Job Details

Clayton Services is searching for a Project Development Manager to join a thriving company in Houston, Texas. The Project Development Manager will be responsible for identifying, developing, and advancing strategic projects through early-stage development, ensuring alignment with company objectives and market opportunities. This role oversees project development activities from concept selection through pre-FEED, ensuring projects meet schedule, budget, and strategic goals. The position requires strong leadership, commercial acumen, and technical understanding to justify projects and prepare them for successful execution.

Job Type: Direct Hire

Pay Rate: $135,000 - $175,000/year

Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), PTO, stock options, and more.

Project Development Manager Responsibilities:

• Identify potential customers, develop and build strong business relationships, assist in putting together a scope of work, lead in creating proposals, negotiate, and close deals.
• Collaborate with internal teams (Projects Team, Contract Managers, Engineering, Cost Accounting) to maximize communication and resource usage for effective operations.
• Monitor and control project execution and delivery through management of personnel and resources to ensure projects are completed on schedule and within budget parameters.
• Communicate regularly with owners to resolve conflicts and negotiate changes in scope of work; serve as main contact for all status updates, additional labor requests, and material/equipment needs.
• Prepare weekly and monthly reports to track project progress.
• Advise senior-level management of potential project problems and assist in resolution.
• Manage the financial aspect of contracts, including fee payments, invoices, and verification of incurred expenses.
• Drive project evaluation, concept selection, and alignment with company strategy.
• Develop early project roadmaps, including RACI matrices to clarify roles and responsibilities.
• Build organization plans, governance deliverables, and stage-gate documentation.
• Establish preliminary long-lead equipment lists and maintain early vendor lists for procurement visibility.
• Lead preparation of Project Charters, Business Cases, and Project Objectives & Strategy (POS).
• Define contracting strategies for future FEED and execution phases.
• Set up scope tracking, risk registers, and mitigation strategies.
• Support stage-gate readiness and provide clear decision frameworks.
• Lead cross-functional teams across technical, commercial, and operational functions.
• Develop early cost estimates (Class 4/5) and Level 1 schedules to guide project progression.
• Interface with senior leadership and marketing to identify and prioritize opportunities..
• Other duties as assigned.

Project Development Manager Skills and Abilities:

• Strong project leadership and self-management capabilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including executive-level reporting.
• Proactive risk identification and disciplined project control.
• Systems thinking and structured project development skills.
• Strong analytical rigor and business acumen.
• Tenacity and resilience in driving projects through ambiguity.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite; knowledge of financial modeling preferred.

Project Development Manager Education and Experience:

• 8+ years of experience in capital project development (energy, chemicals, industrial gas, or related).
• Experience with project justification, business case development, and governance processes.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (preferred), Business, Project Management, or related field.
• Proven knowledge of FEL methodologies, early-phase estimating, and scheduling.
• Experience in syngas, hydrogen, or carbon capture projects.
• Familiarity with stage-gate processes and investment approval frameworks is preferred.
• Background in contracting strategy, subcontractor management, and risk planning is preferred.
• Exposure to cost modeling, scenario analysis, and execution strategy definition is preferred.
• Strong business development and negotiation skills.

Project Development Manager - Immediate need. Apply today!