Senior Manager - Operational Readiness - 50013214 - DA3

Role Overview

Senior Manager - Operational Readiness at Qiddiya Investment Company. Position reference: 50013214 - DA3.

Role Purpose

Provide strategic leadership for operational readiness across major assets and programmes, ensuring an integrated and controlled transition from project delivery into safe, compliant and sustainable operations. Set readiness direction, govern assurance and activation decisions, and align senior stakeholders on priorities, risks and outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Governance

• Define operational readiness strategy, governance, standards, assurance methodology and activation decision gates for assigned portfolios.
• Provide governance for permits, licenses and regulatory interfaces, ensuring accountable teams maintain clear ownership and timely delivery.
• Champion continuous improvement, lessons learned and standardization across the operational readiness function.

Planning & Coordination

• Lead integrated readiness planning across people, process, technology, facilities, safety, security, commercial, regulatory and service workstreams.
• Ensure operational requirements are embedded across design, procurement, commissioning, handover, mobilisation and opening plans.
• Oversee operating model, workforce, training, SOP, OS&E, technology, facilities and service mobilisation readiness.

Oversight & Assurance

• Provide senior oversight of readiness milestones, interdependencies, risks, issues, decisions and evidence-based completion status.
• Lead assurance reviews, inspections, rehearsals and operational trials, and recommend readiness to proceed through key stage gates.
• Chair senior readiness reviews and direct recovery plans for critical gaps that may affect safety, compliance, customer experience or activation dates.

Stakeholder Management & Advice

• Advise executive leadership on readiness status, activation options, residual risks and required decisions.
• Oversee consultants, contractors and operators supporting readiness, ensuring clear scope, quality, schedule and accountability.

Team & Capability Development

• Build team capability through direction, coaching, performance management and consistent quality standards.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, engineering, operations management, project management or a related discipline. Master's degree is preferred.
• 7+ years of relevant experience in operational readiness, mobilisation, project delivery or asset activation for major or complex programmes.
• PMP, PRINCE2, facilities management, operational readiness, HSE, risk or programme management certification is preferred.