Senior Offshore Commissioning Lead

Wood; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Wood is seeking a seasoned Commissioning Manager to lead the pre-commissioning, commissioning, start-up, and performance testing for major offshore upstream Oil & Gas projects in the Middle East. The role requires delivering large EPC/EPCI/PMC programs with extensive offshore experience and a strong emphasis on HSE and project readiness.

You will coordinate cross-functional teams, drive documentation, and ensure on-time handover to Operations, while maintaining adherence to international

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Chemical, Process, or equivalent).
• Master's degree is an advantage.
• Professional Engineering certification is preferred.
• Minimum 20+ years of experience in Oil & Gas projects.
• Predominant experience in Upstream Offshore Oil & Gas facilities.
• Significant experience in Pre-Commissioning, Commissioning, Start-up, and Operations Readiness.
• Proven experience delivering mega projects (> USD 500 Million).
• Extensive offshore commissioning experience including platforms, CPPs, subsea, pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement commissioning philosophy, strategy, and execution plans.
• Lead multidisciplinary commissioning teams across offshore and onshore facilities.
• Manage pre-commissioning, commissioning, start-up, operational readiness, and handover activities.
• Ensure commissioning activities are aligned with project schedules and milestones.
• Provide leadership and technical guidance to commissioning engineers and specialists.
• Review and approve commissioning procedures, dossiers, systems completion plans, and start-up sequences.
• Coordinate with Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Operations, HSE, and Quality teams to ensure seamless project execution.
• Monitor commissioning progress and implement corrective actions to maintain schedule commitments.
• Participate in constructability, operability, and maintainability reviews throughout project phases.
• Ensure proper integration between offshore platforms, subsea systems, pipelines, utilities, and onshore facilities.
• Interface with Client, PMC, EPC Contractors, Vendors, and Operations teams.
• Lead commissioning meetings and progress reviews with senior project stakeholders.
• Manage vendor representatives and specialist support during commissioning and start-up.
• Coordinate final handover of systems and facilities to Operations.
• Promote a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with project HSE requirements.
• Lead risk assessments, SIMOPS reviews, HAZOP follow-up actions, and commissioning risk mitigation plans.
• Ensure all commissioning activities comply with international standards and client specifications.
• Ensure completeness and accuracy of commissioning documentation and turnover packages.
• Develop and execute operational readiness plans.
• Manage integrated system testing and performance testing activities.
• Support initial start-up and stabilization of facilities.
• Ensure successful achievement of production and performance guarantees.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Team management

Decision-making

Problem-solving

Multicultural teamwork

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Master's degree

Professional Engineering certification

Job description

Wood is seeking a seasoned Commissioning Manager to lead the pre-commissioning, commissioning, start-up, and performance testing for major offshore upstream Oil & Gas projects in the Middle East. The role requires delivering large EPC/EPCI/PMC programs with extensive offshore experience and a strong emphasis on HSE and project readiness.

You will coordinate cross-functional teams, drive documentation, and ensure on-time handover to Operations, while maintaining adherence to international