Head, Operational Excellence OQ

Gender; Oman; On-site; OMR 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

OQ8 is seeking a Head of Operational Excellence to lead continuous improvement across its Oman refinery operations, aligning with mission, vision and regulatory requirements. You will drive value through lean methods, oversee capital projects, and guide digitalization and IMS deployment for improved safety and efficiency.

The ideal candidate holds a chemical engineering degree, an MBA, and 16 years in Oil & Gas with deep capability in benchmarking, APC, and efficiency programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering (Chemical).
• MBA in Operations Management preferred.
• 16 years in Oil & Gas refinery with KPI benchmarking experience.
• Expertise in Advanced Process Control (APC) and process surveillance.

Responsibilities

• Develop, champion, and implement OP Excellence strategy and action plan.
• Oversee capital investment projects for sustainable refinery development.
• Provide technical and economic analysis for project viability and lifecycle costs.
• Lead digitalization initiatives and IMS deployment for downstream assets.
• Drive HSE, process safety improvements, and regulatory compliance.

Skills

Lean & CI

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering

MBA in Operations Management

Tools

Solomon benchmarking tool

Simulation Software

MS Office

Job description

Education Bachelor of Technology/Engineering(Chemical)

Job Description

Under the general direction of OQ8 COO, the Head of Operational Excellence manages and oversees OQ8 s Operational Excellence initiatives strategic people initiatives. Create a culture of Continuous Improvement that will create tangible value and elevate the maturity of OQ8 s refinery operations by adopting best practices and structured problem-solving tools and improvement methodologies. Simplify processes to improve productivity and quality, remove waste and reduce costs. Provide technological and economic know-how for OQ8 Refining development to drive profitability within organic and non-organic growth and to achieve compliance with internal and external (legal) requirements.

The position will act in accordance with the OQ8 s Mission, Vision, Values & Strategies, as well as, policies, guidelines and standards, supported by an IT Technology platform, HSE standards, Oman s government & other legal justifications, and best international practices in consonance with national objectives.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Develop, champion, and implement the OQ8 strategy for Operational Excellence, translating its vision into a definitive action plan that drives exceptional value across the businesses.

Projects

• Capital investment projects for sustainable technical and economic development
• Planning, evaluation and control of entire refinery investment portfolio until project budget release
• Developing Technical Development & Economics capability to support front end development of measures and investment projects
• Providing technical expertise in time, cost and technical quality from phase Feasibility and participating in overall project definition and project set up
• Providing technical expertise optimum in life-cycle-costs in consideration of legal and technical applicable regulations and standards
• Providing technical expertise in legal compliance relevant and technical issues for project realization

Product Quality and Production

• Develop and implement Product Quality Management Frameworks, Product Quality Policies, and managing Product Quality improvements.
• Develop effective organization and efficiency in Lab activities
• Development and improvement of products including evaluation of components and additives
• Performance management of energy & loss (flaring, transit, BS&W, fugitive, unaccounted, etc.), including benchmarks, performance, improvement
• Execute best practices associated with hydrocarbon/oil accounting, including processes, tools, and data
• Develop and implement management practices.

Digitalization & Integrated Management System (IMS) for Downstream Assets

• Experience using digitization and IMS to support operational excellence in the above areas
• Experience with the deployment and use of these systems, including supporting management changes processes.

Process Safety

• Identify gaps in process safety management processes and develop measures to close them
• Analyze the RCA process how it is implemented and used in the organization; define potential for improvements
• Check the effective learning out of incidents implementation and define improvement potentials
• Provide expertise in change management, HAZOP, MOC

People Management:

• Analyze culture of leader s interaction and develop programs to improve business behavior of leadership team
• Analyze deficits in following procedures in operator s day-to-day work and develop measures to close gaps
• Analyze leadership capability of shift supervisors and develop leadership trainings to close the gap

Production

• Analyze deficits in sustainable, safe and profitable production in time, quality and volume.
• Engage and influence senior leaders across Operations, Commercial, and other functions. Lead high-impact, cross-functional teams using advanced Lean and Continuous Improvement methodologies to solve complex business problems.

Desired Candidate Profile

• Bachelor s degree in engineering (Chemical and Mechanical)
• MBA in Operations Management, preferred.
• 16 years of relevant experience in Oil & Gas Refinery Industry with specific areas on:
• Downstream Benchmarking and KPIs: Deep expertise in the basis and use of downstream benchmarking and performance management, including refining and petrochemical processes. Expertise with Solomon is essential, but experience must extend into other metrics that support day-to-day, month-to-month assessment of performance.
• Process Surveillance: Experience in processes and practices around process surveillance and intervention, including minimum requirements and links to Downstream performance and benchmarking. Experience working with Operations and Technical to implement/improve availability
• Expertise in managing a business transformation matrix
• Expertise in Advanced Process Control (APC)
• Exposure in Simulation Software
• Soft & Leadership: Management & leadership skills, Stakeholder management, Detailed-oriented with excellent organizing and planning skills. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people in a multi-cultural environment, Ability to work on own initiative, Good communication skills & interpersonal skills. Ability to be flexible, motivated, resourceful, and organized to work in a multi-functional role, Builds expert knowledge in our organization and conveys knowledge to others
• Technical: Computer literate with expertise in MS Office. Detailed oriented with excellent organizing and planning skills. Ability to think strategically and to ensure that refinery issues are addressed in the strategy and operational plans, Ability to identify staff s needs and provide appropriate solutions.