Lead Strategist - Transaction Execution

Lead Strategist Transaction Execution

At Motiva, our employees' energy, passion, and dedication to excellence are what make us who we are and what allows us to generate energy that makes a house a home, gets us from point A to point B, and enables our health and wellbeing. We invest in every aspect of our employees' lives because, at Motiva, our people matter.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Motiva refines, distributes and markets petroleum products throughout the Americas. The company's Port Arthur Manufacturing Complex in Port Arthur, TX, is comprised of North America's largest refinery with a total throughput of 720,000 barrels per day, the largest base oil plant in the western hemisphere, and an integrated chemical plant. Under exclusive long-term brand licenses with Shell and Phillips 66 (for the 76 brand), Motiva's commercial operations supply more than 12 billion gallons of fuel to customers annually. Motiva is wholly owned by Aramco, one of the world's largest integrated energy and chemicals companies.

Position Overview :

The Lead Strategist Transaction Execution leads the execution of M&A transactions, managing activities from due diligence through deal closing. The role partners closely with the M&A Lead and functional stakeholders to ensure commercial, legal, and governance requirements are fully met. By bringing discipline to transaction execution, this Lead coordinates deal teams and delivers high-quality materials that support decision-making within internal leadership and Aramco forums.

Responsibilities :

• Own the day-to-day execution of assigned M&A transactions, managing activities from due diligence through closing.
• Coordinate internal deal teams, managing timelines, issue resolution, and approvals across Finance, Legal, Risk & Compliance, Strategy, Business Units, and external advisors.
• Lead preparation of investment committee materials, approval requests, and internal presentations for decision-making forums.
• Ensure deal structure and documentation comply with commercial, legal, Aramco, and internal governance standards.
• Support negotiation strategy and execution activities in partnership with internal and external legal advisors and Finance (Treasury, Strategic Finance), validating bid assumptions, capital planning, and modeling inputs.
• Collaborate with Strategy and Business Units to validate deal rationale, assess integration implications, and support synergy delivery plans.
• Manage coordination with external counsel on deal structuring, contracting, and reviews.
• Ensure timely engagement with Aramco for compliance, stage-gated approvals, and review processes.
• Prevent advancement of deals without alignment on critical financial, legal, or risk inputs.
• Influence deal structuring, legal documentation, negotiation strategy, and stakeholder resourcing, including timing, sequencing, and next steps.
• Ensure readiness of Gate deliverables and documentation, coordinating with Value Assurance Review (VAR) and Executive Governing Body (EGB) for approvals.
• Report progress, findings, and decisions to Motiva's governance bodies, including the EGB and ELT, maintaining transparency and alignment.
• Maintain version control and documentation discipline (models, assumption logs, and risk registers) to meet audit and compliance requirements.
• Support post-close handoff to integration teams and monitor early synergy realization metrics.

Experience and Qualifications :

Required Education and Experience :

Preferred Education and Experience :

We reserve the right to amend or withdraw Motiva jobs at any time, including prior to the closing date. Depending on qualifications, the successful candidate may be offered a position at a more appropriate level and / or grade.

Applicants for regular U.S. positions must be authorized to work in the United States for Motiva Enterprises LLC without the need for sponsorship of an immigration authorization or visa (for example, TN, H-1B, or other employment-based immigration authorization or visa).

Motiva participates in E-Verify.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, citizenship, genetic information, or other protected status under federal, state, or local laws.