Operations Principal

Chronicle Heritage Arabia; Remote; SAR 360,000 - 464,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global heritage consultancy is seeking an experienced Operations Principal to provide senior operational leadership across its international portfolio, focusing on the Middle East. This fully remote role involves overseeing project execution, quality assurance, and team leadership to ensure operational excellence. Candidates should have a postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline, at least 5 years’ experience in consultancy, strong leadership skills, and proficiency in Arabic. The position offers collaboration and career progression opportunities.

Benefits

Collaborative working environment

Professional development opportunities

Long-term career progression

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in heritage, environmental, or related consultancy with progressive responsibility.
• At least 2 years’ experience in a leadership role managing professional teams.
• Strong understanding of cultural heritage regulation and professional practice, preferably within the Middle East.
• Excellent organisational, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead regional operational planning to ensure efficient delivery across projects and programmes.
• Monitor operational KPIs including utilisation, delivery performance, quality, and staff engagement.
• Ensure successful execution of projects in line with professional best practice and client requirements.
• Contribute to P&L outcomes by strengthening delivery efficiency, utilisation, and execution discipline.

Skills

Operational excellence

Leadership

Project management

Cultural heritage regulation

Stakeholder engagement

Arabic language skills

Education

Postgraduate qualification in archaeology, anthropology, heritage management or related discipline

Tools

Salesforce

Sage Intacct

Teamwork

Job description

Overview

Location: Fully Remote (with occasional travel across the Middle East and Europe)

Contract Type: Full-time, permanent

Chronicle Heritage International is a leading global heritage consultancy delivering integrated cultural heritage and advisory services across the Middle East, Europe, and beyond. We support major public and private sector clients through technically robust, regulation-compliant, and operationally excellent cultural heritage management solutions.

We are seeking an experienced Operations Principal to provide senior operational leadership across our international portfolio, with a particular focus on the Middle East region. This role will oversee operational delivery, project execution, quality assurance, and team leadership, ensuring that Chronicle Heritage continues to meet strategic and financial expectations through strong operational performance.

Role Overview

The Operations Principal is a senior operational leader within Chronicle Heritage International, responsible for ensuring effective delivery of projects and programmes across the region.

The role focuses on:

• Operational excellence and delivery performance
• Resource and team leadership
• Quality assurance and compliance
• Operational contribution to financial performance through forecasting, utilisation, and cost management

The Operations Principal works closely with regional leadership, technical teams, and corporate support functions to ensure that operational execution aligns with organisational objectives and financial expectations.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership & Performance

• Lead regional operational planning to ensure efficient delivery across projects and programmes
• Oversee resource allocation, scheduling, and delivery frameworks
• Monitor operational KPIs including utilisation, delivery performance, quality, and staff engagement

Project Delivery & Quality Assurance

• Ensure successful execution of projects in line with professional best practice and client requirements
• Maintain high standards of technical quality, compliance, and risk management
• Support continuous improvement across operational systems and delivery processes

Financial Contribution Through Execution

• Support financial forecasting and delivery planning in collaboration with regional leadership
• Ensure operational decisions align with project budgets, cost control, and performance expectations
• Contribute to P&L outcomes by strengthening delivery efficiency, utilisation, and execution discipline
• Provide leadership, mentorship, and performance management for senior staff and project managers
• Support staff development, succession planning, and a high-performing team culture
• Promote collaboration across international teams and disciplines

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

• Maintain strong working relationships with key clients and stakeholders to support successful delivery
• Contribute operational input into proposals, scopes of work, resourcing plans, and delivery strategies
• Represent Chronicle Heritage International as a senior operational leader in the region

Systems, Governance & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with local, national, and international cultural heritage regulations and standards
• Work closely with internal departments to support organisational alignment and operational reporting
• Utilise internal systems including Salesforce, Sage Intacct, Teamwork, and Deel to support operational management

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Postgraduate qualification in archaeology, anthropology, heritage management, history, architectural history, or related discipline
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in heritage, environmental, or related consultancy with progressive responsibility
• At least 2 years’ experience in a leadership role managing professional teams
• Strong understanding of cultural heritage regulation and professional practice, preferably within the Middle East
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex project delivery and operational performance
• Excellent organisational, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills
• Ability and willingness to travel periodically across the Middle East and Europe
• Legal eligibility to enter and work across relevant international jurisdictions as required
• Full driving license
• Arabic language skills (spoken and written)
• Experience working in multinational consultancy environments
• Familiarity with project delivery, financial, or CRM systems such as Salesforce, Sage Intacct, or Teamwork

What We Offer

Chronicle Heritage International offers a collaborative and professional working environment, with a strong focus on operational excellence, staff development, and long-term career progression within a globally active heritage consultancy.

This is a fully remote position, and we are open to hiring candidates worldwide, provided they are legally able to travel as required across countries in the Middle East and Europe.