Director of Operations

About the Role / About the Job
Reporting to the General Manager, the Director of Operations leads the operational and financial performance of business’s EPC projects and service divisions (Maintenance Contracts and Secondment Services). The role encompasses ownership of the Operations P&L, budgets, forecasts, OPEX, gross profit, and cash flow, ensuring deliverables align with contract obligations, schedules, HSE, quality, and profit targets. The Director of Operations will protect and enhance margins through robust budgeting, monitoring, corrective action, cost optimisation, and variation recovery while resolving issues and escalating significant matters to management as necessary.
This position requires a dedicated professional with contractor-side EPC experience, managing multiple projects across the domains of planning, engineering, procurement, construction, subcontracting, and client relations.

Duties & Responsibilities
Financial, Budget & P&L Management

• Own the financial performance and P&L of the Operations Department, ensuring approved revenue, gross profit, and profitability targets are achieved.
• Lead the preparation of the annual Operations Department budget (revenue, gross profit, OPEX, manpower, etc.), controlling OPEX within approved limits.
• Challenge individual project budgets post-award, ensuring reflections of the commercial baseline, execution strategy, and expected profitability.
• Review project P&Ls regularly and hold project managers accountable for financial performance and budget ownership.
• Ensure accurate forecasting of revenue, costs, gross profit, and cash flow backed by validated progress and realistic cost-to-complete.
• Identify margin erosion and cost overruns at early stages, driving corrective action to protect and improve gross profit without compromising quality or contractual requirements.
• Monitor billing, receivables, and cash collection, ensuring alignment with project progress and revenue recognition.
• Ensure operational managers own and validate financial assumptions and recovery plans, with the Director of Operations accountable for forecasts and performance commitments.

Project Delivery & Operational Management

• Oversee execution of all EPC projects from award through close-out as per contractual requirements and quality standards.
• Manage Maintenance Contracts and Secondment Services divisions to meet service levels and profitability targets.
• Establish execution strategies and project management structures for newly awarded projects.
• Conduct structured project performance reviews on various parameters while maintaining visibility of overall portfolio status.
• Identify underperforming projects early and implement corrective action plans.
• Foster effective coordination between various internal functions including Projects, Engineering, and Finance.
• Optimize resources across the project portfolio based on operational priorities.
• Provide HSE leadership across projects, ensuring compliance with safety standards.
• Report regularly to the General Manager and escalate material risks with clear recommendations.

Planning, Project Controls & EPC Oversight

• Ensure planning and project controls framework is consistently applied across all projects.
• Review schedule performance and key milestones, challenging deviations where necessary.
• Endorse recovery and acceleration strategies for projects at risk and ensure appropriate resource allocation.
• Intervene in subcontractor or supplier performance issues that threaten project completion and make strategic decisions as necessary.
• Hold project leadership accountable for productivity and resource use based on project controls data.

Commercial, Client & Stakeholder Management

• Ensure timely identification and substantiation of variations, change orders, claims, and EOTs, working with the Contracts function.
• Resolve major subcontractor and commercial matters affecting project performance.
• Maintain relationships with client representatives and represent in high-level meetings.
• Act as escalation point for critical project matters and assist in resolving complex issues.
• Proactively engage clients on operational and commercial matters affecting profitability and project delivery.

People Leadership, Governance & Continuous Improvement

• Coach and develop senior project personnel, setting clear accountability and performance expectations.
• Support recruitment and strengthen project management capability for larger, complex EPC projects.
• Maintain project management standards and ensure compliance with all requirements.
• Identify and escalate project risks, promote lessons learned across projects, and support annual operational planning.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical or relevant engineering discipline.
• PMP or equivalent project management certification preferred.
• Postgraduate qualifications in Project Management, Engineering Management, or Business Administration are advantageous.

Experience Requirements

• Minimum 15 years of EPC project execution within oil & gas, energy, petrochemical or related industries.
• Significant contractor-side EPC experience is essential, with roles as Operations Director or equivalent senior project leadership.
• Proven ability to manage complex EPC projects from engineering to close-out and lead multiple projects concurrently.
• HSE leadership experience and familiarity managing annual operational budgets preferred.
• Significant GCC and UAE project experience, particularly with ADNOC or similar clients, is highly preferred.

Skills & Professional Requirements

• Strong knowledge of project P&L, budgeting, and profitability improvement strategies.
• Solid understanding of project controls, planning, procurement, and construction.
• Excellent client engagement skills and track record in managing multidisciplinary teams.

Attributes and Behaviours

• Ability to coach and empower teams while maintaining decision-making boundaries.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, exhibiting ethical behaviour and compliance with laws and policies.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office suite including Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.