Operations Director

Role Overview

Operational Leadership

• Lead day-to-day operational management and translate executive direction into priorities, accountability, KPIs, and measurable outcomes.
• Ensure effective operational support to projects across HR, recruitment, administration, Quality, HSE, mobilisation, and corporate functions.
• Represent Operations in executive, client, stakeholder, and Headquarters engagements.

Recruitment and Resource Planning

• Provide executive oversight of recruitment and mobilisation, including manpower requirements, recruitment performance, client approvals, onboarding, and mobilisation.
• Lead manpower and resource planning, including forecasting, utilisation, redeployment, demobilisation, and contingency planning.

HR, Quality, and HSE Governance

• Oversee HR governance covering employee administration, attendance, performance, disciplinary, grievance, onboarding, and offboarding processes.
• Lead Quality and HSE governance, including management systems, KPIs, audits, incidents, NCRs, corrective actions, compliance, and continuous improvement.

Process, Controls, and Reporting

• Review and improve workflows, RACI structures, service levels, and operational procedures through sustainable corrective actions and standardisation.
• Establish governance, operational controls, data integrity, and performance reporting for executive visibility of performance, risks, and priorities.
• Identify operational risks, resource gaps, and process weaknesses and lead corrective actions.

Commercial and Digital Improvement

• Maintain commercial and financial awareness of manpower costs, utilisation, project margins, contractual staffing commitments, and business decisions.
• Drive digital and systems improvement using Microsoft 365, SharePoint, EDMS, Power BI, dashboards, automation, and AI-enabled workflows.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 15 years of relevant professional experience, including at least 5 years in a senior Operations Director, Business Operations, Programme Operations, or equivalent leadership position.
• Senior operational experience within PMC, PMO, engineering consultancy, construction management, or professional services organisations.
• Experience supporting multiple major projects and multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong experience in recruitment, manpower planning, mobilisation, HR operational governance, Quality, and HSE.
• Ability to establish and improve organisational workflows, KPIs, governance frameworks, and management systems.
• Strong commercial and financial awareness, including project budgets, margins, contractual commitments, and manpower economics.
• Experience planning operational capacity ahead of project awards in a rapidly growing organisation.
• Saudi Arabia and/or GCC experience is strongly preferred.
• PMP, Chartered Engineer, MRICS, MCIOB, MBA, or equivalent professional qualification is advantageous.

Essential Competencies

• Translate executive direction into structured, measurable operational delivery and proactively resolve weaknesses.
• Manage recruitment pipelines, manpower forecasting, mobilisation, and resource planning at scale.
• Apply practical HR procedures, employee administration, attendance, performance, and organisational controls.
• Lead corporate Quality and HSE functions, management systems, KPIs, audits, and corrective actions.
• Identify workflow weaknesses, determine root causes, and implement sustainable improvements.
• Establish ownership, deadlines, and KPIs and hold responsible managers accountable for outcomes.