Operations & Maintenance Lead - Infrastructure

Big Fish Consult; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 600,000 - 1,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Big Fish Consult in the UAE seeks an experienced Operations & Maintenance Leader to guide major infrastructure PPP projects from development through concession handback, embedding operability, maintenance, and lifecycle thinking across teams.

You will shape operating models, performance frameworks, risk allocation, and asset management plans while collaborating with government authorities, investors, and contractors to deliver long-term value.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in PPPs, concessions, or transport infrastructure.
• Proven experience developing O&M models and lifecycle strategies.
• Strong understanding of affordability and value-for-money assessments.
• Ability to engage with government authorities, contractors, operators, and investors.

Responsibilities

• Lead O&M and asset management strategies for large-scale infrastructure and PPP projects.
• Develop lifecycle, maintenance, and whole-life cost models.
• Establish KPI, availability, performance, and payment mechanism frameworks.
• Drive operational interface management and RACI governance across multiple stakeholders.
• Review designs from an operability, maintainability, and lifecycle perspective.
• Support commercial structuring, risk allocation, affordability assessments, and procurement strategies.
• Develop concession operating models, handback requirements, and asset stewardship frameworks.

Skills

O&M leadership

Asset management

Lifecycle cost modelling

Affordability analysis

Risk allocation

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Operations & Maintenance Leader to play a key role in the development and delivery of major infrastructure and PPP projects in the UAE.

This is a strategic leadership position responsible for embedding operational, maintenance, asset management, lifecycle, and affordability considerations throughout the project development and concession lifecycle. The successful candidate will work closely with technical, commercial, and government stakeholders to shape operating models, performance frameworks, risk allocation strategies, and long-term asset management plans.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead O&M and asset management strategies for large-scale infrastructure and PPP projects.
• Develop lifecycle, maintenance, and whole-life cost models.
• Establish KPI, availability, performance, and payment mechanism frameworks.
• Drive operational interface management and RACI governance across multiple stakeholders.
• Review designs from an operability, maintainability, and lifecycle perspective.
• Support commercial structuring, risk allocation, affordability assessments, and procurement strategies.
• Develop concession operating models, handback requirements, and asset stewardship frameworks.

Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in PPPs, concessions, transportation infrastructure, operations, maintenance, or asset management.
• Proven experience developing O&M models, lifecycle strategies, performance regimes, and asset management frameworks.
• Strong understanding of affordability, value-for-money assessments, risk allocation, and commercial structuring.
• Ability to engage effectively with government authorities, contractors, operators, consultants, and investors.
• Engineering, Asset Management, Operations, or equivalent professional qualification.

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