Manager, Operations Readiness & Assurance (OR&A) - Multidiscipline

Penspen Ltd; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 400,000 - 640,000; Full time

Job summary

Penspen Ltd in Abu Dhabi seeks a seasoned Lead for Operations Readiness & Assurance to guide the safe transition of gas facilities from project delivery to operations. You will provide PMC oversight of readiness planning, maintenance readiness, commissioning interfaces and handover, ensuring people, systems, procedures and asset information are ready for start-up and sustainable operation.

The role requires 20+ years in oil and gas, with 8+ years in leadership and OR&A activities on

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering for oil and gas facilities.
• 20+ years of relevant oil and gas experience.
• 8+ years in leadership roles in operations readiness, maintenance, commissioning, or handover.
• Demonstrated leadership of OR&A on major gas projects.
• PMC or owner’s-team experience overseeing EPC deliverables.
• Strong understanding of gas processing, utilities, process safety, asset integrity and maintenance readiness.
• ADNOC project experience preferred; mandatory status to follow requisition.
• Strong stakeholder management and technical reporting skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the integrated OR&A strategy, plan and milestones.
• Lead and coordinate OR&A inputs across process, mechanical, electrical, and instrument disciplines.
• Act as the focal point for ADNOC Gas interfaces between project and operations teams and EPC contractors.
• Oversee design operability and maintainability reviews and track actions to closure.
• Coordinate readiness of operating philosophies, SOPs, start-up/shutdown procedures and emergency arrangements.
• Oversee maintenance strategies, reliability inputs and asset integrity readiness.
• Monitor asset registers, CMMS data, and maintenance master data quality.
• Review commissioning plans and handover sequences for operational alignment.
• Coordinate staffing and competency plans with the client and verify training completion.
• Lead readiness reviews, dashboards and issue escalation for safe start-up.

Skills

Leadership

OR&A

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Technical reporting

Team leadership

Multidisciplinary coordination

Education

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline relevant to oil and gas facilities

Tools

CMMS

Project interfaces

Job description

Qualifications and Experience

The following are suggested recruitment criteria, subject to the approved client specification:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline relevant to oil and gas facilities.
• Minimum 20 years of relevant experience in oil and gas projects or operating assets.
• At least 8 years in leadership roles involving operations readiness, operations, maintenance, commissioning, start-up or project-to-operations handover.
• Demonstrated leadership of multidisciplinary OR&A activities on major gas processing or comparable hydrocarbon projects.
• Proven PMC or owner’s-team experience overseeing EPC contractor deliverables and coordinating with asset operations teams.
• Strong understanding of gas processing facilities, utilities, process safety, asset integrity and maintenance readiness.
• Experience with brownfield interfaces, system completion, CMMS implementation and operational acceptance.
• ADNOC project experience and familiarity with applicable client procedures preferred; mandatory status to follow the approved requisition.
• Strong stakeholder management, team leadership, risk management and technical reporting skills

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Job Purpose

Lead multidisciplinary Operations Readiness & Assurance activities to support the safe and effective transition of gas facilities from project delivery to operations. Provide PMC oversight of readiness planning, operational preparedness, maintenance readiness, commissioning interfaces and handover, ensuring that people, systems, procedures, asset information and support arrangements are ready for start-up and sustainable operation.

Key Responsibilities

1. OR&A Strategy and Planning
   Develop and maintain the integrated OR&A strategy, execution plan, deliverables register, responsibility matrix and readiness milestones, aligned with the approved project schedule and ADNOC Gas requirements.

2. Multidisciplinary Leadership
   Lead and coordinate OR&A inputs across process, mechanical, rotating equipment, piping, electrical, instrumentation and control, civil, HSE, operations, maintenance and asset integrity disciplines.

3. Client and Contractor Interfaces
   Act as the focal point for OR&A coordination between ADNOC Gas project and operations teams, the PMC, EPC contractors, commissioning teams, vendors and service providers. Define interfaces and resolve readiness gaps.

4. Engineering Assurance
   Oversee operations and maintenance reviews of designs to address operability, maintainability, reliability, accessibility, safe isolation and lifecycle requirements. Track agreed actions through closure.

5. Operational Preparedness
   Coordinate and verify readiness of operating philosophies, standard operating procedures, start-up and shutdown procedures, emergency arrangements and operating organization requirements.

6. Maintenance and Asset Integrity Readiness
   Oversee preparation and review of maintenance strategies, equipment criticality assessments, preventive maintenance plans, inspection requirements and integrity management arrangements. Coordinate specialist reliability and maintainability inputs where applicable.

7. Asset Data and CMMS
   Monitor completeness and quality of asset registers, equipment hierarchies, maintenance master data and document links required for the client’s computerized maintenance management system (CMMS).

8. Spares and Support Services
   Review readiness of commissioning and operational spares, spare parts interchangeability records (SPIR), special tools, consumables, workshop facilities, vendor support and maintenance service arrangements.

9. Personnel and Competency
   Coordinate operations and maintenance staffing, training and competency plans with the client. Verify completion of required vendor training, practical familiarization and competency assessments before relevant readiness milestones.

10. Commissioning and Start-up Interfaces
    Review EPC commissioning and start-up plans from an operational readiness perspective. Verify alignment of system boundaries, handover sequence, utilities availability and operations participation with the approved execution strategy.

11. Process Safety and Brownfield Interfaces
    Coordinate OR&A inputs to safety reviews, management of change, pre-start-up safety reviews and emergency preparedness. Address readiness implications of tie-ins, shutdowns and simultaneous operations where applicable.

12. Readiness Reviews and Assurance
    Lead multidisciplinary readiness reviews and assurance assessments. Maintain evidence-based readiness dashboards, identify deficiencies, assign action owners and elevate issues affecting safe start-up or operational acceptance.

13. Completion and Handover
    Oversee readiness verification of system completion records, punch lists, operating manuals, as-built documentation, test records and handover dossiers. Verify that outstanding items are resolved or formally managed under approved acceptance criteria.

14. Risk, Schedule and Reporting
    Maintain the OR&A risk and action registers, monitor critical deliverables and resource requirements, and report readiness status, forecast risks and recommended corrective actions to project leadership.

15. Start-up Support and Close-out
    Monitor operational readiness during start-up and initial operation within the PMC scope. Coordinate defect resolution, outstanding handover actions, lessons learned and transition to routine asset management.

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