Principal Consultant - Development Engineering/Investment screening

ROLE PURPOSE

The Principal Consultant is a strategic role aimed at supporting our client's International Gas and LNG Business Development and Asset Management teams.

To provide end-to-end leadership across business development, investment maturation, and non-operated asset stewardship for a portfolio of gas and LNG investments to protect and enhance shareholder value. The role ensures that new opportunities are technically credible, commercially robust, and executable, and existing non-operated assets are governed to protect and enhance long term shareholder value, HSE performance, and ESG outcomes.

The Principal Consultant will be reporting into the Business Development Function; however, they will be a shared resource supporting both the Business Development and Asset management organizations.

SCOPE OF ROLE

This position spans the full investment lifecycle:

1. Pre-investment / Business Development – opportunity screening, shaping, and project sanction support
2. Post-investment / Asset Management – non-operated governance, value assurance, and optimisation.

KEY ACCOUNTABILIITES

Business Development & Opportunity Shaping

• Lead or support technical evaluation of new investment opportunities, including corporate acquisitions, farm‑ins and infrastructure access.
• Assess development concepts, execution strategies, cost estimates, schedules, and risk profiles proposed by counterparties or operators.
• Provide credible challenges to ensure opportunities are investable, scalable, and resilient across commodity cycles.
• Support decision and internal investment committees through clear articulation of value drivers, risks, and mitigations.

Non‑Operated Asset Management & Governance

• Act as the investor’s senior representative across non‑operated joint ventures and partnerships.
• Review and influence operator work programmes, budgets, production forecasts, and capital projects.
• Ensure appropriate governance, assurance, and escalation of material technical, HSE, cost, or schedule risks.
• Maintain alignment between operator activity and shareholder value objectives.

Technical & Value Assurance (Across BD and Assets)

• Apply deep engineering and operational judgement across facilities, integrity, operations, and major projects.
• Challenge design basis, concept selection, and execution plans to avoid value erosion and over‑engineering.
• Ensure disciplined decision making at key investment and project stage gates (screening, FID, re-sanction).
• Identify and assess key technical risks across asset lifecycle and define appropriate mitigation strategies to ensure investment robustness, protect value and support investment decision-making.
• Identify opportunities for value uplift, cost reduction, emissions reduction, or asset life extension.

HSE, ESG & Risk Oversight

• Ensure operator performance aligns with investor HSE and ESG expectations.
• Monitor material operational, integrity, and project risks across the portfolio.
• Promote consistent standards and learning across assets and regions.

Stakeholder & Partner Engagement

• Build trusted relationships with operators, co‑investors, regulators, and host authorities.
• Represent the investor credibly in JV committees, technical reviews, and strategic forums.
• Navigate complex partner dynamics with authority, pragmatism, and diplomacy.

Candidate Profile

Essential Experience

• Strong Developments / facilities / process / operations / asset integrity foundation. Extensive senior experience across upstream and/or midstream oil & gas, including operations and projects.
• Demonstrated experience in managing new deals and acquired assets with strong business mindset, understanding value creation from an international O&G Company perspective
• Demonstrated ability to work as a high-impact contributor, taking ownership of complex and high-stakes deliverables with accountability and hands-on approach. Strong capability in constructively challenging operators and partners without undermining relationships.
• Experience in complex, multicultural and multipartner JV environments‑partner JV environments

Desirable Experience

• Experience spanning operator, investor, consultancy, and contractor environments. 
• Strong commercial acumen

• Proven exposure to energy transition and decarbonisation initiatives

  
  

Personal Attributes

• Combines strategic commercial thinking with deep technical credibility. 
• Comfortable operating from early opportunity framing through long‑term asset stewardship. 
• Calm, authoritative, and values led with a strong HSE mindset. ‑led
• Trusted advisor at management, investment committee, and JV level.