Innovation Regional Lead South America

Extraordinary teams building inspiring projects:

Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world's infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place. 

Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers' objectives to create a lasting positive impact. We serve the Infrastructure; Nuclear, Security & Environmental; Energy; Mining & Metals, and the Manufacturing and Technology markets. Our services span from initial planning and investment, through start-up and operations. 

Core to Bechtel is our Vision, Values and Commitments. They are what we believe, what customers can expect, and how we deliver. Learn more about our extraordinary teams building inspiring projects in our Impact Report. 

Mining and Metals:

El aumento de la producción de minerales críticos proporciona componentes clave de tecnologías de energía limpia, desde tuberías eólicas hasta baterías. Este cambio hacia la energía limpia—y la necesidad de productos básicos—es fundamental para sustentar la transición energética. En Bechtel, nuestros equipos extraen estos recursos vitales para respaldar cero emisiones de una manera más sostenible que nunca.

Job Summary:

The Innovation Lead for the M&M GBU plays a critical role in shaping how the business identifies, cultivates, and deploys transformative solutions that enhance project delivery, operational performance, and long-term customer value.

The Innovation Lead is responsible for identifying and introducing new tools and technologies aligned with Bechtel’s defined architecture and a measurable, sustainable innovation ecosystem that delivers real impact. This includes establishing innovation value frameworks, capturing realized benefits, and guiding initiatives from early exploration through pilot execution, functional adoption, and institutionalization.

By partnering with sector leads, functional SMEs, M&BD teams, and project leadership, the Innovation Lead ensures that innovations address customer priorities and unlock measurable improvements in safety, construction efficiency, productivity, sustainability, and digital delivery—accelerating enterprise-wide transformation.

This role is central to building an innovation-forward culture by fostering collaboration across projects, driving innovation campaigns, cultivating innovation champions, and ensuring that new ideas, technologies, and digital methodologies translate into meaningful project outcomes.

"This position is designated as part-time telework per our global telework policy and may require at least three days of in-person attendance per week at the assigned office or project. Weekly in-person schedules will be determined by the individual and their supervisor, in consultation with functional or project leadership”.

Major Responsibilities:

Level 1

• Planning the scope, schedule, and cost of an innovation initiatives for a medium-sized project or a particular innovation initiatives area.
• Planning, developing, implementing, and maintaining the project and/or organization's innovation initiatives to accelerate improvements for the safer, better, faster, and leaner execution of our projects.
• Providing inputs for strategy, planning, estimating of budgets and staff, implementation, procedure management, knowledge management, measurement and reporting, risk management, continuous improvement, and serving as a subject-matter expert for the project team.
• Monitoring trends in innovation topics and standards, makes recommendations for new technology exploration to meet project needs.
• Communicating the project and/or organization's innovation vision and initiatives information.
• Executing, monitoring and facilitating progress of innovation initiatives consistent with strategies, goals, measurements, and reporting standards.
• Planning and Executing the work assigned, coordinating, and reviewing the work of those assigned to implement parts of the innovation initiatives.
• If involved at proposal stage, preparing innovation content, preparing discipline estimates and working plans in accordance with project scope, schedule and budget, and Planning implementation and performance accordingly.
• Reviewing and making recommendations of the innovation aspects of bid evaluations and awards for approval.
• When directed, coordinating with client representatives to obtain their approval of the innovation initiatives aspects of the work.
• Interfacing and coordinating with other project functions and services to optimize expertise and resources.

Level 2

• All previously mentioned responsabilities 
• Executing, coordinating, and reviewing the work of innovation in support of project needs, providing inputs into staffing estimated needs to support work accordingly
• Executing project, functional or departmental business plans and contributes to the development of functional or departmental strategies

Education and Experience Requirements:

Required Knowledge and Skills:

• Hands-on experience implementing innovative or digital technologies within engineering or construction environments (e.g., digital workflows, field technologies, BIM/GIS, automation, data-driven tools).
• Strong understanding of project workflows across design, construction, project controls, and handover processes.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives, influence stakeholders, and drive measurable change across projects or business units.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, adapt to evolving needs.
• Experience facilitating workshops, meetings, or ideation sessions and ensuring follow-through on decisions and actions.
• Experience researching, piloting, or deploying robotics or construction automation technologies (e.g., robotic layout, autonomous equipment, automated inspection, or robotic process automation) within engineering or construction environments.
• Experience with Design Thinking, Lean, or Six Sigma methodologies.
• Experience with crowdsourcing or ideation platforms and innovation prioritization frameworks.
• Hands-on experience working on Construction sites and/or knowledge of construction equipment technology ecosystems.
• Advanced English (Preferred).

Total Rewards/Benefits:

For decades, Bechtel has worked to inspire the next generation of employees and beyond! Because our teams face some of the world's toughest challenges, we offer robust benefits to ensure our people thrive. Whether it is advancing careers, delivering programs to enhance our culture, or providing time to recharge, Bechtel has the benefits to build a legacy of sustainable growth. Learn more at bechtel.com/total-rewards.

Diverse teams build the extraordinary:

As a global company, Bechtel has long been home to a vibrant multitude of nationalities, cultures, ethnicities, and life experiences. This diversity has made us a more trusted partner, more effective problem solvers and innovators, and a more attractive destination for leading talent.

We are committed to being a company where every colleague feels that they belong-where colleagues feel part of "One Team," respected and rewarded for what they bring, supported in pursuing their goals, invested in our values and purpose, and treated equitably. Click here to learn more about the people who power our legacy.