operations, cargo handling and stevedoring, vessel and berth activities, yard and gate operations, landside logistics, and the operational interfaces that influence terminal performance. Working knowledge of port planning, capacity planning, infrastructure interfaces, project development, and the relationship between operational needs and capital investment decisions. Ability to interpret terminal layouts, planning studies, engineering drawings, technical reports, operational data, and consultant analyses sufficiently to identify planning implications, challenge assumptions, and engage qualified subject matter experts when specialized technical judgment is required. Strong analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving capability, including the ability to identify root causes, test assumptions, recognize data limitations, and distinguish among operational, infrastructure, technology, and other potential solutions. Ability to translate data, operational experience, field observations, stakeholder input, and technical analyses into practical and defensible planning recommendations. Strong project management and organizational skills, including scope development, scheduling, budget awareness, risk and issue management, consultant coordination, decision tracking, and consistent follow-through. Strong communication and meeting-facilitation skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and concisely and drive discussions toward decisions and actions. Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, with the ability to build productive working relationships and influence outcomes across organizational functions and levels without direct authority. Demonstrated initiative, ownership, accountability, and follow-through, including the ability to identify required actions, advance work without waiting for direction, close action items, and escalation barriers in a timely manner. Strategic mindset with the ability to connect long-term port development objectives with practical terminal operating requirements, infrastructure needs, and implementation realities.

Key Competencies Required

Aligning Performance for Success Adapting to Change Analytical Problem Solving Attention to Detail Active Listening and Emotional Intelligence Building Partnerships Business Acumen Effective Communication Conflict Management Continual Improvement Displaying drive and purpose Planning and Organizing Strategic Thinking and Decision Making

Work site location of this job is

Port Houston Administration Building

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate, but due to open office environment noise level may occasionally be high.

Port Houston is an equal opportunity employer and participates in the E-Verify program supervised by the U.S. Government.

Port Houston is an equal employment opportunity employer. Port Houston’s policy is not to discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age (40 and over), disability, military status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Port Houston also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories.

The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this job. It is not designed to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

We appreciate your interest in Port Houston. Port Houston is an equal employment opportunity employer. Port Houston’s policy is not to discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age (40 and over), disability, military status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.