Principal Operations Engineer

Mc Dermott; Dubai; On-site; AED 390,600 - 580,320; Full time

Job summary

Mc Dermott is seeking a Principal Operations Engineer in Dubai, UAE. You will oversee installation procedures and guide field engineers throughout offshore projects. The role requires a strong understanding of fabrication operations alongside experience in the offshore industry.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree in engineering and 5-7 years of relevant experience, including supervisory skills. This position offers a competitive monthly salary ranging from AED 35,000 to AED 52,000.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of experience in the offshore industry.
• At least 2 years of supervisory experience.
• Strong understanding of fabrication operations and offshore installation.

Responsibilities

• Review and approve installation procedures and engineering documents.
• Guide field engineers in preparing material lists and coordinate procurement.
• Lead project fabrication execution strategy in alignment with schedule and quality.

Skills

Offshore operations

Operations engineering

Fabrication execution

Offshore project execution

Installation procedures

Field engineering supervision

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering discipline

Job description

Position Snapshot

• Role: Principal Operations Engineer
• Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Industry: Oil and Energy
• Function: Operations
• Experience: 5-7 years offshore industry experience
• Job Type: Full-time
• Salary: 35,000-52,000 monthly (market estimated)

Responsibilities

• Review and approve installation procedures and engineering documents to ensure compliance with project requirements, McDermott minimum standards, and good engineering practices.
• Ensure installation and fabrication work can be performed safely, efficiently, and in accordance with approved procedures.
• Supervise field engineers during offshore project planning, preparation, execution, and follow‑up activities.
• Guide field engineers in preparing material lists for construction materials and coordinate with project coordinators for timely procurement.
• Resolve technical issues that arise during offshore installation and support corrective actions when required.
• Coordinate with fabrication and load‑out contractors on activities affecting supervised operations.
• Liaise with fabrication hook‑up teams and provide required marine support equipment, logistics assistance, and operational coordination.
• Develop scopes of work, assist in subcontract award processes, and coordinate subcontracted activities during project execution.
• Review vendor and subcontractor invoices to identify errors, omissions, incomplete work, or material supply issues.
• Provide or coordinate technical and operational input for tender activities as required.
• Ensure project‑specific wire rope applications and rigging activities conform to Level 2 procedures and approved requirements.
• Manage fabrication inter‑function and intra‑function coordination across engineering, supply chain management, detailed design, fabrication, and hook‑up phases.
• Identify resource needs for the fabrication portion of the project and report fabrication status with minimal guidance.
• Lead and develop project fabrication execution strategy aligned with schedule, productivity, safety, and quality requirements.
• Understand overall project scope of work and guide multidisciplinary production engineering teams to meet fabrication deliverables.
• Coordinate fabrication sequence and schedule requirements with production engineering, construction, project management, and operational teams.
• Manage fabrication progress within schedule and productivity targets in coordination with the Project Construction Manager and Project Construction Superintendent.
• Report fabrication status, issues, progress risks, productivity concerns, schedule impacts, and mitigation plans to functional and project management.
• Lead fabrication bid coordination efforts on assigned bid projects and complete required deliverables by submission deadlines.
• Interface with engineering, supply chain management, quality, cost control, marine operations, hook‑up, project controls, and other key functions to meet fabrication priorities.
• Ensure required documentation and procedural compliance throughout project and bid phases.
• Establish productive working relationships with clients, third‑party representatives, subcontractors, vendors, and internal stakeholders.
• Conduct fabrication and load‑out HAZID meetings with project stakeholders and fabrication teams.
• Conduct fabrication readiness meetings with functional leads and ensure continuity of fabrication activities.
• Manage scope changes and ensure AFC estimates are updated in line with approved changes.
• Chair fabrication kick‑off meetings at project commencement to align teams on execution strategy, requirements, responsibilities, and schedule priorities.
• Support safe work execution by applying company procedures, project requirements, and offshore operations best practices.

Ideal Candidate

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering discipline.
• 5-7 years of experience in the offshore industry.
• At least 2 years of supervisory experience.
• Working knowledge of design and offshore project execution.
• Strong understanding of fabrication operations, offshore installation, hook‑up support, load‑out coordination, and project execution requirements.
• Practical experience coordinating engineering, supply chain, quality, cost control, marine operations, fabrication, and hook‑up interfaces.
• Ability to supervise field engineers and guide multidisciplinary production engineering teams.
• Good knowledge of installation procedures, fabrication execution strategy, rigging requirements, wire rope applications, and offshore safety expectations.
• Experience supporting tender activities, bid coordination, subcontract scopes, vendor review, and fabrication deliverables.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work with clients, third‑party representatives, subcontractors, vendors, and internal project teams.
• Ability to identify technical, operational, resource, productivity, and schedule issues and recommend practical mitigation plans.
• Strong planning and coordination skills with the ability to manage fabrication readiness, HAZID meetings, kick‑off meetings, and project documentation.
• Ability to work independently with minimal guidance while supporting complex operations‑related decisions.

Required Skills

• Offshore operations
• Operations engineering
• Fabrication execution
• Offshore project execution
• Installation procedures
• Installation engineering review
• Field engineering supervision
• Fabrication coordination
• Load‑out coordination
• Hook‑up support
• Marine operations support
• Construction material planning
• Material list preparation
• Project procurement support
• Subcontractor coordination
• Vendor invoice review
• Tender support
• Bid coordination
• CTR preparation support
• Fabrication bid deliverables
• Wire rope applications
• Rigging procedures
• Level 2 procedures
• Production engineering coordination
• Fabrication execution strategy
• Fabrication schedule control
• Productivity monitoring
• Progress reporting
• AFC estimate updates
• Scope change management
• HAZID meetings
• Fabrication readiness meetings
• Fabrication kick‑off meetings
• Client interface
• Third‑party coordination
• Engineering coordination
• Supply chain coordination
• Quality coordination
• Cost control coordination
• Marine logistics
• Offshore installation support
• Technical problem solving
• Project documentation compliance