Operations Manager

InSite are Urban Designers, Planners and Landscape Architects who share a love for the craft of designing the built environment and consist of a diverse studio of designers from around the world. We are a diverse studio of designers from around the world with studios in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha. InSite is a unique division of KEO International Consultants, a firm with over a half century of delivering projects throughout the Gulf and a proud legacy to match. We engage at the human scale when creating our places. Each is interrogated from a collaborative viewpoint, tailored to client’s needs and ensuring sensitivity to the unique ecologies, cultures and the communities that we engage with.

Responsibilities

Our newest opportunity is for a talented Operations Manager to join our award-winning studios in our Qatar or the United Arab Emirates locations.

The Operations Manager will work closely with other Principles, Business Analyst, and the Managing Principal to monitor overall project status and commercial position of all projects within InSite. The position will communicate with InSite, Finance and other KEO project managers and executives regarding project status and progress, as required. The role will represent the division with clients from proposal submission stage through to contract award, project execution, and close-out, as required. The position also provides a key contribution to the formulation, development and implementation of organizational strategies, policies and practices.

We envisage success in this role to include;

• Works with Managing Principal to develop, implement, and maintain both commercial and operational management procedures across the division including divisional budgets and forecasting.
• Ensures that project managers follow appropriate project management standards and practices, in accordance with KEO and divisional project management policies and procedures.
• Ensures that project managers and studio leaders remain up to date in project invoicing to the client.
• Ensures that project managers and studio leaders remain up to date in both client and internal project reporting.
• Ensures full implementation of corporate and divisional QA/QC standards.
• Monitors divisional project performance indicators and produce regular project performance metrics reports for management review.
• Works with project managers and studio leaders to identify and proactively resolve internal and external [out-of-scope work requests, variation opportunities, etc.] and project performance issues.
• Organizes regular project review meetings for all active projects.
• Improves the operational systems, processes, and policies in support of InSite’s development strategy; specifically, in support of management reporting, information flow and management, business process, general project and financial management and organizational planning.
• Attends and organizes regular meetings with the Chief Financial Officer, InSite Managing Principal and Financial Controller around fiscal planning.
• Organizes and oversees InSite invoicing, accounts receivable, and accounts payable.
• Relieves InSite Managing Principal / Principals when required.
• Develops, maintains and monitors all InSite management procedures, recommends and implements improvements to systems, inclusive of developing specific InSite QMS Systems and manages progression toward ISO 9001 certification.
• Oversees and reports to the Managing Principal on InSite monthly and quarterly assessments and forecasts for financial performance against budget, financial and operational goals.
• Oversees short and long-term financial and managerial reporting.
• Oversees day to day processing of accounts receivable and payable, producing reports as requested by InSites MP and/or KEO Senior Management.
• Performs other related tasks as directed by InSite Managing Principal or KEO executives.
• Provides formal supervision to individual employees within single functional or operational area. Plans and monitors appropriate staffing levels and utilization of labour.
• Prepares and delivers performance appraisal for staff. Mentors and coaches team members to further develop competencies.

Qualifications

To be successful in this dynamic opportunity we envision that your career journey to date will include a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning, Landscape Architecture or Engineering and 15+ years of relevant experience. Possess professional registration, licensure or chartership with an internationally recognized professional association in Urban Planning, Urban Design or Landscape Architecture such as AICP, RTPI, ASLA or CMLI.

• Demonstrated experience and capability in managing commercial and contractual matters on complex, fast-track, projects from contract award through project completion and close out.
• Proven ability to manage complex relationships with clients, consultants, contractors, and subcontractors and maintain positive relationships.
• Ability to prepare project budgets, knowledge of both main-contract and subcontract preparation, documentation, management, and administration; experience in contract negotiation.
• Detailed understanding of Planning and Landscape Architecture consultancy business functions.
• Excellent knowledge of design, production, construction techniques, procedures, industry codes and standards. Ability to plan, prioritize, schedule tasks, people and resources in order meet identified time frames and standards.
• Highly developed knowledge of consultancy industry commercial frameworks with the ability to prepare and control budgets and manage contracts and invoices.
• Intermediate to advanced skills with Microsoft Office Suite and discipline-specific software.

InSite International is a KEO Allied Practice.

KEO is a creative enterprise, where innovation is a way of life. We are uniquely resourced with end-to-end services to take clients from inspiration – through conceptualization – to realization of planning, design or project delivery in the built and natural environments. For over 60 years we’ve led with vision, contributing to many of the world’s most ambitious projects, iconic places, remarkable experiences and prosperous communities.

As a highly integrated and agile AEP/PMCM firm, KEO is recognized by ENR as one of the Top 225 International Design Firms and one of the Top 20 International PM/CM Firms. We are also ranked by World Architecture as the 57th largest global architecture firm and the #1 Firm in the Middle East Region in their 2023 WA100 Survey.

We invite you to join us. Why?

When you join KEO, you’ll discover more than just a job – you’ll find a supportive environment that fosters your professional development through internal global mobility and career development and does so within a culture that supports company-wide health and well-being through on-demand counselling services and regular workplace clinics.

You will be invited to celebrate community events such as sports days, fun-runs, in-house sports teams and beach clean ups. In addition to your competitive package and benefits you will have access to a suite of policies that include hybrid working arrangements, individual athletic sponsorship, study assistance sponsorship, employee referral rewards, mentoring and coaching programs and extensive in-house on demand learning courses.

KEO’s performance is founded upon integrity, results, innovation, safety and our people. We embrace diversity and recognise its’ contribution to client success wherever we work.

We are excited to hear how you can partner with our award-winning team and treat all expressions of interest confidentially.