Operational Readiness Manager

OVERVIEW                                                                                               

NEOM is an accelerator of human progress and a vision of what a new future might look like. A region in northwest Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea, NEOM is being built from the ground up to include hyperconnected, cognitive cities, ports, next-generation infrastructure and industries, enterprise zones, research centers, sports and entertainment venues and tourist destinations.

As a destination, it will be a home for people who dream big and want to be part of building a new model for exceptional livability, creating thriving businesses and reinventing environmental conservation.

As a workplace, it is a place for people who share our core values of care, curiosity, diversity, passion, respect, and becoming a catalyst for change.

Are you ready to help NEOM find solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges? Are you prepared to create a lasting legacy  that benefits generations to come? Then we want to hear from you!

ROLE PURPOSE

The Operational Readiness Manager will act as the key resource of the Central Operational Readiness team of the Oxagon Region. More specifically, the Manager will coordinate Legal & Regulatory, Governance and Operating model workstreams and play a crucial role coordinating with legal teams, governance bodies, and operational teams to ensure that projects are executed efficiently, effectively, and in alignment with NEOM Operational Readiness (OR) objectives.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES & ACTIVITIES

Responsibilities

• Project Management:
  • Develop and manage project plans and timelines for legal framework, governance, and operating model workstreams.
  • Track project progress and identify potential risks or issues.
  • Facilitate project meetings and ensure effective communication among stakeholders.
• Program Governance Support:
  • Provide administrative support to governance committees and working groups.
  • Coordinate the preparation of meeting materials and agendas.
  • Facilitate decision-making processes and ensure that decisions are implemented effectively.
• Workstreams Development & Implementation Coordination:
  • Support initiatives to align the governance, regal and regulatory and organization's operating model workstreams
  • Coordinate the development and implementation of workstreams including across assets management and services level
  • Ensure the workstream progress is communicated effectively to stakehold
• Risk Management:
  • Identify and assess potential risks associated with legal framework, governance, and operating model workstreams, both program and operational.
  • Develop and implement risk mitigation strategies.
  • Monitor risk status and take corrective action as needed.
• Stakeholder Management:
  • Build and maintain relationships with stakeholders, including legal teams, governance bodies, and operational teams.
  • Manage stakeholder expectations and address concerns.
  • Facilitate effective communication and collaboration among stakeholders.
• Reporting and Analysis:
  • Prepare regular project reports, including progress updates, risk assessments, and recommendations in line with OR program governance
  • Analyze project data to identify trends and areas for improvement.

BACKGROUND, SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Operational Readiness Expertise: Demonstrated experience (8+ years) in operational readiness, program / project management office, project management, or a related field with a deep understanding of legal & regulatory framework, operating model, governance development and practices in relation to very large or mega projects with complex stakeholder interfaces.
• Leadership and Team Management: Proven ability to lead workstream initiatives and projects by fostering a collaborative and results-driven environment. Previous experience in leadership & teamwork application to complex stakeholder engagement & coordination is essential.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a track record of effectively engaging with stakeholders at various levels, both internal and external.
• Analytical Thinking: Strong analytical skills to interpret complex regulatory roadmaps and interdependencies. You will need to analyze & establish clarity of enactment roadmaps and discern whether there is clear accountability established amongst the stakeholders.
• Critical Thinking Skills: Strong critical thinking within a complex, dynamic, and evolving legal & regulatory framework is required most notably the ability to understand a broad array of legal & regulatory measures, and their interplay so as to highlight gaps and establish de-risking strategies & measures.
• Industry knowledge: Understanding of governance and operating model concepts. Familiarity with relevant industries such as construction, infrastructure, or urban development, and an understanding of their operational challenges and readiness requirements specific to a mega Greenfields real-estate development involving moving from base-economy legal and regulatory provisions to a program specific framework.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as Legal, Operations, Project Management, Business Administration or a related discipline.
• Project management certifications such as PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent are highly advantageous, as are Risk management courses.
• Proven track record of managing complex operational readiness projects or initiatives, preferably at a Regional or multi-entity level together with PMO exposure.
• A good exposure and use of Program / Project management software as relates to a PMO office e.g. Smartsheet, Celoxis, Primavera Oracle/Unifier/ P6, etc