Senior Project Manager – Industrial projects

Location:         Oslo preferred, with other COWI offices in Norway open for discussion

Are you an experienced project manager who can lead complex, multidisciplinary industrial projects from early planning through execution? We are looking for a senior project leader with a strong industrial track record, a commercial mindset and the ability to bring diverse technical disciplines together around the client’s objectives.

Create the solutions that will enable a better tomorrow

In COWI’s Renewable Energy department, you will lead multidisciplinary industrial projects across their full lifecycle: from feasibility, concept selection and early planning through FEED, detailed design, procurement support, construction and commissioning. The role covers both greenfield developments and brownfield upgrades, including projects where new systems must be integrated safely and efficiently into existing operating facilities.

We are looking for an experienced project manager capable of translating client needs to project proposals integrating COWI’s multidisciplinary expertise to the project’s needs, and its’ subsequent execution. Assignments range from studies to large projects. 

Our portfolio includes carbon capture, green fuels, biogas, thermal energy, pipelines, terminals and storage. We also support other COWI business areas with fuel and energy systems, terminals and defence-related infrastructure. The common denominator is not one specific technology. It is the need for robust multidisciplinary project leadership in complex industrial environments.

Sustainability includes the green transition, but it is broader than that. It also means helping clients improve resilience and readiness, optimise lifecycle cost and performance, extend or adapt existing assets, and meet changing regulatory and market requirements in Norway and internationally.

Your key responsibilities

• Lead and motivate multidisciplinary project teams, with clear direction on scope, interfaces, priorities and delivery.
• Manage projects from early studies and concept development through engineering, procurement support, construction follow-up and commissioning.
• Establish and maintain project governance, execution plans, schedules, budgets, resource plans and reporting.
• Take commercial responsibility for contracts, change management, risk, opportunities and project financial performance.
• Coordinate disciplines and manage technical, organisational and contractual interfaces across client, consultant, contractor and supplier organisations.
• Lead client meetings and build trusted relationships with clients, partners, authorities and other stakeholders.
• Ensure that safety, quality, constructability, operability, resilience and lifecycle value are addressed throughout the project.
• Contribute to tenders, project positioning, client development and the continued development of COWI’s project management capability.
• Support and mentor project managers and younger colleagues, and contribute to knowledge sharing across COWI.

Your skills. Our team. Together we design the future.

The first step to success in this role is that you are eager to collaborate with the people around you, whether they are colleagues, partners or customers. Developing ties with others is something you do by acting respectfully and delivering on your promises. And you never get set in your ways, but keep exploring new insights and ways to improve.

To attract the right profile, we want to be clear: this is primarily a senior industrial project management role. Experience from carbon capture or green fuels is relevant, but it is not a substitute for a proven track record in leading multidisciplinary industrial projects.

On top of that, you will have:

• A relevant higher technical education, preferably at master’s or bachelor’s level.
• Typically 10+ years of relevant professional experience, including substantial responsibility as project manager, project engineering manager, design manager, discipline lead or a comparable delivery role.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary industrial projects from early planning into execution.
• Experience from the client, engineering consultant, EPC/EPCM contractor, industrial contractor or owner’s engineer side.
• Experience with both greenfield and brownfield projects, including integration with existing plants, systems and operations.
• Solid understanding of several project phases such as feasibility, concept, pre-FEED/FEED, basic and detailed engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning.
• Commercial and contractual understanding, including scope, schedule, cost, risk and change management.
• Ability to lead technical specialists without needing to be the deepest specialist in every discipline.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with professional proficiency in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language and English.

Experience that will strengthen your application

• Industrial energy systems, process plants, utilities, terminals, storage, pipelines, power or thermal production and distribution.
• Carbon capture, green fuels, hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, SAF, biofuels, biogas, biochar or waste-to-energy.
• Plant upgrades, debottlenecking, energy optimisation, life extension, operational readiness or resilience of critical infrastructure.
• Complex permitting, HSE and process-safety environments, or projects with demanding interfaces between process, mechanical, piping, electrical, automation, civil, structural and architectural disciplines.
• Norwegian industrial projects and international project delivery.

How you work

You create structure in complex projects and maintain momentum when priorities change. You understand the client’s business case as well as the technical delivery. You make decisions, communicate expectations clearly and involve the right expertise at the right time. You are comfortable challenging assumptions, managing uncertainty and balancing safety, quality, time and cost.

You also enjoy building teams. You create trust across disciplines and organisations, share experience generously and recognise that strong project outcomes depend on both technical excellence and effective collaboration.

A place to work and so much more

You will join the Renewable Energy department and become part of a dedicated project management environment. Our teams combine engineers, specialists and project professionals from across COWI, and we mobilise the competence needed for each assignment across business areas and geographies.

COWI’s strategy is to shape a sustainable and liveable world by helping clients solve significant challenges. We work across studies and concept design, planning and permissions, detailed design, construction management, project management consultancy and asset management. This gives you access to a broad technical organisation and opportunities to work with key clients on complex industrial, energy and infrastructure projects.

What we offer

• A senior role with real influence over complex industrial and energy projects in Norway and internationally.
• Varied assignments spanning new developments, upgrades and optimisation of existing installations.
• Access to a strong multidisciplinary and international competence environment.
• Opportunities to develop project management, commercial and leadership capabilities through challenging assignments, COWI Academy and professional communities.
• A collaborative and inclusive workplace with flexible working arrangements, competitive terms, and solid pension and insurance schemes.

Got more questions?

We process applications on an ongoing basis and look forward to hearing from experienced project leaders who recognise themselves in this industrial, multidisciplinary profile.

For an informal conversation, contact Alert Holtman, VP, Head of Projects, at alhl@cowi.com

We want to strengthen our professional environment in Oslo, but we are also open to discussing placement at one of our other offices in Norway.

Before you apply

All you need to include in your application is your CV – no photo or application letter. At an interview, you can tell us everything we need to know about why you’re interested in joining COWI. As for the photo, we prefer to form our first impression in person rather than from a picture.

Equal opportunity employer

COWI provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, COWI complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

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