About Nextdecade Corporation
NextDecade is committed to providing the world access to reliable, lower carbon energy. We are focused on delivering secure, low-cost, and sustainable energy solutions through the safe and efficient development and operation of natural gas liquefaction and carbon capture and storage infrastructure. Through our subsidiaries, we are developing and constructing the Rio Grande LNG natural gas liquefaction and export facility near Brownsville, Texas, with approximately 48 MTPA of potential liquefaction capacity currently under construction or in development. We are also developing a potential carbon capture and storage project at the facility that is expected to make meaningful impacts toward a lower carbon future. NextDecade’s common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol “NEXT.” NextDecade is headquartered in Houston, Texas. For more information, please visit www.next-decade.com.
Summary Of The Role
NextDecade is seeking a full-time LNG Operations Specialist to support Ready For Operations (RFO) Team for the Rio Grande LNG facility located near Brownsville, Texas. The position will require work from Houston during early job phases before transitioning to Brownsville, Texas prior to commissioning and startup. The Operations Specialist will work closely with the Engineering & Construction (E&C) team, including the E&C Start-up & Commissioning Team, the EPC contractor, and the NextDecade Operations and Maintenance Teams, leveraging their extensive process knowledge and operational experience to ensure the safe and efficient transition from construction to operation of the LNG plant and its utility systems.
• The incumbent will report to the Manager, RFO Production Operations Liaison
• The Operations Specialist is a key member of the Operations team, serving as a liaison between Operations, the E&C team, and the EPC contractor during the commissioning and startup phases
• The role has no direct reports but will collaborate extensively with contractors, vendors, and various internal teams
• Peer level personnel will include members of the operations, maintenance, HSSE, Training and Engineering teams across all facility disciplines
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
•Collaborate with Operations, Project Engineering, and EPC contractors to provide operational input on pre-operations, commissioning, and startup plans
•Review and contribute to commissioning procedures, test plans, and checklists to ensure alignment with operational best practices
•Act as the operations liaison in coordination meetings to facilitate seamless system handovers
•Provide operational expertise during pre-commissioning, including system walk-downs, punch list development, and issue resolution
•Evaluate flushing, cleaning, and testing procedures for process and utility systems
•Assist in planning and executing performance tests to ensure operational readiness and compliance
•Support troubleshooting efforts during commissioning and startup
•Ensure safety, environmental, and regulatory compliance in commissioning and startup activities
•Contribute to developing and delivering training programs for operations personnel
•Participate in Management of Change (MOC) reviews, providing operational insights on proposed modifications
•Review commissioning and startup reports, offering recommendations for improvement
•Facilitate knowledge transfer between operations, vendors, and technology licensors
•Assist in developing and reviewing operating procedures for utility systems and LNG process units
•Provide input on plant shutdown and restart planning
•Apply LNG expertise to optimize commissioning and startup procedures
•Represent operations in process hazard analyses (PHAs) and layer of protection analyses (LOPAs)
•Review process control strategies and setpoints, ensuring optimal plant performance during startup
•Work with process engineers to resolve discrepancies between design intent and actual plant behavior
•Assess utility system capacities to meet LNG process demands
•Offer guidance on managing process upsets and abnormal situations during commissioning and early operations
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
•Bachelor's degree in Process Technology, Engineering (preferred), or a related field
•10+ years of experience in process operations or engineering within LNG or similar complex process plants
•Proven experience collaborating with engineering teams and contractors on LNG projects
•Strong knowledge of process safety management and its application in LNG operations
•Expertise in process control systems, including DCS configuration and tuning for LNG
•Familiarity with industry standards and regulations (e.g., NFPA 59A, API, OSHA PSM)
•Excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to provide operational input to engineering decisions
•Strong communication skills for effective interaction across all organizational levels
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
•Certifications & Additional Qualifications
•Advanced training in process safety management
•Vendor-specific training for key LNG equipment (Air Products, Linde, Baker Hughes)
•Advanced skills in PI or similar data historian software
•Experience with 3D modeling software for plant walk-throughs and training
•Familiarity with CMMS (computerized maintenance management systems)
•Knowledge of document control and change management software
•LNG liquefaction processes (e.g., APCI, C3MR, SMR, Cascade)
•Cryogenic equipment commissioning and startup
•Gas turbine and compressor operations
•Control system configuration and tuning (DCS, PLC)
•Leak testing and tightness verification of cryogenic systems
•Process safety management
•Operations management system implementation (OPEXTEXT, Hexagon Digital Procedures)
•Risk assessment methodologies (HAZOP, LOPA)
•Project management techniques
•Root cause analysis and incident investigation
•Energy efficiency optimization for LNG plants
Job Site Work Environment
• Must be able to wear all necessary PPE equipment to perform job functions
• Operates in a complex construction environment
• Exposure to indoor and outdoor weather conditions
• Not necessarily protected from weather and temperature changes. Possible exposure to hot, cold, wet, humid, or windy weather conditions
• Exposure to moving mechanical parts and electrical circuits
• Exposure to constant or intermittent sounds of a pitch level sufficient to cause marked distraction
• Routinely uses standard office and field communications equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers w/scanner and fax, and radios
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to support individuals with ADA-recognized disabilities to perform the essential functions for the job.
• Ability to drive to other Company work locations as required
• Ability to move throughout all areas of the facility, including being physically capable of traveling to a designed muster point during emergency situations
• Stand and/or sit continuously and perform job functions for a full shift
• The incumbent is required to have fully mechanical motion and usage of all extremities
• Physically able to walk, stand, bend, stoop, kneel, reach, twist, lift, push, pull, climb, balance, crouch, handle, and lift items weighing up to 20 lbs. without assistance
• Visual acuity corrected to perform job functions. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus
• Must be able to clearly communicate with others via radio, phone, and verbal methods
• May be required to enter confined spaces
• May be required to work at elevated heights and access elevated structures without assistance
If you require accommodations during the application or interview process, please contact Human Resources at recruiting@next-decade.com.
Other Duties
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
•In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire
NEXTDECADE VALUES
• Safety – We make safety a priority. Everything we do relies on the safety of our people and the communities around us
• Integrity – We do the right thing, and are open, ethical, and fair. We hold ourselves to the highest standards in all that we do
• Honesty – We value truth and honesty in ourselves and others. We honor our commitments and take responsibility for our actions
• Respect – We listen, and respect people, the environment, and the communities in which we live and work
• Transparency – Transparency builds trust. We promote open communication with our people, our customers, and all our stakeholders
• Diversity – We value diversity of people and thought. It takes people with different strengths, ideas, and cultural backgrounds to make our company succeed
NextDecadeprovides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. NextDecadecomplies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.
Brownsville, TX
Full-time
