Director of Operations

Job Description JOB SUMMARY: Reporting to the General Manager, the Director of Operations leads the operational and financial performance of EEIC's EPC projects and service divisions (Maintenance Contracts and Secondment Services), owning the Operations P&L, budgets, forecasts, OPEX, gross profit, cash flow and resources, and ensuring delivery to contract, schedule, HSE, quality and profit targets. The role protects and improves margins through robust budgeting, monitoring, corrective action, cost optimisation and variation recovery, ensuring forecasts are backed by validated progress, realistic cost-to-complete and quantified risks. It resolves issues within delegated authority and escalates material matters to the General Manager with impact and recommendations. Leading the Head of Projects, Engineering Manager and Head of Division, and through them Project Managers and teams, the role strengthens leadership, governance and execution standards. It requires a commercially astute EPC professional with contractor-side experience managing multiple projects across planning, engineering, procurement, construction, subcontracting and clients DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES: Financial, Budget & P&L Management * Own the financial performance and P&L of the Operations Department, including the EPC project portfolio and operational service divisions, ensuring achievement of approved revenue, gross profit and profitability targets, and provide the General Manager with timely visibility of material financial deviations, risks and opportunities. * Lead preparation of the annual Operations Department budget (revenue, gross profit, OPEX, manpower and other cost assumptions), provide reliable operational inputs to the General Manager and Finance for business planning, and control OPEX within approved budgets. * Lead and challenge individual project budgets following award, ensuring they reflect the approved commercial baseline, execution strategy, resources, procurement and subcontracting strategy, risks and expected profitability, and endorse budgets and revisions in accordance with the Delegation of Authority. * Review project P&Ls regularly – revenue, actual and committed costs, accruals, cost-to-complete, EAC, gross profit, margin and cash flow – and hold Head of Projects and Project Managers accountable for budget ownership and financial performance. * Ensure accurate monthly, quarterly and annual forecasts of revenue, cost, GP and cash flow, supported by validated progress, realistic cost-to-complete, contractual entitlements, committed costs and quantified risks and opportunities. * Identify margin erosion and cost overruns early, establish root causes and drive corrective action, and lead initiatives to protect and improve gross profit – through cost optimisation, productivity, procurement savings, variation recovery and improved execution methods – without compromising HSE, quality, contractual or client requirements. * Monitor billing, certification, unbilled revenue, receivables and cash collection in coordination with Commercial and Finance, ensuring alignment with physical progress and revenue recognition. * Ensure operational managers own and validate their financial assumptions, delivery commitments and recovery plans. Finance supports reporting and validation; the Director of Operations remains accountable for operational forecasts and performance commitments. Project Delivery & Operational Management * Lead and oversee the execution of EEIC's EPC project portfolio from award through engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning and close-out, in accordance with contractual requirements, approved budgets, baseline schedules, HSE and quality standards. * Oversee the Maintenance Contracts and Secondment Services divisions, ensuring service levels, manpower utilisation, contract renewals and divisional profitability meet approved targets. * Ensure appropriate execution strategies, mobilization plans and project management structures are established for newly awarded projects. * Conduct structured project performance reviews covering progress, schedule, cost, profitability, cash flow, engineering, procurement, construction, subcontracting, resources, commercial matters and key risks, maintaining portfolio-level visibility of status, milestones and priorities. * Identify underperforming projects early and lead the development and implementation of corrective action and recovery plans. * Ensure effective coordination between Projects, Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Planning & Project Controls, Commercial, Finance, HSE and Quality functions. * Optimize manpower, equipment and other resources across the project portfolio according to operational priorities. * Provide visible HSE leadership across all projects and service sites, ensuring HSE plans, resources and performance meet company and client (including ADNOC) requirements. * Provide timely, accurate reporting to the General Manager and escalate material operational, financial, contractual and client risks with quantified impact, actions taken and clear recommendations, after review and challenge through the management hierarchy. * Take ownership of resolving operational matters within delegated authority, ensuring that the Head of Projects, Head of Division and Project Managers remain accountable for their respective responsibilities. Escalate matters requiring executive intervention in a timely manner, without unnecessarily transferring routine operational management responsibilities to the General Manager. Planning, Project Controls & EPC Oversight * Oversee, through the Head of Project Controls and Head of Projects, the planning and project controls framework, ensuring baseline programmes, progress measurement and reporting are consistently applied across all projects. * Review portfolio-level schedule performance, critical-path risks and key milestones through regular operational reviews, challenging delays, unrealistic forecasts and deviations from approved plans. * Review, endorse and drive the implementation of recovery and acceleration strategies for projects at risk, ensuring that required resources, cost implications, contractual considerations and management support are adequately assessed, with approvals obtained in accordance with the company's Delegation of Authority. * Ensure effective integration of engineering, procurement and construction across the portfolio, intervening to resolve critical interface issues that threaten construction progress or project completion. * Intervene where key subcontractor or supplier performance threatens project objectives, and make strategic decisions on subcontracting, resource deployment and self-performance. * Hold project leadership accountable for construction productivity and resource utilization, using project controls data to drive operational decisions. Commercial, Client & Stakeholder Management * Hold Head of Projects and Project Managers accountable for timely identification, notification and substantiation of variations, change orders, claims and EOTs, working with the Contracts function, which owns contractual entitlement and formal correspondence. * Support resolution of major subcontractor, supplier and commercial matters affecting project performance. * Maintain strong working relationships with senior client representatives, consultants, main contractors and key stakeholders, and represent EEIC in senior-level project and client meetings. * Act as the senior operational escalation point for critical project matters and support Head of Projects, Project Managers in resolving complex operational, contractual and stakeholder issues. * Maintain a strong understanding of clients e.g. ADNOC and other customers / main contractors’ requirements, procedures, expectations and project delivery standards. * Proactively lead senior-level operational and commercial engagement with clients to res