Senior Project Manager

The Senior Project Manager drives the successful leadership and delivery of multiple complex, high-value projects, balancing technical and commercial demands. This role involves strategic decision-making, team leadership, and fostering continuous improvement aligned with Koch’s Principled-Based Management (PBM) principles. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in project execution, strategic leadership skills, and a proven record of delivering results.

The role will be based in Abu Dhabi, Dubai (UAE) or Stoke (UK).

Join a global leader in emissions control, heat and mass transfer, and clean-air combustion systems. At ETA Process Plant, we deliver innovative, cost-effective solutions that help our customers operate cleaner, safer, and more efficiently.

What You Will Do

• Strategic Leadership & Alignment: Lead and manage complex projects as Single Point of Accountability for clients, suppliers, and internal teams. Align projects with organizational goals to ensure long-term value. Define and update clear Roles, Responsibilities & Expectations (RREs) to ensure accountability. Model humility and respect, encouraging input and constructive challenge. Promote continuous leadership growth through feedback and open discussion. Clarify decision rights to enable timely, empowered decisions.
• Client & Supplier Engagement: Build strong senior-level relationships, driving alignment and mutual benefit. Lead negotiations securing win-win contracts, variations, and milestones. Oversee invoicing, milestone payments, and cash flow forecasting. Apply economic thinking to optimize supplier value and trade-offs.
• Leadership & Team Development: Lead and mentor project managers, enhancing their skills and comparative advantage. Support team members in pursuing their strengths and passions for maximum impact. Cultivate trust, collaboration, and shared success within teams. Recognize and celebrate individual and team achievements to reinforce Koch’s principled behaviours and culture of success. Regularly reassess roles and responsibilities to ensure the best match between team strengths and evolving business needs. Hold self and others accountable for upholding company values and fostering a principled culture. Use feedback not only to close performance gaps but also to identify opportunities for personal and professional growth.
• Project Execution at Scale: Oversee the development of detailed project plans across multiple projects, ensuring deliverables are met on time, within budget, and with quality standards. Identify and mitigate high-level technical and commercial risks. Prepare executive-level progress reports, highlighting key milestones, risks, opportunities, and solutions. Apply economic thinking to analyze trade-offs and optimize resources and value. Participate in high-level project reviews, including KOM, progress reviews, lessons learned, and close-out meetings, ensuring alignment with broader organizational objectives.
• Resource Management & Organizational Learning: Champion cross-functional collaboration to optimize resource allocation and maximize efficiency across projects. Facilitate regular after-action reviews, encouraging team members to share both successes and failures as learning opportunities. Encourage team members to challenge the status quo and propose new approaches to drive transformation and innovation. Actively support the adoption of best practices and continuous improvement initiatives across the organization to enhance project outcomes and operational efficiency. Ensure compliance with industry standards, company procedures, and client-specific requirements across all technical deliverables.
• Knowledge Sharing & Continuous Improvement: Foster open knowledge sharing and learning culture organization-wide. Promote dialogue on successes and setbacks to support mental health and team growth. Lead by example in sharing lessons learned and driving innovation. Implement new methodologies to refine processes and improve performance.

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

• A minimum of 8 years’ experience in project management, with at least 3 years managing multiple high-level, complex projects.
• A minimum qualification of HNC (or equivalent) in mechanical or process engineering and/or an MBA/equivalent.
• Proven track record delivering engineered systems/packages/modular skids with pressure vessels, piping, valves, instrumentation.
• Experience working on engineering projects in the oil & gas and/or chemicals/petrochemicals industry.
• Ability to manage senior-level stakeholder relationships, delivering projects on time, within budget, and exceeding expectations.

Skills & Attributes

• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with experience presenting to executive stakeholders.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and foster collaboration across technical and business units.
• Highly organized, proactive, and self-motivated, with the ability to manage competing priorities.

What Will Put You Ahead

• Qualification as a PRINCE2 Practitioner, APM PMQ, or equivalent.
• EPC Experience.
• Advanced understanding of structural, pressure vessel, or pipework design and fabrication.
• Advanced understanding of electrical and instrumentation systems.
• Demonstrated ability to implement innovative practices and drive organizational learning.
• Previous experience mentoring project managers and leading cross-functional teams.

What does ETA offer?

• Competitive compensation profile.
• Pension plan.
• Private health insurance.
• Wellbeing interventions.
• Generous leave entitlements.
• Annual salary reviews.

Who We Are

At Koch, we embrace principled entrepreneurship—challenging the status quo, rewarding individual contributions, and empowering employees to maximize their potential. Our compensation reflects each person’s unique contribution and market realities. We foster an environment where you can grow, innovate, and make a difference.