Job Purpose
The Water DCS Projects Manager is responsible for leading the complete delivery of water automation and Distributed Control System (DCS) projects in Saudi Arabia. The role involves managing engineering, procurement, integration, testing, commissioning, customer acceptance, and warranty activities while ensuring projects meet contractual requirements, approved budgets, schedules, quality standards, HSE requirements, profitability targets, and customer expectations.
Key Responsibilities
Project Management & Delivery
- Lead DCS and automation projects from contract handover through engineering, procurement, system integration, testing, commissioning, acceptance, and warranty support.
- Develop project execution plans, schedules, responsibilities, governance structures, and performance targets.
- Monitor project scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, profitability, and cash-flow requirements.
- Coordinate multiple project sites, engineering teams, suppliers, contractors, and project stakeholders.
- Identify potential delays and operational issues and take proactive corrective actions.
DCS & Automation Project Execution
- Oversee the engineering and integration of DCS, SCADA, PLC, RTU, control panels, communication networks, instrumentation, and third-party systems.
- Ensure automation solutions are designed and delivered according to customer specifications and project requirements.
- Manage brownfield automation projects involving legacy-system migration, phased cutovers, redundancy, minimum downtime, and continuity of plant operations.
- Coordinate technical interfaces between control systems, instrumentation, electrical systems, and third-party packages.
- Ensure automation systems are reliable, maintainable, and suitable for long-term plant operations.
Commercial & Contract Management
- Monitor project revenue, expenditure, profitability, billing, cash collection, and financial forecasts.
- Manage contractual requirements, variations, claims, change orders, and commercial risks.
- Review project financial performance and identify opportunities for improved cost control and profitability.
- Ensure project activities remain aligned with approved commercial and contractual commitments.
- Provide management with regular updates on project risks, financial performance, opportunities, and deviations.
Customer & Stakeholder Management
- Serve as a senior point of contact for customers, consultants, plant operators, and other project stakeholders.
- Lead project progress meetings, steering committees, risk reviews, and coordination meetings.
- Manage customer expectations, technical escalations, design changes, acceptance requirements, and project actions.
- Maintain professional relationships with key stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle.
- Support successful customer acceptance and overall project satisfaction.
Cross-Functional & Partner Coordination
- Coordinate with Engineering, Procurement, Planning, Production, Quality, Finance, Project Controls, Testing, and Commissioning teams.
- Manage system integrators, technology partners, subcontractors, suppliers, and site-service providers.
- Define project responsibilities, interfaces, deliverables, and communication channels.
- Monitor partner and supplier performance and ensure project milestones are achieved.
- Resolve cross-functional issues and maintain effective project coordination.
Risk, Quality & HSE Management
- Identify and manage technical, commercial, contractual, operational, quality, and HSE risks.
- Maintain project risk registers, action plans, progress reports, and management documentation.
- Ensure project execution complies with customer specifications, contractual obligations, applicable standards, and internal policies.
- Promote quality throughout engineering, manufacturing, testing, installation, commissioning, and handover activities.
- Maintain a safe and compliant working environment across project activities.
Testing, Commissioning & Handover
- Oversee Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), integrated system testing, commissioning, and performance verification.
- Coordinate resolution of technical issues, punch-list items, and customer observations.
- Ensure project documentation, operating manuals, training, spare parts, and other handover requirements are completed.
- Coordinate customer acceptance and transition projects into warranty and after-sales support.
- Ensure final deliverables are completed according to contractual requirements and agreed schedules.
Leadership & Business Responsibilities
Team Leadership
- Develop and support high-performing project teams and future project-management talent.
- Assign responsibilities effectively and promote accountability across project teams.
- Support employee development, performance management, and succession planning.
- Ensure appropriate delegation of authority in accordance with company policies.
Business Planning & Performance
- Translate organizational objectives into project and business execution plans.
- Monitor project performance against approved targets and initiate corrective actions when required.
- Prepare periodic project progress, financial, risk, and performance reports.
- Monitor budgets and expenses to achieve effective cost management and resource utilization.
Process Improvement & Digitalization
- Develop and improve project-management systems, procedures, processes, and work instructions.
- Identify opportunities to automate project activities and improve operational efficiency.
- Promote effective use of digital and IT solutions relevant to project management and automation operations.
- Support continuous improvement and adoption of new technologies, processes, and business practices.
Quality & Compliance
- Maintain high quality standards throughout the complete project lifecycle.
- Ensure compliance with company policies, customer requirements, applicable standards, and regulatory obligations.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives to strengthen project delivery and operational performance.
Health, Safety & Environment
- Ensure project activities are performed in accordance with applicable HSE policies and regulations.
- Promote safe working practices across engineering, site, testing, commissioning, and project-support activities.
- Maintain a safe, secure, and legally compliant working environment.
Academic Qualification
- Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering or a relevant engineering field.
Experience
- 6 to 10 years of relevant experience in project management, automation, DCS, industrial control systems, water projects, or related engineering environments.
- Experience managing complex automation and control-system projects is preferred.
Technical & Functional Skills
- Project Management
- Project Control
- Project Engineering
- Project Change Management
- DCS & Automation Project Delivery
- SCADA, PLC & RTU Systems
- Project Planning & Scheduling
- Contract & Commercial Management
- Risk Management
- Customer & Stakeholder Management
- Testing & Commissioning
- Budget & Cost Control
- Quality & HSE Management