Chief Operating Officer

About the role

An advanced industries company in Oman is looking for an accomplished Chief Operating Officer to lead operational excellence, strengthen industrial capabilities and turn strategic ambitions into measurable results. Reporting to the CEO, the COO will scale operations, integrate business entities and ensure the delivery of strategic programmes and major contracts. The position is based in Muscat.

Key responsibilities

• Translate corporate strategy into operational plans, budgets and KPIs, and set up operational governance, performance reviews and continuous improvement.
• Oversee manufacturing, production planning, industrial readiness and capacity expansion, driving quality, productivity and cost optimisation, and support technology transfer and localisation in Oman.
• Deliver complex defence, government and industrial programmes on time, in scope, budget and quality, strengthening supplier management and risk control.
• Align operations across subsidiaries, business units and joint ventures, and support the integration of new ventures and partnerships.
• Oversight of Production, Supply Chain & Logistics, HR, Administration, IT and other functions, building teams and driving digitalisation and enterprise systems integration.
• Ensure compliance with defence-industry regulations, export controls, quality standards, cybersecurity and HSE obligations, and strengthen risk management, business continuity and internal controls.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Management, Operations Management or a related field; a postgraduate degree or MBA is highly desirable.
• At least 12 years of progressive experience, including 5 years in senior operational or executive leadership roles.
• Proven track record in manufacturing operations, industrial programmes or government and defence projects.
• Experience in technology transfer, industrial localisation and operational transformation is highly desirable.
• Preferably experienced in the GCC advanced manufacturing sectors.

Required skills

• Production systems, supply chain management and programme execution.
• Advanced technologies compliance, export controls, quality management systems and operational risk management.
• Leadership, stakeholder management, negotiation and strategic execution.