Industrial Engineering Project Manager – Expert

Client information

• We are striving to meet rising demand for metal-based technologies and recycling, cleaner mobility solutions, and the advanced materials needed for energy, electronics, space exploration, and more. Leveraging decades of expertise in materials science, metallurgy, chemistry, and metals management, we are powering the cars of today and tomorrow, reducing harmful emissions and are giving new life to used metals.

Client is creating materials for a better life.

Department description and responsibilities

• Client Olen is an innovative site where research and development of clean technologies go hand in hand with the production of high-tech materials such as cobalt, nickel, and germanium. These materials are used in applications that are shaping the future, including rechargeable batteries, solar cells, satellites, and infrared lenses.
• Project Engineering is responsible for the delivery of large-scale industrial (CAPEX) projects within Client production, infrastructure and R&D environments, covering the full project lifecycle from pre-study to commissioning and handover. The department is scaling up strongly, with multiple large investment programmes running in parallel towards [2028–2029]. At the same time, the department is shifting from designing in-house to steering and challenging external engineering firms and EPCM partners.

Project description

• You will lead complex, multidisciplinary industrial CAPEX projects of typically €5–15 million each. You carry full owner-side accountability for scope, budget, planning, quality and safety. Projects include both new installations and major modifications of existing assets in an operational process-industry environment.
• This is not a project engineer, Project coordinator, portfolio or project-controls role. You personally own the business case, the budget, the baseline planning and the relationship with the engineering firms and contractors.

Primary Tasks & Responsibilities

• Full end-to-end ownership of industrial CAPEX projects, from concept and feasibility through commissioning and handover
• Steering external engineering:

• Make the work of engineering firms and EPCM partners transparent (scope, progress, quality and cost of deliverables)
• Challenge their designs, estimates and schedules, and hold them to their commitments. You steer; you do not engineer yourself
• Definition and ownership of:

• Project scope, deliverables and battery limits
  • Business case and investment request (CAPEX estimate, contingency, basis of estimate), personally prepared and defended through investment approval
  • Project budget: commitments, forecast-to-complete, variance analysis, contingency and change control
  • Integrated baseline planning in MS Project (build and own, not only follow up), including shutdown and tie-in windows

• Leading and coordinating all project phases:

• Pre-study and concept selection
• Basic and detailed engineering
• Procurement and contractor selection
• Construction and site execution
• Commissioning and handover to operations

• Resource planning: securing internal and external capacity across disciplines and anticipating bottlenecks
• Leading multidisciplinary teams (internal and external) across process, mechanical, piping, electrical, automation, civil and EHS
• Contracting and steering EPCM/EPC partners and contractors, including deviations, change orders and claims
• Managing risks and deviations on scope, budget and schedule, with timely escalation and a proposed solution
• Acting as single point of accountability towards site management, operations, EHS and senior stakeholders; reporting to steering committees
• Driving a strong safety culture during engineering and execution in an operating plant

Technical profile requirements

• At least 15 years of industrial experience, of which at least 10 years as owner-side Project Manager with personal end-to-end accountability
• At least 3 completed CAPEX projects of ? €5 million in the process industry (chemicals, metals, pharma or similar), led from concept to handover in the last 10 years
• Personally prepared business cases and investment requests, and owned the resulting budget. Reviewing or controlling budgets prepared by others is not sufficient
• Proven direct steering of at least one EPCM or EPC contractor
• Led multidisciplinary teams, including resource planning
• Demonstrated experience in:

• Pre-feasibility and concept studies
• CAPEX budgeting and investment approval
• Commissioning and handover of industrial installations

• Engineering background (mechanical, electrical, piping, civil, …), ideally 5+years as project engineer, as part of the 15 years above
• Strong hands-on experience with MS Project (planning ownership)
• Master's degree in engineering, or equivalent level through experience

• Not considered equivalent: experience solely as PM at an engineering firm or EPC contractor, as project engineer or project coordinator, as portfolio manager without delivery accountability, or on small or standard projects (for example storage tanks or single equipment installations).

Non-Technical profile requirements

• Acts autonomously with a full accountability mindset
• Strong leadership: challenges senior stakeholders and contractors with facts
• Excellent communicator at all organisational levels, from shopfloor to steering committee
• Natural authority in complex industrial environments
• Combines helicopter view with the analytical depth to test a contractor's estimate or schedule
• Committed to long-term continuity within the projects
• Proven knowledge of MS Project

Methodology / Certification requirements

• VCA-VOL (mandatory)
• PMP, Prince2 or IPMA is a plus