Project Director – PMC (Owner's Representative Services)

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Position Summary

The Project Director serves as the PMC's single point of accountability for the successful delivery of a multi-billion-dollar renewable energy and cross-border transmission project. The role provides independent leadership, governance, integration, assurance, and delivery oversight across all project functions, ensuring the Owner's objectives are achieved through effective management of EPC contractors, suppliers, stakeholders, and interfaces while maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality, schedule, cost, and operational readiness.

Role Purpose

The Project Director is the senior PMC executive accountable for leading and directing all Project Management Consultancy (PMC) services on behalf of the Project Owner for the development and delivery of a large-scale renewable energy and cross-border transmission project comprising:

• Utility-scale Solar PV generation facilities
• Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
• HVAC onshore transmission systems
• HVAC subsea cable interconnection from Indonesia to Singapore
• Associated substations, converter facilities, grid connection assets, and supporting infrastructure

The Project Director represents the PMC organization and acts as the principal interface between the Owner, EPC Contractors, package contractors, regulators, lenders, independent engineers, transmission system operators, and other stakeholders.

The role is responsible for ensuring the PMC delivers integrated project management services across all project functions including engineering, procurement, construction, marine installation, interfaces, commercial, cost, schedule, contracts, risk, HSE, quality, stakeholder management, permitting, commissioning, and project controls.

The role provides independent strategic leadership, governance, assurance, and execution oversight on behalf of the Owner through the PMC appointment. The Project Director will position him/herself as an Executive Owner's Representative / Programme Director, with very strong experience in Asian mega-projects, Chinese contractor management, subsea transmission infrastructure, and cross-border power projects.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project Leadership and Governance

• Lead the PMC team across all project phases from development through commissioning and handover.
• Establish and maintain project governance frameworks, reporting structures, decision-making processes, and controls.
• Act as the senior PMC representative to the Owner's Board, Steering Committee, and Executive Management.
• Ensure alignment between project objectives, business case requirements, financing obligations, and delivery strategy.
• Provide independent recommendations and challenge where necessary to protect project outcomes.
• Lead project stage-gate reviews and readiness assessments.

2. Integrated Project Delivery

• Direct the overall delivery of generation, transmission, marine, and grid connection workstreams.
• Ensure integration of solar PV, BESS, substations, transmission assets, and subsea cable systems.
• Coordinate multiple EPC, EPCI, OEM, and package contractors.
• Drive resolution of technical, commercial, and execution issues impacting project delivery.
• Maintain project-wide integration plans including:
  • Engineering interfaces
  • Construction interfaces
  • Marine interfaces
  • Grid interfaces
  • Regulatory interfaces
  • Operational readiness

3. Engineering Management

• Oversee PMC engineering management and technical assurance programs.
• Ensure engineering deliverables meet project objectives and regulatory requirements.
• Challenge design decisions and provide independent assurance on:
  • Solar PV systems
  • BESS technologies
  • HVAC transmission systems
  • Offshore and subsea cable systems
  • Substations and grid connections
• Ensure engineering interfaces are effectively managed across all contracts.
• Lead technical risk reviews and value engineering initiatives.

4. Commercial and Contracts Management

• Direct commercial governance across all project contracts.
• Oversee contractor performance against contractual obligations.
• Manage change control processes and approval frameworks.
• Lead resolution of major commercial issues, claims, and disputes.
• Review and endorse recommendations relating to:
  • Variations
  • Claims
  • Liquidated damages
  • Incentive mechanisms
  • Contract amendments
• Support procurement and contract award decisions.

5. Cost Management

• Establish and maintain robust project cost management systems.
• Monitor project expenditure against approved budgets.
• Oversee forecasting, contingency management, and cost risk assessments.
• Review contractor payment applications and recommend approval actions.
• Ensure early identification of cost growth and implementation of mitigation measures.
• Report cost performance and forecast outcomes to project stakeholders.

6. Schedule and Project Controls

• Oversee development and maintenance of integrated master schedules.
• Ensure project controls systems provide accurate performance measurement.
• Review critical path activities and recovery plans.
• Challenge contractor schedules and productivity assumptions.
• Direct implementation of schedule risk assessments.
• Lead mitigation of delays affecting project milestones and commercial operation dates.

7. Marine and Subsea Cable Installation Oversight

• Provide strategic oversight of marine installation planning and execution.
• Ensure coordination between generation assets and transmission works.
• Monitor marine contractor readiness and execution performance.
• Oversee subsea cable installation, cable protection, landfall works, and offshore construction activities.
• Ensure marine risks are identified, assessed, and effectively managed.
• Coordinate interfaces between marine operations, regulatory authorities, and transmission stakeholders.

8. HSE Leadership

• Champion a proactive project-wide safety culture.
• Establish PMC safety leadership expectations and assurance frameworks.
• Verify contractor compliance with project HSE requirements.
• Lead reviews of significant incidents and corrective actions.
• Monitor safety performance indicators across all project activities.
• Promote continuous improvement in health, safety, security, and environmental performance.

9. Quality Management and Assurance

• Establish project-wide quality management frameworks.
• Lead independent assurance and audit activities.
• Ensure contractors comply with approved quality standards and procedures.
• Manage quality-related risks affecting project performance and asset reliability.
• Support factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, and commissioning assurance activities.

10. Stakeholder and Regulatory Management

• Act as a senior interface with:
  • Project Owner
  • Government agencies
  • Regulatory authorities
  • Grid operators
  • Investors and lenders
  • Independent engineers
  • Local communities
  • Strategic project partners
• Facilitate resolution of permitting, approval, and regulatory challenges.
• Support stakeholder engagement strategies across Indonesia and Singapore jurisdictions.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable legislative, environmental, and regulatory requirements.

11. Commissioning and Handover

• Oversee development of commissioning and operational readiness strategies.
• Ensure integrated testing and energisation plans are implemented.
• Manage transition from construction to operations.
• Verify completion requirements prior to handover.
• Ensure project documentation and asset data are complete and transferred to operations teams.

12. Contractor Executive Management

• Establish and maintain executive-level relationships with EPC/EPCI contractor leadership.
• Lead PMC oversight of EPC contractor performance across engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning and warranty phases.
• Ensure contractor activities remain aligned with Owner objectives, contractual obligations and project governance requirements.
• Conduct regular executive performance reviews with contractor senior management.
• Escalate and resolve significant performance, quality, schedule and commercial issues.
• Maintain a balanced approach of collaboration and challenge to achieve optimum project outcomes.

13. International Contractor Governance

• Implement robust contractor governance frameworks covering:
  • Progress reporting
  • Change management
  • Schedule control
  • Cost control
  • Claims management
  • Quality management
  • Technical assurance
• Ensure transparency and accuracy of contractor reporting.
• Challenge contractor assumptions, forecasts and recovery plans where appropriate.
• Maintain independent PMC assessment of actual project status.

14. Supply Chain and Manufacturing Oversight

• Oversee quality and schedule assurance of major manufacturing activities within China and other international locations.
• Direct PMC participation in:
  • Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT)
  • Manufacturing surveillance
  • Quality audits
  • Supplier inspections
• Ensure critical equipment manufacturing risks are identified and mitigated.
• Maintain visibility of long-lead equipment supply chains.

15. Cross-Cultural Leadership

• Lead a multicultural project organization involving stakeholders from Singapore, Indonesia, China and international financing institutions.
• Foster effective communication and alignment across diverse business cultures and operating practices.
• Ensure project governance and decision-making processes are clearly understood and consistently applied across all organizations.

Required Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or related discipline.
• 25+ years of major project delivery experience.
• 10+ years in senior project leadership roles.
• Demonstrated experience delivering utility-scale energy infrastructure projects exceeding US$1 billion.
• Experience delivering renewable energy projects including Solar PV and/or BESS.
• Experience delivering transmission infrastructure projects, including high-voltage substations and cable systems.
• Significant experience managing EPC and EPCI contractors.
• Experience leading large multidisciplinary project teams.
• Previous Project Director or Project Executive experience on projects involving Chinese EPC contractors.
• Experience working with large-scale EPC contractors in cross-border energy infrastructure projects, preferably including Chinese EPC contractors.
• Experience delivering projects through EPC or multi-package contracting strategies.
• Experience working across Asia-Pacific jurisdictions, preferably Singapore and Indonesia.
• Demonstrated ability to manage large international contractor organizations operating from remote engineering and manufacturing centres.

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