Executive Director – Operations Excellence

Foreground Consultancy; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Foreground Consultancy is seeking an Executive Director to lead operational excellence initiatives across multiple business units in a Saudi-based organisation. You will design and implement performance frameworks, lean processes and productivity improvements, embedding a culture of continuous improvement and accountability across senior leadership and operations teams.

The role requires senior experience in transformation and performance improvement, with strong capability to translate strategy

Qualifications

• Senior experience in operations excellence, transformation, or performance improvement roles.
• Experience in large-scale, asset-heavy or workforce-intensive environments is essential.
• Saudi Arabia experience is highly preferred; strong analytical and change leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational excellence initiatives across multiple business units.
• Design and implement performance frameworks, lean processes and productivity improvements.
• Embed a culture of continuous improvement and accountability with senior leadership and operations teams.
• Oversee KPI governance, reporting and benchmarking.

Skills

Performance

Business Units

Operational Excellence

Operations

Accountability

Consulting

Continuous Improvement

Strategy

Design

Business

Leadership

Job description

Job Description:

Our client is a large Saudi-based organisation operating asset-heavy and service-driven businesses. The group is investing in operational excellence and performance standardisation across its portfolio.

The Role

The Executive Director will lead operational excellence initiatives across multiple business units. This role will design and implement performance frameworks, lean processes, and productivity improvements. A key mandate will be embedding a culture of continuous improvement and accountability. The Director will work closely with operations leaders to identify inefficiencies and drive measurable outcomes. This role will also oversee KPI governance, reporting, and benchmarking. The position carries strong influence across senior leadership and operational teams.

Candidate Profile

Candidates must have senior experience in operations excellence, transformation, or performance improvement roles. Strong exposure to large-scale, asset-heavy or workforce-intensive environments is essential. Experience in Saudi Arabia is highly preferred. The ideal profile demonstrates analytical strength, change leadership, and stakeholder influence. Backgrounds in consulting or operational leadership are advantageous. The ability to translate strategy into execution is critical.

Required Skills

• Performance
• Business Units
• Operational Excellence
• Operations
• Accountability
• Consulting
• Continuous Improvement
• Strategy
• Design
• Business
• Leadership