Head Operations Manufacturing, Engineering & Supply Chain

Role Summary

•    The Head Operations will be responsible for leading the end-to-end operational execution of the JV facility, including production, manufacturing engineering, maintenance, procurement, supply chain, stores, planning, and operational excellence.

•    This is a critical leadership role reporting to the General Manager / Plant Head. The role requires a hands-on, execution-driven leader with strong experience in API- certified manufacturing environments, large CNC machining operations, welding/fabrication, greenfield plant setup, and scale-up of complex manufacturing operations.

•  The Head Operations will be responsible for converting the JV’s business plan into a

high-performing, customer-qualified, cost-efficient, and scalable manufacturing operation.

Key Responsibilities

1. Overall Operations Leadership

•    Lead complete plant operations covering production, manufacturing engineering, maintenance, procurement, stores, supply chain, production planning, and operational excellence.

•    Translate the business plan into executable production, manpower, machine, capacity, and supply chain plans.

•    Ensure the facility achieves planned output, cost, delivery, productivity, safety, and customer-readiness targets.

•  Establish strong daily, weekly, and monthly operating review mechanisms.

•    Drive accountability across all operational functions and build a performance-oriented manufacturing culture.

2. Greenfield Plant Setup & Ramp-Up

•    Lead operational readiness for the greenfield facility, including plant layout, machine placement, material flow, utilities, stores, internal logistics, and production systems.

•    Support installation, commissioning, trial runs, and stabilization of CNC machines, fabrication equipment, and supporting infrastructure.

•    Build operating systems from the ground up, including SOPs, work instructions, maintenance systems, stores controls, production dashboards, and escalation processes.

•    Ensure the plant is ready for API, ISO, customer audits, and industrial licensing requirements.

•  Drive phased ramp-up from initial production to full-scale operations in line with the JV

business plan.

3. Production & Manufacturing Execution

•    Own delivery of production plans across CNC machining, welding/fabrication, assembly, and remanufacturing operations.

•  Ensure effective utilization of machines, manpower, tooling, fixtures, and materials.

•    Drive improvements in cycle time, setup time, machine utilization, throughput, productivity, and cost per part.

•    Establish strong shopfloor discipline, production control, shift planning, and output tracking.

•    Ensure operational readiness for machining and remanufacturing of upstream oilfield components such as drilling tools, wellhead components, pressure control parts, valves,

repair parts, and other high-integrity components.

4. Manufacturing Engineering & Industrialization

•    Lead manufacturing engineering activities including process planning, methoding, CNC programming governance, fixture development, tool selection, cycle time optimization, and process validation.

•    Support new product introduction, first article development, DFM reviews, routing definition, and manufacturing feasibility.

•    Build robust process engineering systems for repeatability, productivity, and quality at source.

•    Drive standardization of manufacturing processes across machining, fabrication, welding, assembly, and remanufacturing.

•    Work closely with Quality to ensure process controls are aligned with API, ISO, and customer-specific requirements.

5. Maintenance, Reliability & Asset Utilization

•    Establish preventive, predictive, and breakdown maintenance systems for all plant assets.

•    Drive high uptime and reliability of CNC machines, fabrication equipment, utilities, cranes, compressors, and supporting infrastructure.

•  Implement TPM and structured maintenance KPIs.

•    Own OEE improvement, machine availability, MTTR, MTBF, spare parts planning, and maintenance cost control.

•  Ensure all critical assets are maintained in audit-ready condition.

6. Procurement, Supply Chain & Stores

•    Lead end-to-end supply chain covering procurement, vendor development, import logistics, stores, inventory, subcontracting, and consumables planning.

•    Develop local and global supplier base for raw materials, tools, fixtures, consumables, spares, subcontract processes, and services.

•    Ensure material availability to support production schedules while maintaining strong inventory discipline.

•  Build vendor qualification and performance review systems.

•    Drive cost reduction, supplier reliability, lead-time reduction, and working capital efficiency.

•  Support localization through development of capable in-Kingdom suppliers wherever

feasible.

7. Quality, API & Customer Readiness Support

•    Work closely with the Quality Head, who will report independently to the GM, to ensure operational compliance with API, ISO, HSE, and customer audit requirements.

•    Ensure production processes are built with quality at source, traceability, documentation discipline, and process control.

•    Support API Q1, API monogram, ISO, customer qualification, and supplier audit readiness.

•    Lead closure of operational actions arising from audits, NCRs, customer feedback, and qualification reviews.

•  Ensure shopfloor practices support a zero-defect and right-first-time culture.

8. Customer & Cross-Functional Interface

•    Participate in customer audits, technical discussions, manufacturing readiness reviews, and capacity discussions.

•    Support the GM in operational discussions with key customers, OEMs, EPCs, and upstream service companies.

•    Provide credible operational inputs on lead times, capacity, manufacturing feasibility, delivery readiness, and ramp-up plans.

•    Coordinate with Business Development, Quality, Finance, and HR to ensure seamless execution of customer commitments.

9. Lean Manufacturing & Operational Excellence

•    Drive Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Kaizen, TPM, SMED, value-stream mapping, visual management, and continuous improvement initiatives.

•    Establish a daily management system covering safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and people metrics.

•    Identify and eliminate waste across production, stores, supply chain, maintenance, and engineering processes.

•  Build a continuous improvement culture across the plant.

•  Lead structured cost-reduction and productivity-improvement programs.

10. People Leadership & Localization

•    Build and lead a high-performing operations organization across production, engineering, maintenance, procurement, stores, and planning.

•  Manage and develop a team size expected to exceed 100 employees as the facility scales.

•  Develop local Saudi talent in alignment with localization and IKTVA objectives.

•    Create strong second-line leadership and succession depth across all operational functions.

•  Build a culture of discipline, ownership, safety, learning, and execution excellence