Utilities Area Manager

Purpose / Mission:

Serve as the owner's area manager for the Utilities area on the 2.5 Mtpa green Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) / Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI) project in Duqm, Oman. Carry technical and commercial accountability for the Utilities area, encompassing air separation (ASU; nitrogen and oxygen production), water treatment and management (raw water, demineralised water, cooling water, fire water), wastewater management and zero liquid discharge (ZLD), compressed air and instrument air, plant air, gas distribution (nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, natural gas as applicable), and the utilities-process interface with DRI and BoP areas. Dual-role overlay as Lead Process Engineer for utilities scope; DRI process authority sits separately with a dedicated DRI Process Engineer post-FID. Lead the Utilities scope from pre-FID through FEED, EPC tender, construction, commissioning and ramp-up.

Key Responsibilities:

 

Own technical and commercial accountability for the Utilities area, including scope definition, OEM selection, contract negotiation, claims management, schedule and cost ownership for the area.

Lead the owner's engineering definition of the air separation unit and gas distribution system serving the plant.

Lead the owner's engineering of the plant water systems including raw water intake or supply, demineralised water production, cooling water systems, fire water, and the integrated water balance.

Own the design and delivery of the wastewater management and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) strategy, with particular attention to the water-constrained Duqm site and applicable Omani regulatory requirements.

Lead the owner's engineering of compressed air, instrument air, plant air and gas distribution systems including nitrogen and oxygen distribution to point-of-use.

Provide cross-area utilities discipline authority including review and assurance of utility interfaces with the DRI, BoP, Materials Handling and HV areas.

Provide Utilities area input to specifications, tender documentation, technical evaluations and award recommendations for the utility EPC and equipment packages, including interfaces with major utilities OEMs and licensors (Air Liquide, Linde, Air Products and equivalents).

Review and approve utilities engineering deliverables from the Owner's Engineer and EPC contractors.

Lead Utilities area input to HAZID, HAZOP, SIL assessment, LOPA and related process safety studies.

Support cost estimate development for utilities scope to FID-level accuracy.

Provide Utilities area technical and commercial leadership during construction, pre-commissioning, commissioning and performance testing.

Cross-area coordination: the plant-wide cable and pipe bridge system spans the BoP, Materials Handling and Logistics, Utilities and High Voltage areas. Civil and structural design ownership sits with the BoP Area Manager; routing, occupancy and interface management is a joint responsibility of the BoP, MH&L, Utilities and HV Area Managers. The four Area Managers will agree corridor strategy, support spacing, occupancy planning and revision control as a co-ordinated workstream.

Contribute to the development and mentoring of process and utilities engineering resources as the in-country team grows from pre-FID into execution.

Requirements / Skills / Experience:

 

Minimum 15 years' experience in heavy industrial process plant utilities engineering, with a clear strength in process discipline depth across multiple utilities including at least three of: air separation, water treatment systems, wastewater and ZLD, compressed air and gas distribution, and steam systems where applicable.

Strong preference for direct experience on integrated steel, ironmaking, petrochemical, fertilizer, refinery, mining or analogous heavy industrial greenfield projects.

Direct experience interfacing with major utilities OEMs and licensors (Air Liquide, Linde, Air Products for ASU, and equivalents for water treatment) is a strong advantage.

Experience across the full project lifecycle: FEED, detailed design, procurement, construction supervision, commissioning and ramp-up.

Demonstrated commercial muscle on top of technical authority: experience owning a utilities package end-to-end from scope definition through OEM selection, contract execution, claims management and closeout.

Direct experience with ZLD or advanced wastewater systems is a strong advantage for the water-constrained Duqm site.

Experience with cooling water systems including seawater cooling is a strong advantage.

Demonstrated familiarity with international process and utilities design codes (ASME, API, ISA, IEC) and applicable Omani regulatory requirements.

Demonstrated leadership in process safety, including accountability for HAZOP, SIL and process hazard analysis outcomes.

Prior GCC or extreme-environment project experience preferred.

Demonstrated ability to operate as a senior technical and commercial authority in a lean owner team environment.

Strong communication, technical writing and review skills.

Required Education / Qualification / Training:

Bachelor's degree in Chemical, Process, Mechanical or related engineering discipline (required). Master's degree in Process or Chemical Engineering (preferred). Chartered Engineer, Professional Engineer or equivalent internationally recognized professional status (preferred). Member of a recognized professional engineering institution (e.g. IChemE, AIChE, IMechE) (preferred).

Required Language Proficiency:

English - Fluent

Arabic - Nice to have