Senior Manager Operational Readiness DA

About Qiddiya

Qiddiya is seeking a Senior Manager, Operational Readiness DA, to join its team in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This full-time role involves providing strategic leadership for operational readiness across major assets and programs, ensuring a controlled transition from project delivery to safe, compliant, and sustainable operations.

Role Overview

The Senior Manager will define the direction for operational readiness, govern assurance and activation decisions, and align senior stakeholders on priorities, risks, and outcomes. The position focuses on integrating operational requirements throughout the project lifecycle and ensuring successful activation.

Key Responsibilities

• Define operational readiness strategy, governance, standards, assurance methodology, and activation decision gates for assigned portfolios.
• Lead integrated readiness planning across various workstreams including people, process, technology, facilities, safety, security, commercial, regulatory, and service.
• Provide senior oversight of readiness milestones, interdependencies, risks, issues, decisions, and evidence-based completion status.
• Ensure operational requirements are embedded across design, procurement, commissioning, handover, mobilization, and opening plans.
• Chair senior readiness reviews and direct recovery plans for critical gaps impacting safety, compliance, customer experience, or activation dates.
• Oversee operating model, workforce, training, SOP, OS&E, technology, facilities, and service mobilization readiness.
• Provide governance for permits, licenses, and regulatory interfaces, ensuring clear ownership and timely delivery by accountable teams.
• Advise executive leadership on readiness status, activation options, residual risks, and required decisions.
• Lead assurance reviews, inspections, rehearsals, and operational trials, recommending readiness to proceed through key stage gates.
• Oversee consultants, contractors, and operators supporting readiness, ensuring clear scope, quality, schedule, and accountability.
• Build team capability through direction, coaching, performance management, and consistent quality standards.
• Champion continuous improvement, lessons learned, and standardization across the operational readiness function.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, engineering, operations management, project management, or a related discipline. A Master's degree is preferred.
• A minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in operational readiness, mobilization, project delivery, or asset activation for major or complex programs.

Work Environment

This is a full-time position based in Riyadh, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.