Operations & Maintenance Manager

Job Code: 348/001/351
Industry: Water Treatment

Job Brief:
The Operations & Maintenance Manager, with additional responsibility as a Commissioning Engineer, is a strategic leadership role requiring strong technical expertise, operational maturity, and execution excellence. The role is responsible for the complete lifecycle management of plant operations, maintenance, and commissioning of water and wastewater treatment plants.

The position involves managing multidisciplinary teams, ensuring compliance with safety and operational standards, and delivering efficient plant performance. The role also serves as the single point of accountability for plant uptime, operational efficiency, and successful commissioning and handover of projects to clients or asset owners.

Job Responsibilities:
A. Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Management – Full Ownership of Plant Performance
1. Operational Excellence & Uptime Assurance

• Take full ownership of 24/7 plant operations, ensuring uninterrupted treatment processes across STP, MBR, MBBR, UF, RO, and other process technologies.
• Drive KPI-based monitoring, including throughput, recovery ratio, energy consumption, chemical usage, and OPEX per m³ of water treated.
• Identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and non-conformities in real-time, and implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) to optimize process performance.
• Maintain consistent process quality output aligned with statutory compliance and client service level agreements (SLAs).

2. Preventive and Predictive Maintenance

• Develop and implement comprehensive maintenance programs, including preventive, predictive, and condition-based strategies for all mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation assets.
• Monitor asset health and schedule planned shutdowns with minimal disruption to operations.
• Ensure availability and proper stock management of critical spares, consumables, and chemicals through digitalized inventory systems.

3. Manpower Leadership & HSE Compliance

• Lead a multidisciplinary team of operators, technicians, supervisors, and engineers, ensuring clear role definition, training, and performance monitoring.
• Conduct performance evaluations, on-site coaching, technical training, and team motivation to promote accountability and ownership.
• Ensure full compliance with local and international HSE standards, promoting a zero-incident culture, near-miss tracking, and regular safety drills.
• Act as the on-site HSE custodian, enforcing permit-to-work systems, confined space entry protocols, lockout-tagout procedures, and MSDS compliance.

4. Process Data Reporting & Client Interaction

• Generate daily, weekly, and monthly plant performance reports and dashboards, highlighting key trends, deviations, and areas for improvement.
• Present O&M results in structured formats to senior management and external stakeholders.
• Act as the client-facing technical lead, attending review meetings, audits, and progress discussions with a proactive problem-solving approach.

B. Commissioning Engineering – Accountability from Mechanical Completion to Final Handover
1. Project Transition and Design Validation

• Act as the primary technical point of contact during the project transition from engineering to commissioning.
• Validate P&IDs, GA drawings, BOQs, and process design documents for constructability and operability gaps.
• Provide inputs to PLC/SCADA programmers to ensure control philosophy aligns with operational practicality and safety standards.

2. Pre-Commissioning & Mechanical Completion

• Prepare commissioning documents, including checklists, inspection test plans (ITPs), calibration reports, and quality dossiers.
• Lead pre-commissioning activities such as loop testing, pressure testing, flushing, alignment checks, leak tests, and documentation verification.
• Coordinate with QA/QC, safety, and civil teams to ensure readiness for commissioning with comprehensive documentation and approvals.

3. Cold & Hot Commissioning Activities

• Execute cold commissioning to verify mechanical and electrical integrity.
• Conduct hot commissioning with actual plant loading, operational tuning, and chemical dosing to meet design KPIs (TSS, COD, BOD, turbidity, recovery %, etc.).
• Ensure strict adherence to process manuals, equipment O&M manuals, and commissioning protocols.

4. Performance Testing & Client Acceptance

• Conduct Performance Guarantee Tests (PGT) and operational demonstrations using calibrated instruments and validated analyzers.
• Prepare and submit commissioning dossiers, including signed test sheets, punch point closures, DLP schedules, and as-built documentation.
• Secure Provisional and Final Acceptance Certificates from clients with zero disputes or liquidated damages.

5. Knowledge Transfer & Post-Handover Support

• Deliver training sessions for client teams on plant operations, maintenance procedures, HMI/SCADA systems, and emergency handling.
• Provide continued support during the Defects Liability Period (DLP) and monitor plant performance until stable handover is achieved.

6. Core Competencies Required

• Strong process knowledge in treatment technologies such as MBBR, MBR, SWRO, BWRO, HBRO, UF, Filtration, DEMIN, and Brine Recovery.
• Proficiency in PLC/SCADA systems, loop diagrams, HART/Modbus protocols, and cause-effect matrices.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects across international locations under pressure.
• Expertise in documentation, QA/QC processes, commissioning checklists, ITPs, calibration reports, and quality dossiers.
• Strong client management skills with experience in handling technical meetings, audits, and authority approvals.
• Demonstrated leadership and ownership mindset for successful O&M and commissioning delivery.