Plant Director

Job Purpose

• The Plant Director is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership for the manufacturing facility, ensuring safe, efficient, and profitable operations. The role delivers manufacturing excellence aligned with business strategy, approved budgets, and customer requirements, while ensuring compliance with UAE regulatory authorities and international standards.
• The position drives performance across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and sustainability, champions continuous improvement and advanced manufacturing practices, and builds a high performing, future ready leadership team.
• The Plant Director actively champions the adoption of modern manufacturing technologies, operational best practices, and scalable processes to enhance productivity, reliability, and competitiveness.
• The role works closely with cross‑functional teams to ensure seamless execution, transparent communication, and sustained long‑term value creation for the business.

Job Dimensions

• Number of Staff Supervised: Direct Reports: 8, Total: 340
• Reports to: Manufacturing Operations Director
• Direct Reports: Business Unit Managers, Maintenance Manager, Supply Chain Manager, Purchase Manager, Production Engineering Manager, Contracts Manager and Finance Manager
• Functional reports: IT Lead, Regional HR Manager, HSE Manager, Quality Manager

Key Accountabilities - Strategy & Operations

• Develop and execute the manufacturing and operations strategy in alignment with business objectives.
• Deliver production targets with consistent On Time In Full (OTIF) performance and right first time quality.
• Set and deliver aggressive yet achievable facility goals aligned to long term company strategy.
• Ensure effective performance management and accountability across the Operations leadership team.
• Act as the primary interface with local regulatory authorities (e.g. JAFZA, DCD, Trakhees/EHS).

Operational Excellence & Efficiency

• Drive continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, and productivity enhancement initiatives.
• Optimise manufacturing processes, capacity, and asset utilisation in line with the Medium Term Plan.
• Implement flexible workforce models aligned with SOPs and demand variation.

Quality & HSE

• Ensure all products meet or exceed defined quality, customer, and regulatory requirements.
• Embed a strong quality culture and operational discipline across the plant.
• Ensure full compliance with Environmental, Health & Safety standards.

Financial Performance

• Manage site profitability, cost control, and budget adherence.
• Lead S&OP execution to balance demand, capacity, revenue, and customer commitments.
• Optimise inventory levels and drive inventory reduction initiatives.
• Drive material and conversion cost reductions in collaboration with Procurement and Supply Chain.

People & Leadership

• Build, develop, and lead a high performing management team.
• Drive talent development, succession planning, and capability building across functions.
• Foster a collaborative, performance driven, and values based culture.

Customer Focus & Business Excellence

• Ensure high levels of customer satisfaction through delivery, quality, and responsiveness.
• Promote cross functional collaboration across Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Projects, and Sales.
• Champion new technologies, digitalisation, and best in class manufacturing practices.

New Product Introduction

• Work closely with Engg, Manufacturing systems manager, supply chain and purchasing on new product industrialisation in a timely manner.

KPIs

• Safety performance and regulatory compliance
• OTIF delivery
• Budget vs. Actual
• Profitability and MPV
• Scrap, rework, and customer complaints
• Inventory turns and cost recovery
• Leadership capability and succession readiness

Role Context

The Plant Director operates within a manufacturing environment serving utility, infrastructure, and industrial customers across the Middle East and export markets. The role leads a multi disciplinary operations organisation, overseeing manufacturing, engineering, quality, supply chain, maintenance, and HSE, within a competitive, cost sensitive, and delivery driven market.

Reporting to the Manufacturing Operations Director, the role works in close collaboration with regional Sales, Projects, Engineering, Procurement, and corporate functions to align plant capability with customer demand, strategic growth plans, and localisation requirements. The position interfaces regularly with local regulatory and governing bodies in Dubai to ensure compliance, certification, and operational continuity, while balancing operational excellence, people development, and long term business sustainability.

Qualifications, Experience & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree or above in management, electrical, mechanical, industrial engineering or related fields.
• Understand manufacturing business, people management, supply chain management, financial management, quality management, and innovation.
• Possess experience in middle or senior management minimum of 10-15 years.

Job-Specific Skills

• Communication
• Values and respects others, Building relationships, Teamwork
• Process Loss Elimination Techniques
• Continuous improvement
• Project Management
• Creative Thinking
• Change Innovation
• Develops others
• Builds successful teams, Supports & coaches the team
• Consulting skills
• Visionary leadership
• Achieving results, Customer driven
• Critical decision making
• Develops organisation budgets
• Organizational safety
• Financial astuteness
• Broad experience of developing and implementing short to long-range objectives and strategies to achieve business goals.
• Proven capability of operating successfully at a senior management level.
• Understanding of electrical mechanical design engineering, competence in electrical power engineering.
• Demonstrate financial acumen including planning and cost control capabilities and proven experience of managing projects to budget.
• Proven track record in delivering manufacturing and supply chain best practice
• Strong working ethic in the delivery of satisfying the profitable requirements and expectations of internal and external customers.
• Effectively recognise and manage conflict
• Broad experience of working in a multi-national, matrix organisation.
• Strong communications and presentation skills
• Strong English written and verbal communication skills

Behavioural Competencies

• Creates strong team & guiding partner
• Promotes team accountability & strong sense of understanding
• Is always curious & goes beyond obvious
• Finds useful benchmarks & does effective research
• Is open and candid about work situation
• Acts in a manner consistent with values
• Targets new opportunities & sets clear objectives
• Commits to continuous improvement
• Expresses positive attitude toward teamwork
• Collects wisdom by sharing experiences and goals
• Provides task-orientated and helpful instructions
• Provides behavioural feedback, coaching
• Facilitates open communications
• Proactively acts to gain customer trust
• Sees connections, relations, trends and patterns
• Applies learned concepts and think of new so to create a circle of learning.