Operations Director

HanmiGlobal MENA is seeking an experienced Operations Director to lead and strengthen our operational platform across Saudi Arabia and the MENA region.

The Operations Director will provide executive leadership across the organisation's operational functions, ensuring that our growing portfolio of projects is supported by the right people, processes, systems, governance, and corporate support. The role will work closely with the CEO, Project Leadership, corporate functions, Clients, and HanmiGlobal Headquarters.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operational management of the business and translate executive direction into clear priorities, accountability, KPIs, and measurable outcomes.
• Ensure effective operational support to Projects across HR, Recruitment, Administration, Quality, HSE, mobilisation, and other corporate functions.
• Provide executive oversight of the end-to-end recruitment and mobilisation process, including manpower requirements, recruitment performance, client approvals, onboarding, and mobilisation.
• Lead manpower and resource planning, including forecasting, utilisation, redeployment, demobilisation, and contingency planning in line with the project pipeline and business growth.
• Provide operational oversight of HR governance, ensuring effective implementation of employee administration, attendance, performance, disciplinary, grievance, onboarding, and offboarding processes.
• Lead and oversee Quality and HSE governance, including management systems, KPIs, audits, incidents, NCRs, corrective actions, compliance, and continuous improvement.
• Review and improve organisational processes, workflows, RACI structures, service levels, and operational procedures, driving sustainable corrective actions and standardisation.
• Establish effective governance, operational controls, data integrity, and performance reporting, providing the CEO and Executive Management with clear visibility of operational performance, risks, and priorities.
• Maintain strong commercial and financial awareness, particularly regarding manpower costs, utilisation, project margins, contractual staffing commitments, and the operational impact of business decisions.
• Drive digital and systems improvement, including Microsoft 365, SharePoint, EDMS, Power BI, management dashboards, automation, and AI-enabled operational workflows.
• Represent Operations in executive, client, stakeholder, and Headquarters engagements, ensuring commitments are clearly assigned, monitored, and delivered.
• Proactively identify operational risks, resource gaps, and process weaknesses and lead corrective actions to improve organisational effectiveness and readiness for future growth.

Qualifications & 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.
• Proven senior operational experience within PMC, PMO, engineering consultancy, construction management, or professional services organisations.
• Demonstrated experience supporting multiple major projects and multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong experience in recruitment, manpower planning, mobilisation, HR operational governance, Quality, and HSE.
• Proven ability to establish and improve organisational workflows, KPIs, governance frameworks, and management systems.
• Strong commercial and financial awareness with an understanding of project budgets, margins, contractual commitments, and manpower economics.
• Experience working in a rapidly growing organisation and planning operational capacity ahead of project awards.
• Saudi Arabia and/or GCC experience is strongly preferred.
• PMP, Chartered Engineer, MRICS, MCIOB, MBA, or equivalent professional qualification is an advantage.

Essential Competencies

Operational Leadership: Ability to translate executive direction into structured, measurable operational delivery and proactively resolve weaknesses.

Recruitment & Manpower Management: Proven ability to manage recruitment pipelines, manpower forecasting, mobilisation and resource planning at scale.

HR Operational Governance: Strong practical understanding of HR procedures, employee administration, attendance, performance and organisational controls.

Quality & HSE Leadership: Ability to lead corporate Quality and HSE functions, management systems, KPIs, audits and corrective actions.

Process Improvement: Ability to identify workflow weaknesses, determine root causes and implement sustainable improvements.

Accountability & Execution: Ability to establish ownership, deadlines and KPIs and hold responsible managers accountable for agreed outcomes.

Project Environment Understanding: Strong understanding of how operational functions support PMC, PMO, engineering consultancy and major construction programmes.

Commercial & Financial Awareness: Understanding of manpower economics, budgets, margins, contractual commitments and operational financial performance.

Executive Communication: Ability to communicate complex operational issues clearly and concisely to the CEO, Executive Management, Clients and Headquarters.

Digital Capability: High proficiency in Microsoft 365, SharePoint and management reporting systems; Power BI, EDMS and AI-enabled workflow experience is advantageous.

Leadership & Collaboration: Ability to work effectively across Projects and corporate functions while maintaining clear accountability and organisational boundaries.