Commissioning Director

NES Global Talent; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 420,000 - 780,000; Full time

Job summary

NES Fircroft in Abu Dhabi seeks an experienced Commissioning Director to lead a major onshore Oil & Gas EPC/EPCM project. This senior role combines strategic oversight with hands-on delivery across the commissioning lifecycle.

You will drive planning, start-up, and handover, manage interfaces across engineering, construction, and commissioning teams, and ensure HSE, quality, and schedule performance for successful project turnover. GCC experience preferred, with UAE familiarity advantageous.

Qualifications

• 25+ years of oil & gas commissioning/start-up experience.
• Senior leadership experience on major onshore EPC/EPCM projects.
• Experience in pre-commissioning, cold/hot commissioning, start-up and handover.
• Strong leadership in multi-discipline, multi-contractor environments.
• GCC experience preferred; UAE/Abu Dhabi familiarity beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Lead commissioning strategy, planning, and execution for a large onshore oil & gas project.
• Develop and drive the Commissioning Execution Plan aligned with milestones.
• Oversee interfaces across engineering, construction, and turnover teams.
• Ensure activities meet HSE, quality, and schedule requirements.
• Manage system turnover, punch management, and handover/close-out docs.
• Provide leadership and governance across contractors and stakeholders.

Skills

Commissioning leadership

Strategic planning

Stakeholder management

Start-up execution

HSE compliance

Job description

Job description

NES Fircroft is recruiting an experienced Commissioning Director to support a major onshore Oil & Gas EPC/EPCM project based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. This is a senior leadership position for an individual with a strong track record delivering commissioning and start-up activities on large-scale developments.

Role OverviewAs Commissioning Director, you will provide strategic and hands-on leadership across the commissioning lifecycle—driving execution excellence from early planning through to start-up, performance testing, and final handover.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead commissioning strategy, planning, and execution for a large onshore Oil & Gas project.
• Develop and drive the overall Commissioning Execution Plan aligned with project milestones and readiness.
• Oversee interfaces across engineering, construction, completions/mechanical completion, pre-commissioning, commissioning and start-up teams.
• Ensure commissioning activities meet project HSE, quality, and schedule requirements.
• Manage system turnover, punch management, and handover/close-out documentation.
• Provide leadership and governance across contractors and stakeholders to ensure safe, compliant delivery.

Candidate Requirements

• 25+ years of Oil & Gas commissioning / start-up experience, with senior leadership responsibility.
• Proven experience delivering commissioning for major onshore EPC/EPCM projects.
• Strong capability across pre-commissioning, cold/hot commissioning, start-up and handover.
• Excellent stakeholder management and leadership in multi-discipline, multi-contractor environments.
• GCC experience preferred (UAE/Abu Dhabi experience highly beneficial).

Contract Details

• Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• Engagement: Contract