Regional Head of Standardization & Ops Excellence IMEA

Maersk Group; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Maersk Group in the United Arab Emirates seeks an experienced Industrial Engineering leader to drive continuous improvement through a standardized framework across sites in the region.

You will collaborate with regional and global stakeholders, build capability in on-site engineers, and lead change initiatives leveraging automation, AI, and digital analytics to deliver measurable outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering or related field.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent certification.
• Experience leading regional/global CI initiatives.
• Strong change management and stakeholder engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Represent CI in regional and global conversations and translate needs into scalable rollouts.
• Work with area regional and global stakeholders to review refine and adapt rollouts so initiatives are fit for purpose and feasible for local facilities.
• Design and deliver tools training and coaching to equip on-site industrial engineers with the methods and skill sets needed to execute CI effectively.
• Define maintain and enforce a standard CI framework that requires a clear problem statement root-cause analysis hypothesis testing and measurable success criteria.
• Ensure industrial engineers and local teams apply the agreed standards run audits reviews and governance checkpoints to maintain consistency and quality.
• Identify and prioritise opportunities for large-scale process improvements leveraging automation and technology including AI robotics and digital analytics.
• Partner with local operations to implement and sustain standardised processes work instructions and performance metrics across sites.
• Lead change management efforts to secure buy-in measure adoption and remove barriers to sustained improvement.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

Change management

Analytical rigor

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Coaching and development

Technical curiosity

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering or related field

Tools

Automation technologies

AI use cases

Digital analytics

Job description

Role Summary Purpose

Ensure continuous improvement CI is delivered through a single rigorous framework that produces provable measurable outcomes and scalable standardisation across sites

Key Responsibilities

• Regional and Global Representation RepresentIMA in regional and global conversations advocate for local needs and operational nuances when new operations excellence initiatives are designed and approved
• Stakeholder Collaboration and Initiative Fit Work with area regional and global stakeholders to review refine and adapt rollouts so initiatives are fit for purpose and feasible for local facilities
• Capability Building for Industrial Engineering Teams Design and deliver tools training and coaching to equip on-site industrial engineers with the methods and skill sets needed to execute CI effectively
• Standard CI Framework Ownership Define maintain and enforce a standard CI framework that requires a clear problem statement root-cause analysis hypothesis testing and measurable success criteria
• Governance and Compliance Ensure industrial engineers and local teams apply the agreed standards run audits reviews and governance checkpoints to maintain consistency and quality
• Scale Improvements with Technology Identify and prioritise opportunities for large-scale process improvements leveraging automation and technology including AI robotics and digital analytics
• Standardisation Implementation Partner with local operations to implement and sustain standardised processes work instructions and performance metrics across sites
• Change Management and Adoption Lead change management efforts to secure buy-in measure adoption and remove barriers to sustained improvement

Success Metrics & KPIs

• CI Project Delivery Number of CI projects completed to standard per quarter percentage meeting defined success criteria
• Standardisation Coverage Percentage of sites with implemented standard processes and documented work instructions
• Impact Measures Aggregate cost savings throughput improvements quality gains attributable to CI and automation initiatives
• Capability Development Training hours delivered percentage of industrial engineers certified in the standard framework
• Adoption and Compliance Audit scores for CI framework adherence rate of sustained improvements at 3- and 6-month checkpoints
• Innovation Pipeline Number of automation AI pilots initiated and scaled

Education

Bachelor s degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Mechanical Engineering, or related field; advanced degree preferred.

Technical Skills

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent; experience with CI methodologies (Lean, Kaizen, DMAIC); familiarity with automation, AI use cases, and digital transformation in operations.

Stakeholder Management

Proven track record influencing regional and global stakeholders and translating strategy into operational plans.

Language and Travel

Strong communication skills; willingness to travel regularly across the region.

Core Competencies and Behaviours

• Strategic Thinking: Translate global strategy into practical, locally feasible initiatives
• Coaching and Development: Build capability through training, mentoring, and hands-on support
• Analytical Rigor: Use data to define problems, test hypotheses, and prove impact
• Change Leadership: Drive adoption through clear communication, stakeholder engagement, and measurable milestones
• Technical Curiosity: Evaluate and pilot automation and AI solutions that scale
• Collaboration: Work effectively across functions operations, engineering, IT, HR, and procurement.