Senior Director of Operations
Industrial Maintenance & Turnaround Services
Position Summary
Our client, a leading U.S. industrial services contractor providing maintenance, turnaround, specialty services, and fabrication to the refining, chemical, and petrochemical industries, is seeking a Senior Director of Operations to lead a multi-site portfolio of long-term maintenance and turnaround operations across the Gulf Coast. This is a confidential search.
The ideal candidate is a field-built leader with real business acumen: someone who came up through the craft, quality, reliability, engineering, or site management ranks and has grown into running multi-site organizations, owning financial results, and building lasting client relationships. You are as credible walking a unit during an outage as you are presenting performance and growth plans to a client’s plant manager. Strong candidates may lean operational, technical, or commercial, and we want to hear from all three.
This is not a single-project role. The Senior Director of Operations functions as the business lead for a region or customer portfolio, making sure Operations Managers and Site Managers have the people, processes, and support they need to hit their targets. This leader is the executive-level partner to client plant leadership, and works alongside the commercial, proposals, estimating, and safety teams to retain and grow existing accounts.
Employment Type
- Full-Time, Permanent (Direct Hire)
Scope of Role
- Reports to the Vice President of Maintenance Services or the Vice President of Turnaround Services.
- Leads 2–4 Operations Managers, who in turn lead Site Managers at individual client facilities.
- Portfolio is organized by region or by key customer account across the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast.
- Supports long-term maintenance agreements (typically 3–5 years) and turnaround programs awarded 12–18 months in advance.
Key Responsibilities
Operations & Safety
- Provide executive leadership for the safety, quality, schedule, and financial performance of a multi-site portfolio of active process facilities.
- Champion a zero-incident safety culture, and partner with the Safety team to set, track, and report meaningful KPIs to customers.
- Drive consistent execution across sites by standardizing work processes, including planning, scheduling, work-pack quality, and craft productivity, while lowering total cost of ownership for clients.
- Diagnose underperforming sites quickly and lead corrective action alongside site leadership.
- Guide turnaround planning and execution strategy for major outages, from early contract award through closeout.
Reliability & Technical Excellence
- Embed reliability-centered practices across the portfolio, including RCM, RCFA, FMEA, and PM/PdM optimization, and support client mechanical integrity programs consistent with OSHA 1910.119.
- Assess client maintenance and reliability systems and turn findings into improvement roadmaps and value-added service offerings.
- Ensure quality programs, craft qualifications, and QA/QC practices meet client and code requirements.
Client & Commercial Leadership
- Serve as the primary executive relationship with client plant managers and site leadership teams, building the trust that sustains multi-year agreements.
- Own business unit P&L targets, including revenue, margin, net operating income, and forecasting, in partnership with the Vice President and Finance.
- Grow existing accounts by identifying additional scopes and bringing in the full range of company capabilities, including engineering, turnaround, specialty services, and capital projects.
- Partner with the commercial, proposals, estimating, and contracts teams to shape new scopes, pricing strategy, and contract renewals, and to ensure proposals are executable.
- Represent the business in client executive reviews, presenting performance, value delivered, and growth opportunities.
People & Culture
- Coach, develop, and hold accountable Operations Managers and Site Managers, building bench strength and succession for future leadership.
- Mentor field-built leaders as they develop the business acumen needed at the next level.
- Help unify maintenance and turnaround teams around shared standards, processes, and culture.
- Travel regularly to client facilities across the region.
Required Qualifications
- 15+ years of progressive experience in industrial maintenance, turnarounds, or industrial construction services within refining, chemical, or petrochemical facilities.
- 5+ years leading multi-site, regional, or multi-account operations through layers of management.
- Field-level understanding of maintenance and turnaround execution in operating plants, whether gained through craft, quality, reliability, engineering, or site leadership roles.
- Demonstrated accountability for financial performance, including budgets, forecasting, and P&L targets.
- Proven safety leadership in operating plant environments.
- Executive presence and the communication skills to engage client plant managers and senior leadership with confidence.
- A collaborative leadership style that balances results with people, culture, and integrity.
- Ability to travel regularly across the Gulf Coast.
Preferred Qualifications
- Prior P&L leadership of a maintenance or turnaround business unit, division, or company.
- Experience leading reliability programs (RCM, RCFA, mechanical integrity), including owner-side experience.
- Background in estimating, proposals, contracts, or key account management.
- Experience supporting power generation clients.
- Background with a major Gulf Coast industrial maintenance or turnaround contractor.
- Experience on both the owner/operator side and the contractor side.
- Professional credentials such as PE, CMRP, CWI, or an MBA.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Business, or a related field preferred.
- Equivalent field and senior leadership experience will be fully considered in lieu of a degree.
Location
- Houston, Texas (preferred).
- Candidates based in Freeport, the Golden Triangle (Beaumont / Port Arthur / Orange), or Corpus Christi will also be considered.
Compensation & Benefits
- Base salary: $200,000 – $300,000+, commensurate with experience.
- Annual incentive target of 25% of base salary, tied to business unit net operating income, individual goals, and company performance.
- Relocation assistance available for the right candidate.
- Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, and retirement benefits.
About Lean Synergy Solutions
Lean Synergy Solutions is a Veteran-owned and operated recruiting firm specializing in connecting highly skilled professionals with mission-critical opportunities across energy, industrial services, manufacturing, defense, and government sectors. Our team of veterans and industry experts is committed to delivering exceptional talent solutions while supporting veterans, military spouses, transitioning service members, and civilian professionals in achieving long-term career success.
Lean Synergy Solutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law.