Principal - Operational Readiness

Requisition ID: 98757 

Job Category: Commissioning 

Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 
 

Join a company that is passionately committed to the pursuit of a better world through positive change. With more than 70 years of business and technical expertise in mining, energy, and infrastructure, our 10,000 colleagues in 150 countries tirelessly work toward bettering the industries in which we operate. With practical solutions that are safe, innovative and sustainable, we think globally while acting locally. Are you looking for an opportunity to join a diverse group of professionals who are committed to remaining exceptional? We look forward to hearing from you.

CORE brings together the necessary elements of a project to achieve nameplate value and deliver peak asset performance. We take a staged approach to verifying technical readiness and ensuring organizational preparedness, right up to achieving full operational capacity. 

Hatch is an employee-owned engineering, technology, consulting and project delivery company with more than 70 years of history delivering innovative solutions in metals, energy, and infrastructure. With nearly 12,000 employees across 65 offices, we execute projects in more than 150 countries worldwide.

Our operations are organized into seven regions:

• ECA: Eastern Canada
• WCA: Western Canada
• USA: United States
• SAM: South America
• AIM: Africa, India, and Middle East
• EUR: Europe
• AUA: Australia and Asia

Our culture is built on collaboration, technical excellence, and a commitment to shaping a better future. We take pride in our values and operate as a flat, connected organization where innovation and ownership are encouraged at every level.

Role Overview

We are conducting a global search for Principals and Senior Principals in Operational Readiness to lead strategy, planning and execution operational readiness for mega projects worldwide. This is a rare opportunity for individuals who combine deep technical expertise in operations, operations excellence, and operational readiness with strategic leadership and client engagement skills.

As an experienced professional, you will act as a trusted leader, safety champion, and mentor of operational readiness professionals. Beyond delivering engagements, you will engage with clients to grow Hatch’s CORE practice and unlock business opportunities.

We are looking for professionals who think and act like owners, thrive on creating new approaches and improving processes, and can bridge technical execution with strategic foresight to deliver exceptional client value. Most importantly, you will inspire and develop our teams to be the best operational readiness professionals there is, sustaining the growth of our expertise for decades to come.

Candidates must be willing to travel to meet teams and clients including remote project sites as required, and participate in site assignments, sometimes requiring fly-in/fly-out arrangements for periods of time.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership
• Role model, safety culture, Collaborative leadership, and behaviors.

• • Develop and implement OR strategies, frameworks, and execution plans covering workforce, systems, documentation, maintenance readiness, training, asset integrity, logistics, and business process readiness.
  • Lead OR programs from early definition through execution and ramp‑up, ensuring alignment with project objectives, operating philosophy, and asset performance requirements.
  • Guide projects through readiness assessments, risk reviews, readiness gates, and stage‑appropriate deliverables.
  • Drive integration between Construction, Completions, Commissioning, and Operations to ensure a seamless “path to operations.”
  • Support major projects in applying best practice OR methodologies, tools, and systems.

• Oversee planning, scheduling, and resource allocation across project phases from early FEL stages to sustaining operations as well as brownfields/capital improvement phases.
• Execution Excellence
• Lead site operational readiness integrated team, ensuring safe, quality, and timely delivery.
• Advise, guide and support the owner team, operation and functional teams, operational readiness management team and other internal and external stakeholders with delivering safe and effective operational readiness programs.
• Travel to remote sites when required, including fly-in/fly-out assignments if applicable.
• Client Engagement & Growth

• • Identify opportunities where OR services bring value to clients in early study phases, project execution, or operational improvement.
  • Act as a thought leader for OR across the organization and outside—writing guidance documents, presenting at internal and external forums, sharing lessons learned, and mentoring teams.
  • Lead proposal development, scopes of work, and execution strategies for OR engagements.

• Act as a trusted advisor, elevating conversations beyond execution to strategic value.

• • Represent Hatch in client meetings, governance forums, and project steering committees.

• Leadership & Workforce Development
• Mentor and coach emerging operational readiness managers, fostering a culture of safety, professional growth and excellence.
• Work seamlessly across borders in a flat, connected organization aligned with Hatch’s values.

• • Promote a one‑team culture that aligns OR activities with project requirements and operational goals

• Continuous Improvement
• In collaboration with Hatch’s Global Director of Operational Readiness, bring best practices and drive innovation in operational readiness practices and improve processes for better client outcomes.

Qualifications

• Experience:
• 15+ years in operation excellence, operational readiness program delivery, with proven leadership with additional consideration given to past experience on mega projects (>$1B).
• Cross-functional experience and exposure to a variety of roles and responsibilities within operations (site management, production, maintenance, health, safety, environment and community, warehouse and inventory management, etc.).

• • Demonstrated experience leading Operational Readiness (OR) programs or major OR workstreams on large, complex projects, including greenfield developments within organizations with low maturity.

• Proven experience in building practices focused on operations improvement, operational readiness, asset management, commissioning and/or ramp-up.

• • Strong understanding of asset lifecycle, maintenance programs, digital systems (CMMS / EAM), training systems, spares strategy, and operational processes.

• Demonstrated success in client engagement and business development.
• Deep experience in one of our three (3) main sectors:
• Metals (from mining to minerals processing, to metallurgy (pyro & hydro)
• Energy (Nuclear Power, Hydro Power, Thermal Power, Renewable Power, Energy Storage, Power Distribution, Oil & Gas)
• Infrastructure (Water, Transit, Rails, Ports & Terminals, Aviation, etc.)
• Skills:
• Strategic planning and site execution leadership and management expertise.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, facilitation and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage complexity and deliver under pressure.
• Attributes:
• Safety-conscious and ethical.
• Collaborative, committed to long-term success—not transactional.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with ambition to grow into influential leadership roles.
• Client relationship, communication and team building acumen
• Ability to interact and connect with all levels (top leadership and working levels) of the organization
• Ability to identify business opportunities for CORE operational readiness but also for all other services of Hatch
• Competent technical communicator and able to adapt to the audience (empathy): facility to adapt script to the context of the audience and to simplify the messaging when required 
• Interest in providing governance and support on projects

Why join us?

• Work with great people to make a difference
• Collaborate on exciting projects to develop innovative solutions
• Top employer

What we offer you?

• Flexible work environment
• Long term career development
• Think globally, work locally

Don't meet every single requirement? You don't need to. At Hatch, we are building a diverse, inclusive workplace that fosters innovation. If you're interested in this role, we encourage you to apply even if your past experiences don't perfectly align with the skills we've listed.

We're committed to fostering a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we operate and serve. Hatch is an Equal Opportunity Employer that considers applicants without regard to age, race, color, national origin, citizenship, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, veteran, or any other protected status. If you have any accommodation requirements, please let us know. We'll do our best to meet your needs in accordance with applicable local legislation.