Downstream Business Development Lead

Aramco energizes the world economy.

Aramco occupies a unique position in the global energy industry. We are the world's largest producer of hydrocarbons (oil and gas), with the lowest upstream carbon intensity of any major producer. 

With our significant investment in technology and infrastructure, we strive to maximize the value of the energy we produce for the world along with a commitment to enhance Aramco’s value to society.

Headquartered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and with offices around the world, we combine market discipline with a generations’ spanning view of the future, born of our nine decades experience as responsible stewards of the Kingdom’s vast hydrocarbon resources. This responsibility has driven us to deliver significant societal and economic benefits to not just the Kingdom, but also to a vast number of communities, economies, and countries that rely on the vital and reliable energy that we supply.

We are one of the most profitable companies in the world, as well as amongst the top five global companies by market capitalization.

Downstream Growth and Development (DG&D) implements the Company’s downstream growth strategy through the development of profitable investment opportunities, mergers & acquisitions (M&A) and joint venture partnerships in the areas of integrated refining and petrochemicals, marketing, retail, lubricants and other areas of the downstream business. DG&D identifies, evaluates, screens, reviews and recommends global business development opportunities such as mergers and acquisitions, and JV development projects, in line with the downstream strategy and in coordination with other Admin areas within the Downstream business. The Downstream Business Development Lead will be responsible for: (i) screening and origination of potential investment opportunities in the areas of refining, petrochemicals, trading, retail business, logistics, storage and lubricants segments; (ii) executing approved transactions including initiation and management of due diligence, valuation, structuring and negotiations of proposed deals; and (iii) engaging and working constructively with internal corporate stakeholders, external advisors and prospective partners during the origination, transaction development and post-transaction setup & readiness phases. The candidate is expected to possess relevant technical and commercial experience to successfully execute investments with a strong strategic fit with the endorsed downstream growth strategy. The candidate will report to the Saudi Aramco DG&D Management and Business Development Consultants/Specialists on the status of individual projects as part of the organization’s project portfolio.

Support Business Development Specialist/Consultant on business development process from market analysis, screening and evaluation of opportunities including strategic fit assessments, developing key business principles, managing due diligence execution, performing risk assessments, developing and negotiating term sheets and definitive transaction agreements through to transaction closure and integration planning.

Progress opportunities and transactions through the company’s defined stage-gates, and prioritize investment proposals against internal investment criteria and corporate strategies.

Support downstream business development activities including: (i) creating and developing partnerships along the downstream value chain in refining, petrochemicals, marketing including wholesale & retail, logistics and storage; (ii) developing business proposals; (iii) identifying risks with mitigation plans; and (iv) identifying suitable partnership strategies and business models to maximize value creation for the company.

Support business portfolio optimization and identify synergies between assets and affiliates; manage development and negotiations of commercial agreements; provide administrative direction to junior Business Development Analysts in reviewing legal documents which include head of terms, memorandums of understanding (MoU), letters of intent (LoI), cost sharing agreements, joint venture agreements, shareholder agreements, share purchase agreements, feedstock supply agreements, product supply and offtake agreements. Additionally, pursue opportunities for product marketing and technology licensing, as applicable.

Participate in developing techno-economic analysis, financial analysis and valuations of target assets including familiarity with the different valuation methodologies (discounted cash flow (DCF), trading multiples and precedent transactions).

Develop negotiation and transaction/project execution strategies.

Utilize available market data to develop market and sector analysis, and competitive landscape assessments as part of proactive origination of opportunities.

Prepare management briefings, board papers and presentations.

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Chemical preferable, or other disciplines), Business, Finance or Economics.  MBA or a relevant advanced degree is strongly preferred.

Professional Certifications (preferred): Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

Minimum of 9 years of professional experience in downstream business development, with a strong track record of technical, economic and commercial experience in downstream businesses such as refining, petrochemicals, marketing (wholesale & retail), lubricant, logistics and storage, with a deep understanding of associated operations, optimization and value-chain integration.

Excellent communication skills both verbal and written, and demonstrated experience navigating and influencing complex internal stakeholder groups and negotiating with prospective partners and service providers to ensure successful business outcomes for the company.

Good grasp of international business and cross-cultural professional practices.

Demonstrated experience in executing term sheets and definitive agreements typical in downstream transactions, along with management of post-transaction integrations, setup and readiness.

Working environment

Our high-performing employees are drawn by the challenging and rewarding professional, technical and industrial opportunities we offer, and are remunerated accordingly.

At Aramco, our people work on truly world-scale projects, supported by investment in capital and technology that is second to none. And because, as a global energy company, we are faced with addressing some of the world’s biggest technical, logistical and environmental challenges, we invest heavily in talent development.

We have a proud history of educating and training our workforce over many decades. Employees at all levels are encouraged to improve their sector-specific knowledge and competencies through our workforce development programs – one of the largest in the world.