Project Director - Major Development Projects

ADNOC Abu Dhabi UAE; Al Ruways Industrial City; On-site; AED 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

ADNOC Group in Abu Dhabi Emirate seeks a Project Director who can steer major development programs from concept through to commissioning and handover. You will lead multidisciplinary engineering teams, coordinate with project management consultants and international contractors to ensure technical integrity, cost control and timely delivery.

You will provide strategic direction on scope, execution priorities and governance while safeguarding shareholder objectives and project economics across

Qualifications

• Minimum 12 years of professional experience in project engineering or project execution within the Oil and Gas industry.
• At least 5 years of experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams, consultants and contractors.
• PMP certification is required.

Responsibilities

• Direct major engineering projects from inception through commissioning and handover.
• Coordinate design, procurement, and tender activities across multiple disciplines.
• Manage Project Management Consultants and EPC/major construction contractors.

Skills

Major development projects

Project Management

Oil and Gas project execution

Multidisciplinary engineering

Contractor management

Education

Bachelor Degree in Engineering or equivalent recognized qualification

Job description

Role Context

The Project Director carries overall responsibility for converting major development requirements into executable and economically sound capital projects. The role provides strategic direction to multidisciplinary engineering teams, Project Management Consultants and international contractors while safeguarding technical integrity, project economics and shareholder objectives. Decisions made in this position can directly influence production readiness, capital efficiency, facility performance and the timely delivery of strategically important energy infrastructure.

• Direct major engineering projects from initial inception, feasibility assessment and conceptual development through commissioning, start-up and final handover.
• Provide senior technical input during proposal development and establish clear project objectives, scope boundaries and execution priorities.
• Coordinate engineering design, material specifications, procurement requirements and tendering activities across multiple technical disciplines.
• Develop implementation strategies for complex plant, field development and facility modification projects.
• Direct project management teams through engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning phases.
• Manage Project Management Consultants and ensure effective engineering coordination, site supervision and project administration.
• Control multinational contractors and verify execution against approved scope, schedule, cost, quality and HSE requirements.
• Establish appropriate project codes, practices, technical standards and working procedures.
• Interface with shareholders, user departments, Finance, Commercial Support and external stakeholders on project requirements and constraints.
• Review source information and future development requirements to determine technical feasibility and economic viability.
• Refine preliminary concepts into practical project plans, including design philosophy, specifications, cost estimates and implementation phasing.
• Evaluate alternative engineering solutions and recommend options that improve constructability, cost effectiveness and lifecycle performance.
• Approve overall work programs, contractor terms of reference and project execution procedures.
• Direct multidisciplinary engineering teams and assign technical responsibilities according to project priorities.
• Initiate and oversee contractor and bidder prequalification activities.
• Review and endorse contract award recommendations, purchase actions, subcontract proposals and variation orders.
• Exercise overall control of project budgets, contract expenditure and authorization requirements.
• Monitor project cost forecasts and investigate major financial deviations requiring corrective action.
• Coordinate project-related financial matters including currency exposure, import duty considerations and expenditure forecasts.
• Attend Tender Board and other management meetings when project commercial or contractual matters require representation.
• Evaluate contractor performance against quality, safety, cost and schedule obligations.
• Require corrective measures when contractor performance falls below approved project standards.
• Produce weekly highlights and monthly progress reports covering engineering, procurement and construction status.
• Advise management on forecast completion dates to support operational planning and start-up preparation.
• Contribute to development of start-up strategies, staffing requirements and phased facility acceptance plans.
• Authorize technical option studies involving fabrication methods, structural alternatives and construction execution approaches.
• Coordinate partial plant or facility acceptance with end users where phased completion supports operational requirements.
• Maintain technical integrity of surface facilities throughout design and project execution.
• Ensure project designs remain consistent with field development objectives and approved engineering guidelines.
• Set quality assurance and control expectations for activities performed under assigned projects.
• Verify contractors comply with approved safety procedures, method statements and project HSE requirements.
• Oversee project safety programs and audit compliance with company regulations.
• Initiate remedial measures when unsafe practices or compliance deficiencies are identified.
• Lead technical and management discussions in divisional or companywide committees where project expertise is required.
• Recommend acceptance or rejection of project work programs and execution proposals based on technical and commercial merit.
• Deliver major projects against approved HSE, quality, cost and schedule targets while minimizing exposure to rework, delays and production impact.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor Degree in Engineering or equivalent recognized qualification.
• Minimum 12 years of professional experience in project engineering or project execution within the Oil and Gas industry.
• At least 5 years of experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams, consultants and contractors.
• PMP certification is required.
• Demonstrated experience delivering major development projects from concept through construction, commissioning and start-up.
• Strong knowledge of contracts, procurement, planning, scheduling and project cost control.
• Proven ability to manage Project Management Consultants and EPC or major construction contractors.
• Strong understanding of project governance, technical assurance and engineering standards.
• Experience managing large capital budgets and evaluating significant commercial decisions.
• Capability to assess technical alternatives and balance cost, schedule, constructability and operating requirements.
• Strong background in contractor performance management and variation control.
• Experience with field development, surface facilities or major plant modification projects.
• Sound understanding of HSE management within engineering and construction environments.
• Ability to lead senior technical discussions and resolve complex multidisciplinary interfaces.
• Strong commercial awareness combined with disciplined engineering judgment.
• Effective leadership skills with the ability to guide multicultural technical and contractor teams.

Skills Set

• Major development projects
• Project Management
• Oil and Gas project execution
• Multidisciplinary engineering
• Project engineering
• Capital project delivery
• Field development projects
• Surface facilities
• Concept development
• Feasibility assessment
• Engineering design management
• EPC project execution
• Project Management Consultants
• Contractor management
• Construction management
• Procurement management
• Commissioning
• Plant start-up
• Project handover
• Project planning
• Project scheduling
• Cost control
• Budget management
• Financial forecasting
• Contract management
• Tendering
• Bidder prequalification
• Contract variations
• Technical evaluation
• Scope management
• Quality assurance
• Quality control
• HSE project management
• Technical integrity
• Project risk management
• Project reporting
• Stakeholder coordination
• Contractor performance evaluation
• Value engineering
• Constructability assessment
• Project governance
• PMP

Why Join Us

This position provides the opportunity to lead high-value development programs that directly influence the capacity, reliability and future performance of major energy assets in Abu Dhabi Emirate. The role offers substantial authority across technical, financial and execution decisions while providing exposure to complex engineering, international contractors and large-scale capital investment. For an experienced project professional, it represents a strong pathway to broader leadership responsibility within the Oil and Energy sector and continued involvement in strategically important infrastructure development.

About the Company

ADNOC Group is a leading energy organization in the United Arab Emirates with major interests across upstream, downstream and industrial operations. Its project organizations deliver new facilities, field developments and asset modifications through rigorous engineering, commercial governance and HSE controls, supporting reliable production and the long-term development of Abu Dhabi \'s energy resources.