Head of Operations - Oil & Gas (Upstream)

Role overview

This is a permanent, onsite leadership role based in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, for a regional corporate client in the oil and gas sector. The position sits within a newly forming joint venture designed to create an advanced manufacturing and remanufacturing base for upstream energy applications in the Kingdom.

The facility will support high-accuracy CNC machining, remanufacturing, welding and fabrication, assembly, and special processes for mission-critical upstream components. The venture is closely linked to Saudi Vision 2030, IKTVA localization priorities, and the expanding need for in-Kingdom industrial capability for energy customers, OEMs, EPCs, and service providers.

The Head of Operations will own the full operational performance of the site and turn the business plan into a scalable, efficient, customer-ready manufacturing operation.

Engagement details

• Job title: Head of Operations
• Client: Prominent regional corporate firm in oil and gas
• Employment type: Permanent
• Work location: Onsite in Dammam, KSA
• Experience requirement: 18+ years

Key accountabilities

• Direct the full plant operation, including production, manufacturing engineering, maintenance, procurement, stores, supply chain, production planning, and operational excellence.
• Convert the business strategy into workable plans for manpower, machines, capacity, material flow, and supply chain execution.
• Ensure the site meets targets for output, cost, delivery, productivity, safety, and customer readiness.
• Set up regular daily, weekly, and monthly operating reviews and enforce strong accountability across functions.
• Guide greenfield readiness, including layout, machine installation, utilities, stores, internal logistics, and production systems.
• Support commissioning, trial runs, and stabilization of CNC and fabrication assets.
• Create operating systems from scratch, including SOPs, work instructions, maintenance routines, stores controls, production dashboards, and escalation pathways.
• Prepare the facility for API, ISO, customer audits, and industrial licensing.
• Phase the ramp-up from early production to full-scale operations.
• Own delivery across CNC machining, welding/fabrication, assembly, and remanufacturing.
• Improve machine and manpower utilization, tooling use, fixtures, materials, cycle time, setup time, throughput, and cost per part.
• Establish strong shopfloor discipline, shift planning, output monitoring, and production control.
• Ensure readiness for machining and remanufacturing of upstream oilfield parts such as drilling tools, wellhead components, pressure control parts, valves, repair parts, and other critical items.
• Lead manufacturing engineering work such as process planning, method development, CNC programming governance, fixture design, tool selection, cycle-time improvement, and process validation.
• Support new product introduction, first article development, DFM reviews, routing, and manufacturability studies.
• Standardize processes across machining, fabrication, welding, assembly, and remanufacturing.
• Work with Quality to align process controls with API, ISO, and customer-specific requirements.
• Set up preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance systems for all plant assets.
• Maintain high uptime for CNC machines, fabrication equipment, utilities, cranes, compressors, and related infrastructure.
• Implement TPM and maintain structured maintenance KPIs.
• Own OEE improvement, asset availability, MTTR, MTBF, spare-parts planning, and maintenance cost control.
• Keep critical assets audit-ready at all times.
• Lead procurement, vendor development, import logistics, stores, inventory, subcontracting, and consumables planning.
• Build a reliable supplier base for raw materials, tools, fixtures, spares, subcontracted processes, and services.
• Balance material availability with inventory discipline and working capital efficiency.
• Introduce vendor qualification and performance review mechanisms.
• Support localization by developing suitable in-Kingdom suppliers wherever possible.
• Partner with Quality to ensure compliance with API, ISO, HSE, and customer audit expectations.
• Embed quality at source, traceability, documentation discipline, and process control in shopfloor practices.
• Support readiness for API Q1, API monogram, ISO, customer qualification, and supplier audits.
• Close operational actions arising from audits, NCRs, customer feedback, and qualification reviews.
• Join customer audits, technical reviews, manufacturing readiness discussions, and capacity meetings.
• Support operational discussions with customers, OEMs, EPCs, and upstream service companies.
• Provide practical inputs on lead times, capacity, feasibility, delivery readiness, and ramp-up planning.
• Coordinate with business development, quality, finance, and HR to deliver customer commitments smoothly.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Kaizen, TPM, SMED, value-stream mapping, visual management, and continuous improvement programs.
• Create a daily management system that tracks safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and people metrics.
• Reduce waste across production, stores, supply chain, maintenance, and engineering.
• Build a culture of continuous improvement and lead structured cost and productivity initiatives.
• Develop and lead a high-performing operations team across production, engineering, maintenance, procurement, stores, and planning.
• Manage a workforce expected to grow beyond 100 employees as the facility scales.
• Develop Saudi talent in line with localization and IKTVA goals.
• Create second-line leadership strength and succession depth across operational functions.
• Promote discipline, ownership, safety, learning, and execution excellence.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Production Engineering, or a closely related field; a master’s degree is preferred.
• At least 18 years of experience in manufacturing operations with strong exposure to precision machining, fabrication, welding, and industrial manufacturing.
• Mandatory background in API-certified manufacturing environments.
• Strong exposure to oil and gas upstream manufacturing or remanufacturing is strongly preferred.
• Proven leadership of large CNC machining operations, ideally with more than 20 CNC machines.
• Hands-on experience in welding, fabrication, assembly, repair, or remanufacturing operations.
• Demonstrated experience with greenfield plant setup or major capacity expansion.
• Ability to lead teams of more than 100 people.
• Strong working knowledge of production planning, manufacturing engineering, maintenance, procurement, supply chain, and stores.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and structured operational excellence systems.
• Exposure to the GCC or Saudi manufacturing environment is an advantage.

Additional information

This role is intended for a senior operations leader who can build systems from the ground up, manage complex industrial execution, and scale a new manufacturing platform for critical upstream energy applications. The position requires a practical, hands-on style and close coordination with commercial, quality, finance, and people functions to ensure the site becomes customer-qualified, cost-efficient, and sustainable.

The facility will serve energy customers, OEMs, EPCs, and service companies, with a strong emphasis on localization, capability building, and operational excellence.

Notes on working style

The role is based onsite and is expected to be highly execution-oriented. The leader will need to drive daily plant discipline, support audits and customer interactions, and help shape a scalable organization as the venture grows.