Materials Lead

Celestal; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 350,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

Celestal is seeking a Materials Lead to act as the technical authority for metallurgical and materials decisions on major onshore and offshore projects in the Middle East. You will develop and maintain materials specifications, lead analyses, and guide staff on materials selection to ensure safety and reliability under harsh environments.

The role requires 8+ years in metallurgy/materials within oil & gas, including supervisory experience, and a strong background in codes such as API, ASME, ISO

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials or Engineering is required.
• At least 8 years of metallurgical/materials experience in oil & gas, including fabrication, manufacturing or construction exposure.
• Minimum 1 year in a supervisory or managerial role on projects.
• Experience setting project requirements for materials disciplines: material selection, welding, manufacturing, inspection, fabrication and corrosion.
• Experience auditing and reviewing manufacturing, fabrication and projects.
• Knowledge of sour and corrosive service materials, corrosion engineering and related codes.

Responsibilities

• Act as Materials Technical Authority, developing materials specs and standards across projects.
• Lead material selection to reduce corrosion and prevent failures; support new equipment design.
• Oversee qualification programmes for new mills/materials; run DoE trials.
• Review non-conformances and technical queries; manage RCA and failure investigations.
• Coordinate with project teams, EPC contractors, vendors and stakeholders; ensure HSE compliance.

Skills

Materials science

Metallurgy

Engineering leadership

Stakeholder management

Quality assurance

DoE

Root cause analysis

API Q1/Q2 knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Materials or Engineering

Tools

ASME codes

DNV standards

ISO 9001

API Q1/Q2

Job description

We’re Hiring a Materials Lead!

Are you a materials and metallurgy expert ready to be the technical authority on major onshore and offshore projects? We’re looking for a Materials Lead to join the Metallurgy & Welding – Shared Services team and make sure facilities perform safely and reliably in harsh environments (H₂S, CO₂, chlorides) and at extreme temperatures and pressures.

Location: Middle East

Department: Metallurgy & Welding – Shared Services

Reporting to: Head of Metallurgy & Welding

Your Responsibilities:

Materials Technical Authority:

• Develop and maintain materials specifications and standards across the projects.
• Select the right materials for processes and components to reduce corrosion and prevent failures.
• Lead technical analyses so each material meets safety, performance and quality standards.
• Support the design of new equipment and infrastructure, and guide staff on materials selection and use.

Quality, Qualification and Testing:

• Coordinate materials and metallurgical quality through procurement, manufacturing, fabrication, delivery and installation.
• Lead qualification programmes for new mills and materials.
• Design and run product development trials using Design of Experiments (DoE).
• Review non-conformances, technical queries, deviation requests and product/component issues.

Failure Investigation and Stakeholder Management:

• Lead metallurgical investigations and root cause analyses, and resolve materials issues during project execution.
• Work with project teams, shareholder and external SMEs, EPC contractors, sub-contractors and vendors to resolve technical issues.
• Monitor compliance with HSE regulations on materials use in oil & gas.

What We’re Looking For:

• Bachelor’s degree in Science or Engineering, specialising in Materials.
• At least 8 years of metallurgical/materials experience in oil & gas, including fabrication, manufacturing or construction exposure.
• Key experience: At least 1 year in a supervisory or managerial role on projects.
• Experience setting project requirements for materials disciplines: material selection, welding, manufacturing, inspection, fabrication, coatings and corrosion.
• Experience auditing and reviewing manufacturing, fabrication and projects.
• Technical knowledge: Sour and corrosive service materials, NACE corrosion engineering, failure investigation and RCA, mill qualification, API, ASME, DNV, NACE and ISO codes, ISO 9001 and API Q1/Q2, and ASNT NDT.
• Membership of an international materials science institution is preferred.
• Soft skills: Strong technical leadership, stakeholder management, mentoring and coaching, and excellent written and spoken English.