Port Infrastructure & Terminal Planner

porthouston; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Comprehensive benefits

Inclusive work environment

Job summary

Port Houston is seeking a planning lead to drive port infrastructure and terminal planning initiatives in Houston. The role requires coordinating cross-functional input from Operations, Infrastructure, Strategy, Finance, and other teams to develop practical, implementable recommendations.

The position emphasizes independent work from problem definition through handoff, partnering with subject matter experts, and delivering timely, well-documented decisions to support infrastructure development

Qualifications

• Experience leading port infrastructure and terminal planning studies.
• Ability to manage scope, schedules, and budgets.
• Cross-functional collaboration across Operations, Strategy, Finance and other units.

Responsibilities

• 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.
• 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.
• Identify the stakeholders, subject matter experts, and organizational functions affected by assigned planning initiatives and engage them at appropriate stages of the work.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Data analysis

Job description

Thank you for considering a career at Port Houston. We appreciate your interest in joining our team.

• Port Houston offers competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and a diverse, inclusive work environment.

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 perspe