Head of Department - Electrical

Role Overview

Head of Department - Electrical at Wood PLC. The position is based full time at the Abu Dhabi office.

Company Overview

Wood is a global leader in consulting, engineering and operations for the energy and materials sectors with 33,000 people in around 50 countries. Wood's Oil, Gas & New Energies business delivers large and complex projects for national and international energy companies across the globe. The business is the market-leading provider of integrated and innovative solutions in oil and gas upstream and midstream, onshore and offshore, gas to liquids and decarbonization and electrification markets.

Role Purpose

Lead and manage the Electrical discipline engineering department, ensuring successful execution of projects for high-profile clients and alignment with company goals. Drive engineering excellence, safe and high-quality delivery of engineering services, effective governance of discipline practices, and development of engineering capability across onshore and offshore projects in the region.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering Delivery & Performance

• Drive HSSEA culture and performance across the discipline team.
• Ensure engineering integrity and compliance throughout all work scopes.
• Maintain a strong focus on process safety and eliminate technical incidents through robust controls and lessons learned.
• Support technical assurance activities, including audits and incident investigations.
• Provide appropriate discipline resources to projects and deliver work in line with company procedures and customer requirements.
• Manage and optimise discipline resource utilisation against workload demand and overhead budgets.
• Support workforce planning activities, including short-term and annual resource forecasting.
• Collaborate with other discipline managers to develop discipline inputs into engineering execution plans.
• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve discipline engineering systems, tools, and processes to ensure cost-effective and competitive execution.
• Identify and promote innovation opportunities and emerging technologies within the discipline.
• Identify opportunities for margin improvement and efficiency enhancement.

Strategy, Development & Business Support

• Support business development activities to identify and secure new work.
• Review proposal manhours for the discipline and optimise.
• Provide discipline input to proposals in collaboration with other discipline leads.
• Support and strengthen workshare strategies across engineering centres.

People & Capability Management

• Set the vision and strategic direction for the Discipline Engineering Group under guidance from the Engineering Director.
• Provide line management to direct reports, including performance management, objective setting, career development, and remuneration input.
• Ensure recruitment, development, and succession planning to meet current and future business needs.
• Implement and maintain discipline competence assurance frameworks.
• Identify skills and capability gaps and organise appropriate training or development plans.
• Build an inclusive, diverse, and high-performing team culture.

Governance, Policies & Procedures

• Develop, maintain, and improve discipline processes, procedures, manuals, and intellectual property in line with company policies and regulatory requirements.
• Provide guidance on applicable codes, standards, legislation, and regulatory compliance.
• Maintain discipline software tools in alignment with corporate policies.
• Support project delivery assurance through reviews and governance activities.
• Implement continuous improvement through structured change management.

Leadership & Authority

• Provide functional leadership to Lead Discipline Engineers of both onshore and offshore projects and maintain oversight of all discipline engineering activities within the business.
• Serve as a subject-matter expert, supporting continuous improvement and technical excellence across the wider organisation.
• Role-model the company's values and behaviours, demonstrating the highest standards of safety, ethics, and inclusivity.
• Exercise authority over recruitment, development, and performance management of discipline resources.
• Hold responsibility for discipline overhead budgets, including training and professional development.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree as a minimum in a relevant engineering discipline.
• Minimum 25 years of experience in Onshore and Offshore Mega Projects with Capex of over 2 billion USD.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in the role of Head of Discipline.
• Experience in ASSESS, Pre-FEED, FEED and Detailed Design stages of projects.
• Extensive experience in engineering delivery of Electrical Discipline projects with over 100,000 manhours.
• Deep knowledge in IEEE, IEC, ISO Codes and Middle East Clients' Specifications.
• Experience working with ADNOC, Qatar Energy, KNPC, KOC, BGC, BP and Shell.
• Good knowledge in Electrical Power Systems Studies, Power Generation, HV Overhead Transmission Lines, Subsea Cables Engineering.
• Expert-level understanding of discipline engineering tools, processes, and technologies.
• Strong understanding of client business drivers.
• Proven experience developing and leading high-performing engineering teams.

Skills & Competencies

• Strategic thinking and problem-solving capability.
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work effectively in multicultural and cross-functional environments.
• Competent in people interviewing, selection, communication, and management, including performance management.
• Proactively interact with team members in a positive and professional manner.
• Coaching and mentoring capability with a focus on talent development.

Additional Information

Benefits

• Meaningful and interesting projects delivered to high profile clients across the Energy Sector.
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion across the business.
• Competitive remuneration package with regular reviews to ensure market alignment.
• Medical insurance covering inpatient and outpatient medical care.
• Group life and personal accident insurance provided by the company.
• End of Service Gratuity in line with UAE Labor Law.
• Employee Share Plan offering the opportunity to purchase Wood shares with company match.
• Long Service Award celebrating commitment and loyalty at 5-year service milestones.
• Commitment to continued professional development with tailored development plans.
• Global connections with experts around the world at the leading edge of the industry.
• Energy Transition Academy providing a community of experts sharing knowledge and exposure to existing and emerging energy systems.

Working Relationships

Internal: Engineering Managers (local and regional), Other Discipline Managers, Project Managers and Contract Managers, Engineering Centres and Workshare Teams, Technical Networks and Communities of Practice.

External: Customers and Clients, Engineering Software Vendors.