Senior Manager - Engineering

About the Role
Lead the Engineering function of Equipment Engineering and Maintenance across the Ports Cluster. Set the engineering strategy, standards, and capital investment program for port and container handling equipment, ensuring that equipment projects, modifications, and reliability improvements are delivered safely, on time, within budget, and in line with operational and asset management objectives.

Responsibilities

Core Responsibilities:

• Ensure all engineering activities and projects comply with HSE regulations, industry standards, and internal policies, and promote a strong safety culture across the engineering team and contractors.
• Lead the Engineering function for the Ports Cluster and oversee the portfolio of equipment projects (acquisition of new container handling and port equipment, upgrades, retrofits, and life-extension programs) across the full project lifecycle.
• Establish and maintain engineering standards, technical specifications, and design criteria for port and container handling equipment, in coordination with Operations and Maintenance.
• Own the annual and multi-year equipment CAPEX plan; review and approve business cases, cost estimates, and technical alternatives based on lifecycle cost, availability, reliability, and maintainability.
• Oversee technical input to procurement, including approval of tender specifications and technical bid evaluations, and lead technical negotiations with OEMs and major contractors.
• Establish project governance and monitor portfolio performance (schedule, budget, risk, and quality) through KPIs; report progress and key risks to the Head of Equipment Engineering and Maintenance and senior leadership.
• Manage strategic relationships with OEMs, contractors, and consultants; oversee contractor performance and resolve escalated technical and commercial issues.
• Ensure effective execution of Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT), Site Acceptance Tests (SAT), inspections, and commissioning activities, and approve final acceptance of new and modified equipment.
• Ensure a structured handover of new assets to Maintenance and Operations, including as-built documentation, O&M manuals, spare parts, warranties, and training.
• Ensure accurate registration of new assets in the MAXIMO system and timely completion of traffic registration and insurance for equipment delivered, installed, and commissioned.
• Lead root-cause analysis of major equipment failures and oversee warranty management and supplier claims across the equipment fleet.
• Drive continuous improvement, lessons learned, and the integration of reliability and maintainability requirements into equipment specifications and engineering standards.
• Act as the senior technical authority for equipment engineering matters and approve major engineering changes and modifications.

People Management Responsibilities:

• Lead, develop, and manage the Engineering team, including Engineering Managers and Engineers; set objectives and conduct performance reviews.
• Define team structure, resourcing, and capability requirements in line with the equipment project portfolio.
• Coach and mentor engineers, identify high-potential talent, and support succession planning for critical engineering roles.
• Foster a culture of safety, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Strategic Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the development of the Equipment Engineering and Maintenance strategy and the Cluster's asset management plan.
• Lead the development of the equipment investment plan and fleet renewal strategy, aligned with capacity forecasts, business plans, and technology trends.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and sustainability initiatives (e.g., automation, electrification, energy efficiency) and recommend their adoption.

Qualifications

Educational and Technical Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Electromechanical Engineering or a related field. Master's degree, professional engineering registration, or project management certification (e.g., PMP) is preferred.

Language Skills:

• Excellent English. Arabic is an added advantage.

Years of Experience:

• A minimum of 12-15 years of experience, including at least 5 years in a managerial role leading engineering teams and equipment project portfolios.

Nature of Experience:

• Proven experience leading equipment engineering and capital projects in a port, terminal, logistics or heavy industrial environment; strong knowledge of container handling equipment (STS cranes, RTG/RMG, straddle carriers, reach stackers).
• Experience in CAPEX planning, budget management, contract management, and vendor management with OEMs and contractors.
• Strong knowledge of asset management, reliability engineering, and quality and safety management systems, including regulatory requirements.

Key Interactions

Key Internal Contacts:

• HSE
• Operations
• Maintenance
• Procurement & Contracts
• Finance
• Legal Division
• Corporate Asset Management

Purpose of Interaction:

• Safety strategy for engineering activities, risk management, compliance and incident investigations.
• Equipment needs, capacity planning, project priorities, and acceptance of new equipment.
• Engineering support, reliability improvement, asset handover, and lifecycle planning.
• Procurement strategy, tender approvals, and management of major contracts.
• CAPEX planning, budget approval, cost control, and investment cases.
• Contract review, claims, equipment insurance, and traffic registration.
• Asset management standards and MAXIMO asset data governance.

Key External Contacts:

• OEMs, Contractors and Consultants

Purpose of Interaction:

• Strategic partnerships, technical negotiations, project performance, escalations, and warranty claims.

Technical Competencies Required for the Role

• Capital Project Portfolio Management (Planning, Cost, and Risk Control)
• Equipment Engineering, Reliability, and Asset Management
• Engineering Leadership and People Management
• Contract, Vendor, and Stakeholder Management
• SMWP/SAP and MAXIMO