Vice President of Engineering and Execution at CAMBRIAN INNOVATION – Houston, Texas

Job Title: VP of Engineering / Execution

FLSA Status : X Exempt Non-Exempt

Department: PMO

Location: Houston, TX

Direct Supervisor: COO

Indirect Supervisor: CEO

JOB SUMMARY

The VP of Engineering / Project Execution is responsible for setting the company’s strategy and leading end‑to‑end delivery of major projects from concept through commissioning, ensuring they are completed safely, on time, within budget, and to defined quality standards. This executive builds and mentors high‑performing engineering and project teams, establishes project management and QA/QC frameworks, and collaborates closely with executive, operations, and commercial leaders to align technical execution with business goals and customer requirements.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position will report directly to the Chief Operation Officer and will oversee all engineering functions and all project management functions for Cambrian Innovation. The position is located at Cambrian’s Houston, TX office (Energy Corridor area).

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership for the industrial water/wastewater engineering and project execution team.

• Track and estimate future resource planning, ensure full utilization of resources, and provide estimates for engineering and project management labor hours required for large capital project estimates.

• Serve as senior technical authority on industrial wastewater treatment processes and systems, including evaluation, design, optimization, and expansion of treatment plants and related infrastructure.

• Lead end‑to‑end delivery of major industrial water/wastewater projects, from feasibility study, through detailed design, construction, commissioning, and handover, ensuring schedule, cost, quality, and performance targets are met.

• Oversee development and implementation of engineering standards, QA/QC procedures, and regulatory compliance programs to meet or exceed environmental and industrial wastewater discharge requirements.

• Build, mentor, and manage high‑performing multidisciplinary teams (process, civil, mechanical, electrical, commissioning, project management), drive a culture of safety, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.

• Partner with Sales and other Stakeholders within Cambrian to define customer requirements, develop solutions, and maintain customer relationships throughout the project cycle.

• Direct and track project financial performance, including initial budget, cost incurred, committed cost, expected to spend, risks and opportunities.

• Identifying opportunities or value engineering, OPEX/CAPEX optimization.

• Manage external partners, EPCs, equipment OEMs, and specialty technology providers, ensuring integrated, turnkey solutions from concept through start‑up and optimization.

• Monitor emerging industrial wastewater technologies, regulations, and market trends, and drive adoption of innovative treatment solutions and digital tools that improve compliance, reliability, and lifecycle cost.

MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS (Education, Knowledge, Skills, and Experience)

The following are the minimum job requirements for this position.

• Bachelors in an engineering discipline; master’s in engineering or project management preferred.
• Minimum 10 years in engineering design/development/project management of large‑scale projects.
• Minimum 5 years in a senior leadership role (Director/VP/Head of Engineering, Program Director, etc.).
• Demonstrated end‑to‑end project execution: planning, budgeting, scheduling, risk management, change control, and delivery of complex projects or portfolios.
• Proven track record building and leading engineering teams, including hiring, performance management, and developing leaders/managers.
• Deep domain expertise in the relevant engineering field (e.g., civil, mechanical, software, industrial), including standards, codes, and best practices.
• Strong project/program management capability: scope, schedule, cost, quality, and risk, often with PMP or equivalent as a plus.
• Ability to define technical strategy, translate business objectives into a project/portfolio roadmap, and prioritize across competing initiatives.
• Experience setting and running engineering processes (design reviews, stage‑gates, change control, incident/issue management) to ensure predictable delivery.
• Ability to set and communicate a clear engineering vision, align teams, and drive a high‑performance, safety‑ and quality‑focused culture.
• Strong stakeholder management: working with executives, operations, finance, product/clients, and external partners or contractors.
• Solid financial acumen: project and departmental budgeting, resource allocation, and reporting to senior leadership/board.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical and project trade‑offs to non‑technical stakeholders.