Project Director – FOAK Iron Oxide Reduction plant opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Project Management professional to lead the development of a first-of-a-kind (FOAK) iron oxide reduction plant (~€100M Capex). Financing and customer offtake agreements are in place and the project is progressing from feasibility into FEED. The Project Director is responsible for driving the project through FEED, EPC, commissioning, and ramp-up, ensuring cost discipline, technical robustness, and stakeholder alignment.

To start in the role – the Project Director will have to mature the opportunity to a feasible project. This requires key front-end skills that will drive to maximize value, minimize cost and most important get a value chain working.

Subsequently the Project Director will lead the team that will deliver the project. RIFT believes in action and ownership as core values, in project delivery this is essential.

Pre FID - Front end skills - define Value

• Manage the whole Alpha 1 team. Including senior management interface.

• Lead the defining of premises for cost, schedule, production, cost and quality. They form the basis of FID decision taken by investors.

• Set up the FEED team and run a FEED – including tender for execution.

• Value-engineering in front end + capex optimisation - while managing engineering delivery.

• Drive clarity in permitting and subsidy workstreams.

• Hands-on experience negotiating and managing EPC/EPCM contracts.

• Ability to lead EPC partner selection and collaboration during FEED.

• Strong value engineering mindset, driving Capex efficiency without compromising safety/operability.

• Knowledge of Capex/Opex trade-offs, constructability, and modularization strategies.

• Manage interface with boiler development.

Post FID - EPC - deliver value

• Deliver on the FID premise.

• A safe project is a good project.

• Build the team for EPC phase.

• Risk mindset - Communicate clearly on challenges, risks and proposed solutions.

• Track record managing large (€50M–€500M) industrial Capex projects through EPC and commissioning.

  • Run detailed design procurement and construction sequence till completion.

  • Commission and start up a new facility with an operations team in build up.

• Project controls – defined the baseline and manage contractors to work within

Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Proven leadership of multidisciplinary teams across engineering and construction

• Comfortable coordinating with EPCs, investors, and customer offtakers.

• Strong communication skills with both executives, owners team and site execution teams.

• Experience in FOAK risk management across cost, schedule, and technology.

• Leader in quality - build and asset that work

Technical & Industry Background

• Exposure to FOAK process technologies, bridging pilot-to-commercial gaps.

• Understanding of high-temperature reduction processes (iron, steel, hydrogen, etc.)

• Knowledge of process safety and industrial permitting requirements

• Experience in process industry projects (O&G, energy, steel, hydrogen, chemicals, or cement, etc.).

• Familiarity with FID decision gates, stage-gate methodologies (FEL), project controls and digital tools.

Soft Attributes

• Resilience and adaptability in managing evolving project scope and challenges.

• Pragmatic decision-making in an uncertain environment.

• Ability to foster high-performance culture across owner and EPC teams