Head Operations (Commercial)

Role & responsibilities

The role is responsible for ensuring seamless coordination and optimal performance of critical operational functions across diverse regions. This entails providing strategic leadership to a multifaceted team comprising Facilities, Safety, Procurement, Costing and Budgeting, Contracts, and Planning. The primary objective of the role is to ensure the timely completion of projects within budgets. Additionally, the role would focus on driving efficiency through standardization, innovation, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Principal Accountabilities

• Planning & Budgeting - Provide strategic direction and guidance for the budgeting process, ensuring alignment with the organization's overall objectives and priorities. Review and finalize the budgets in discussion with relevant stakeholders. Monitor budget compliance across regions, promptly identifying and swiftly addressing any deviations through proactive collaboration with relevant stakeholders. Review annual plans created by each function to ensure meticulous alignment with the company's overarching objectives and strategic direction.

• Operational Excellence - Drive the timely completion of projects across regions within budget by providing strategic direction, coordinating cross-functional efforts, and rigorously monitoring progress against established milestones and financial targets. Guide and oversee cost optimization efforts, ensuring alignment with project budgets through periodic assessment of value engineering sessions. Enforce safety protocols as per regulatory and compliance requirements, and foster a culture of safety awareness across all projects in the region. Periodically review the effectiveness of safety incident investigation processes, identify areas for improvement, and implement enhancements. Ensure that lessons learned from safety incidents are analyzed and used to improve existing processes, policies, and risk mitigation strategies. Drive initiatives to improve lead times in procurement processes, optimizing efficiency and reducing costs while maintaining high standards of quality and compliance. Monitor the entire lifecycle of contracts from initiation to closeout, ensuring adherence to company policies and legal requirements through regular review mechanisms. Provide operational oversight for facility management, ensuring a safe, efficient, and sustainable environment for customers. Lead efforts to maintain consistent service quality across diverse facilities, leveraging strategic planning and operational oversight to ensure alignment with organizational standards, uphold the company's reputation, and enhance customer satisfaction. Participate in high-value negotiations along with the team to ensure optimal rates are finalized. Empower and guide the team members overseeing project execution assigned at the ABG group level, offering strategic direction and leadership to ensure alignment with organizational objectives and successful project delivery.

• Risk Management & Compliance - Lead the comprehensive review and validation of potential risks linked to project execution, offering strategic guidance and input to ensure meticulous risk assessment. Collaborate with the team to develop comprehensive risk mitigation strategies and action plans, ensuring alignment with project objectives. Provide oversight and support in the implementation of risk mitigation measures, monitoring progress and effectiveness throughout the project lifecycle. Ensure compliance with all legal, environmental, and statutory requirements and mitigate risks on a timely basis. Assess all audit outcomes and ensure necessary steps are taken to mitigate the same with a frequent review mechanism.

• Agency/ Vendor/ Contractor Management - Direct the rigorous pre-qualification and assessment of contractors to guarantee they meet the organization's standards for quality, safety, and performance. Participate in critical pre-bid meetings and project kick-off meetings to orient contractors on project requirements, emphasizing organizational expectations. Implement robust mechanisms to monitor contractor performance, provide critical feedback to the team, and initiate necessary interventions for underperforming contractors. Cultivate and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with key contractors, fostering partnerships that enhance project outcomes.

• Continuous Improvements - Instill a culture of continuous improvement by introducing strategies that reinforce operational excellence and drive ongoing enhancements. Champion the adoption of process standardization initiatives, ensuring streamlined operations and enhanced efficiency across all areas under scope. Advocate for the adoption of digital and analytical tools to enhance outcomes within the operations team.

• People Management - Lead and inspire team members to achieve departmental objectives, setting clear expectations and providing guidance. Foster a positive and inclusive work environment, encouraging collaboration and professional growth. Provide regular performance feedback and mentorship to employees, addressing their needs and fostering their development. Foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning within the team, encouraging the exploration of new techniques to drive operational excellence.