Project Development and Commercial Operations Manager

Airswift; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Airswift partners with a leading clean-energy developer to identify a Business Operations Manager for a high-visibility, strategic role supporting a multi-billion-dollar hydrogen/ammonia project.

The role sits at the center of a major capital project moving toward Final Investment Decision (FID) and into construction, executing across governance, strategy, and operations while partnering with executive leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Finance, Economics, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in energy, infrastructure, chemicals, LNG, hydrogen, ammonia, or other capital-intensive industries.
• Demonstrated ownership of major capital project development activities, including project definition and FID readiness.
• Ability to drive complex, multidisciplinary initiatives to completion.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with investment case review experience.
• Experience supporting executive leadership and/or Board-level stakeholders.
• Proven ability to influence without authority across internal teams and external partners.
• Experience in investment decisions, capital allocation, and project funding strategies preferred.

Responsibilities

• Prepare presentations, reports, and governance materials for executives.
• Actively drive progress across strategic, commercial, financial, and technical initiatives, ensuring milestones are achieved.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to maintain alignment, accountability, and execution momentum.
• Identify blockers, resolve ambiguity, and escalate issues promptly.
• Drive and coordinate milestones including financing, permitting, EPC contracting, and FID readiness.
• Maintain dashboards, KPIs, calendars, and operating rhythms for executive oversight.
• Manage communication with external stakeholders, including advisors, EPC partners, investors, and regulators.
• Lead special projects and support critical execution priorities as needed.

Skills

Project leadership

Cross-functional coordination

Strategic execution

Stakeholder management

Financial analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Finance, Economics, or related field

Job description

Airswift is partnering with a leading clean‑energy developer to identify a Business Operations Manager for a high‑visibility, strategic, and confidential role supporting the development and execution of a multi‑billion‑dollar hydrogen/ammonia project.

This role operates in close partnership with executive leadership and sits at the center of a major capital project advancing toward Final Investment Decision (FID) and into construction.

While the role has strong exposure to strategy and decision-making, it is fundamentally execution-driven. The Business Operations Manager is responsible for driving progress across the organization, ensuring milestones are met, and maintaining momentum across all workstreams.

This role operates as an extension of executive leadership and combines project development, strategic execution, governance, and cross-functional business operations responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Support executive leaders by preparing presentations, reports, and governance materials.
• Actively drive progress across strategic, commercial, financial, and technical initiatives, ensuring milestones are achieved and deadlines are met.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to maintain alignment, accountability, and execution momentum.
• Identify and remove blockers, resolve ambiguity, and ensure issues are escalated and addressed promptly.
• Drive and coordinate major project milestones, including financing, permitting, EPC contracting, commercial structuring, and FID readiness.
• Maintain dashboards, KPIs, calendars, and operating rhythms for executive oversight.
• Manage communication with external stakeholders, including advisors, EPC partners, investors, and regulators.
• Lead special projects and step in where needed to support critical execution priorities.

Skill & Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Finance, Economics, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in energy, infrastructure, chemicals, LNG, hydrogen, ammonia, or other capital-intensive industries.
• Demonstrated ownership of major capital project development activities, including project definition, commercial structuring, capital allocation analyses, permitting, stakeholder alignment, and preparation for Final Investment Decision (FID).
• Demonstrated ability to drive complex, multidisciplinary initiatives to completion.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with comfort reviewing investment cases and project economics.
• Experience supporting executive leadership and/or Board-level stakeholders.
• Proven ability to influence without authority across internal teams and external partners.
• Experience supporting or influencing investment decisions, capital allocation, and major project funding strategies is strongly preferred.

Required Project Development Experience

• Led or owned development activities for capital projects exceeding $250M.
• Experience advancing projects through FEL, FEED, FID, or equivalent development stages.
• Direct involvement in project economics, investment evaluation, or capital allocation processes.
• Experience coordinating commercial, engineering, legal, permitting, and financial workstreams through major project milestones.

What This Role Offers

• A critical role supporting the execution of a major clean‑energy project on a defined path to FID.
• High visibility and direct interaction with executive leadership, investors, and key external stakeholders.
• A fast-paced, high-impact environment with clear, measurable milestones.
• Opportunity to drive execution and delivery of a next‑generation energy asset at scale.
• Exposure to a global platform while operating within a lean, agile team environment.