Refinery Project Specialist

Uganda National Oil Company Limited Visit website

Full-time Expires In -5 days Kampala Duty Station - Kampala Bachelor's Degree 6 years experience Engineering Science & Engineering Energy & Mining

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About Uganda National Oil Company Limited

Uganda National Oil Company Limited (UNOC) is a limited liability company wholly owned by the Government of Uganda (51% Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, 49% Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development). Established under Section 42 of the Petroleum (Exploration, Development and Production) Act and Section 7 of the Petroleum (Refining, Conversion, Transmission and Midstream Storage) Act, both of 2013 and incorporated on 12 June 2015, UNOC handles the Government's commercial interests in the petroleum sector and ensures resources are exploited sustainably. Its Vision is to be a profitable company that sustainably operates across the petroleum value chain by 2030 and its Mission is to sustainably develop and manage the state's commercial interests to contribute to Uganda's socio-economic transformation. Creating Value for Generations.

UNOC has two subsidiaries: Uganda Refinery Holding Company Ltd (URHC) and National Pipeline Company (U) Ltd (NPC). URHC, on behalf of the Government, holds a participating interest of up to 40% in the refinery to be constructed in Kabaale, Hoima and manages the development of the Kabaale Industrial Park (KIP) comprising the refinery, Hoima International Airport, crude oil export hub and petrochemical industries. NPC holds 15% in the 1,443km East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). This position sits within URHC and is central to delivering the Uganda Refinery Project — a flagship midstream investment under UNOC's mandate to investigate and propose new upstream, midstream and downstream ventures and build in-depth oil and gas expertise through joint ventures.

Job Details

Department: Uganda Refinery Holding Company (URHC) Reports To: Manager Project Development Duty Station: Kampala (candidates MUST be willing and ready to work in any UNOC office location) Employment Type: Full-time Work Hours: 8 Number of Vacancies: 1 Job Purpose: Responsible for the implementation of frontline activities in the delivery of the Refinery Projects, from planning through construction to commissioning and operation.

UNOC is a dynamic and results-oriented Company committed to Safety First, Care for People and the Environment, Integrity, Excellence, Collaboration and Innovation. The Refinery Project Specialist will support the Project Development Manager in planning, execution, cost control, stakeholder management and HSE compliance for the refinery, working closely with 3rd party contractors and internal teams. The role is based in Kampala with interface to site activities during planning and construction phases.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Support the Project Development Manager with the preparation of the Project Implementation Plan (PIP) and other key documents for the project.
Supervise execution of site activities for the Refinery during planning and construction phases.
Assist with the creation of the Annual Work Plans (AWPs) and schedules for the project and its components for approval.
Support the Project Development Manager in drafting URHC Project engineering guidelines and specifications, codes and standards, and regulatory agency requirements to meet necessary functionality and performance requirements.
Supervise 3rd party contractors to ensure that all project field activities comply with URHC's Project Engineering guidelines.
Keep the Project Development Manager informed of all emerging project risks and suggest mitigation measures.
Identify project issues and possible solutions and bring them to the attention of the Project Development Manager for action.
Prepare regular reports to assist the Project Development Manager to track the progress of project components to ensure schedules and deadlines are being met.
Implement applicable environmental/safety regulations and company processes and procedures.
Support stakeholder consultations and communications, including status reporting, meeting minutes and other project documentations to various stakeholders.
Ensure all internal/external stakeholder enquiries on the project are dealt with in a timely, concise, and accurate manner.
Interface with project contractors, keep track of their deliverables, and keep the Project Development Manager up to date.
Monitor project costs against budget, verify contractor payment applications against progress, and maintain the change log and cost forecast.
Undertake any other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned from time to time by the supervisor(s).

Qualifications, Skills and Requirements

Bachelor's Degree (Hons) in Engineering (Mechanical, Civil, Chemical, Electrical or Petroleum), Industrial Chemistry, Science Technology (Chemistry), Construction Management or Project Management discipline, from a recognised university.
At least six (6) years' experience in the delivery of capital projects, such as project management/controls (planning, scheduling, cost control and progress reporting) on industrial, energy or infrastructure projects, of which at least three (3) years are in a Supervisory role.
A recognised project management certification (PMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner or equivalent) or Project Management course is an essential requirement.
Relevant experience in oil and gas is an added advantage.
Demonstrable competence working with project scheduling software (Primavera P6 or MS Project etc) is an essential requirement.
Work planning (Scheduling) – ability to build and update a WBS-based schedule, identify the critical path and produce progress S-curves.
Cost Planning, Budgeting and Forecasting - able to prepare and track a project budget, commitments, accruals and forecast at completion.
Project Reporting using automated reporting tools.
Coordination and collaboration across internal teams and contractors.
Project risk management - maintaining a risk register, assessing risks and developing mitigation measures and escalating appropriately.
Excellent Oral and Written Communication Skills e.g. Report writing, minute taking and preparation of stakeholder correspondence.
Excellent Stakeholder Management Skills.
Strong negotiation skills.
Knowledge of Oil & Gas Industry Technical Standards.
Demonstrable QHSSE Knowledge.
UNOC is an equal opportunity employer and does not charge any monies at any stage of the recruitment process.

Job Summary

Job Category: Science & Engineering, Energy & Mining
Job Type: Full-time
Deadline of this Job: Friday, September 11 2026 (11:59pm EAT)
Duty Station: Kampala | Kampala
Posted: Monday, August 24 2026
No of Jobs: 1
Application Method: Apply online via the UNOC online recruitment system at https://careers.unoc.co.ug/ - scan and attach copies of required academic documents only (Relevant Degree Transcript, Postgraduate Diploma or Masters). Only applications submitted through the UNOC recruitment system shall be considered.