Operations Director

About you:

Join us. Unleash your energy within.

If you have world-class ambitions to reach the stars while keeping your feet on the ground, we’re the team for you. Weve created a new breed of company – future-focused with reimagined ambition across all disciplines within the energy sector.

We love people who know their own potential and are not afraid to use it. We know that together, we’re far more than the sum of our parts. So, we celebrate people who want to grow and develop as we work together on some of the largest projects on the energy world stage.

We are committed to our diverse and inclusive community – a place where we can all be ourselves, thrive and develop. From day one, we offer a range of family-friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, and employee networks to support staff from different backgrounds.

As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures, and abilities.

We’re a disability-friendly employer and can make adjustments to support you to perform at your best during the recruitment process.

Our purpose and beliefs:

As Kent, we’re tackling the greatest challenge of our time - to bring our world the energy it needs in the most responsible way ever imagined.

It’s the energy of every member of our team driven by our beliefs that is making this happen. Whatever our skill, our language, or our culture. These beliefs define and direct us every day to be the very best - for ourselves, our clients, our key stakeholders, the communities we operate in and the planet:

We PLAY BIG
We thrive on EMOTIONAL AGILITY
We are FANATICAL ABOUT PERFORMANCE
We are built on INFINITE THINKING

Read more about the Purpose, Beliefs and Guiding Principles that drive us:

Our vision for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging:

We recognise that diversity & inclusion are catalysts for success. We’re heightening awareness on the benefits of people diversity, diversity of experiences and diversity of our perspectives. Creating a culture of inclusivity where all employees feel a sense of belonging.  

Our combined energy is fueled by different nationalities, across 6 continents and 24 countries. Our commitment is to celebrate character – no matter what ethnic background, gender, age, religion, identity, or disability.

About the job: 

Kent is looking for a Operations Director for out PMO

The Operations Director will lead PMO strategy and execution, ensuring strong governance, consistency, and operational excellence across all execution centres and operating regions, reporting to SVP Operations PMO. The role will play a key part in shaping the future of the Project Management Office by ensuring projects are properly supported from startup through delivery, strengthening project assurance, and driving the adoption of fit for purpose tools, systems, and emerging technologies including AI. This strategic leadership role is responsible for defining and embedding ‘The Kent Way’ in project delivery, implementing robust governance frameworks, and working hand in hand with Digital and Centre of Excellence teams to drive innovation and digitisation across the project lifecycle. The role will collaborate closely with regional leadership, PMO, and functional teams to establish best practices, improve performance, and position Kent as a leader in disciplined, technology enabled project delivery.

Skills and Responsibilities:  
Responsibilities
 

Strategic Leadership & Engineering Governance 

• Define and implement the global PMO strategy, ensuring alignment with Kent’s business objectives and project delivery priorities.
• Build strong connections with all operating regions to ensure projects are consistently and effectively supported throughout the project lifecycle.
• Establish and maintain a global PMO network that promotes best practice, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement across regions and business lines.
• Drive standardisation of PMO processes, methodologies, governance, and delivery tools to support a consistent and high performing project environment.
• Ensure PMO governance is embedded within the Kent Integrated Management System and aligned with wider business and delivery requirements.
   

Project Assurance & Risk Management

• Lead PMO involvement in Kent’s Project Delivery Assurance and startup review processes, ensuring projects are set up for success and supported with the right controls from the outset.
• Establish structured review and assurance approaches for high risk and complex projects, including clear hold points and escalation mechanisms where required.
• Ensure effective oversight of project governance, delivery readiness, risk visibility, and compliance with Kent standards and client expectations. 
   

Innovation & Digital Transformation

• Work closely with Digital and Centre of Excellence teams to identify, develop, and deploy innovative solutions that strengthen project delivery performance.
• Champion the adoption of AI, automation, and digital tools to improve project controls, assurance, reporting, and overall delivery efficiency.
• Promote practical digitisation across the PMO, ensuring new technologies are embedded in a way that supports delivery teams and creates measurable value.
• Stay ahead of industry developments and emerging delivery models, helping position Kent as a leader in modern, data enabled project execution. 
      

Operational Excellence & Regional Support

• Engage actively with regional and project leadership teams to ensure PMO initiatives are translated into practical support for live projects.
• Drive collaboration across PMO, operations, digital, and functional teams to improve project predictability, performance, and delivery outcomes.
• Implement lessons learned and continuous improvement mechanisms to strengthen project delivery capability across the business. People Development & Leadership
• Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the engineering function, ensuring a collaborative and innovative working environment.

In addition to the responsibilities listed herein, the employee may be required to perform other ad-hoc tasks as needed or directed by the supervisor or management. These tasks will be within the reasonable scope of the employees skills, capabilities, and role within the organization. The intent of this provision is to allow for flexibility and adaptability in meeting the dynamic needs of the organization, ensuring that operational requirements can be met efficiently. All such tasks will be assigned considering the employees current workload and with respect to their professional development.

Your knowledge/skills, education, and experience: 
Knowledge/ Qualification/ Training/ Certification: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Master’s or higher preferred.
• PMP Certification or equivalent desirable.

Communication:

• Excellent command of the English language in both oral and written communication and skills.

Behavior/ Core Com
petencies:

• Proven leadership experience in a global PMO, project delivery, or operations function within the EPC or project services industry.
• Strong expertise in project governance, assurance, startup, and the standardisation of project delivery processes across multiple regions.
• Experience in driving digital transformation in project delivery, including the application of AI, automation, and digital tools.
• Strong understanding of operational excellence, risk management, and the support structures required for successful delivery of complex projects.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to connect across regions, influence senior leaders, and drive change across the organisation.

Skills and Experience

• Proven track record of successfully delivering large-scale projects, including EPC / EPCm.
• Strong leadership capabilities with a demonstrated ability to inspire and drive teams towards success.
• Experience in establishing and leading virtual engineering communities or teams.
• Proficient in various engineering tools, software, and project management methodologies.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with an ability to engage and influence at all levels of the organization.
• Ability to work seamlessly across functions, departments, and regions to ensure alignment and cohesion.
• Continuous Improvement Mindset: Always seeking ways to enhance processes, methodologies, and team capabilities.

HSSEQ:
The Employee shall observe the Health, Safety, Sustainability, Environment and Quality rules of the Company; it’s clients and the governing authorities of the host country.

Details about the role: 
Location:  UAE
Relocation required:  Yes
Travel required: Yes
Contract type: Permanent
Experience level: Senior Management Level
 

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