Head of Operational Excellence

Job ID: 14116

Sector:

People

Location: NEOM, Saudi Arabia

NEOM is an accelerator of human progress and a vision of what a new future might look like. A region in northwest Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea, NEOM is being built from the ground up to include hyperconnected, cognitive cities, ports, next-generation infrastructure and industries, enterprise zones, research centers, sports and entertainment venues and tourist destinations.

As a destination, it will be a home for people who dream big and want to be part of building a new model for exceptional livability, creating thriving businesses and reinventing environmental conservation.

As a workplace, it is a place for people who share our core values of care, curiosity, diversity, passion, respect, and becoming a catalyst for change.

Are you ready to help NEOM find solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges? Are you prepared to create a lasting legacy that benefits generations to come? Then we want to hear from you!

ROLE OVERVIEW

The Head of Operational Excellence will be responsible for overseeing People function operations and other subsidiaries from the People sector standpoint ensuring they run smoothly and efficiently. They are responsible for developing strategies to improve People sector operational performance and monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of those strategies, i.e., implementation of the Target Operating Model across People sector and entire NEOM organization and its subsidiaries from the People sector side.

The role involves using Organization Development and Change Management approach on cross-divisional business agenda. It enables NEOM to successfully and sustainably drive its evolution and transformation. The role requires strong leadership skills and an understanding of business processes and systems and in-depth knowledge and experience in HR. They must be able to identify areas where improvements can be made, develop plans to implement those changes, and then monitor their progress.

REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY

• 10+ years of relevant experience focused on organization and/or workforce transformation, operating model/organization health diagnostics and design, change management, performance improvement and team effectiveness.
• Proven experience in contributing to large scale organization transformation programs and projects in a consulting organization, or in an internal consultant role within corporate environment.
• Ability to manage projects; adapt to changing priorities and balance requests; plan, recommend, evaluate, and implement programs and initiatives; and track and ensure program documentation and components are in place to meet competing demands, priorities, and deadlines.
• Ability to develop evidence-informed recommendations that balance the needs and perspectives of multiple users with technical and operational constraints.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills to ensure effective collaboration and communication.
• Experience working with multi-disciplinary teams across a dispersed & matrixed organization.
• Experience in managing senior-level relationships including presenting to senior stakeholders or decision makers.

ROLE COMPETENCIES & ACTIVITIES

The Head of Operational Excellence’s role responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:

Framework Development and Implementation

• Lead the development and update of the Target Operating Model framework (People Sector) and its deployment across all NEOM entities, ensuring alignment between the Central and Subsidiary teams, smooth transition and making People Service delivery model most efficient and effective.
• Lead People sector Operational Excellence initiatives to ensure high level of business leaders support and employee experience from the time, quality and efficiency standpoint.
• Guide and support the development and ongoing refinement of SLAs for key Service deliverables across People function.
• Lead Change Management efforts to ensure smooth implementation of new processes and practices, i.e., provide processes, tools, materials and execute on change management, communication plans, team effectiveness and organizational design activities during the project’s deployment.
• Drive the development of project materials including working session content and designing and delivering appropriate interventions, including facilitation.
• Conduct research on best practices, and take an evidence-informed approach to proposing recommendations.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives to enhance the initiatives execution and implement efficiencies.
• Incorporate leading practice OD theories and concepts (including change theory, adult learning, and behavioral sciences) into program development and recommendations.

Stakeholder Engagement and Risk Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders involved in the Operational Excellence initiatives deployment across Central People Organization and People teams in all NEOM subsidiaries.
• Drive alignment with key stakeholders on the final design of the future state and the deployment roadmap of the initiated projects, and work with relevant stakeholders to develop and implement resolution strategies for minor project risks.
• Conduct stakeholder engagement activities, such as interviews and focus groups, by scheduling activities, developing pre-communication and facilitation materials, and facilitating engagement activities. Consolidate and incorporate stakeholder feedback into identifying improvement initiatives and interventions required, scoping projects, and creating deployment roadmap.
• Escalate major project risks, ensuring effective mitigation.
• Prepare and disseminate regular updates on the progress of project execution to all key stakeholders (including NEOM leadership).

Leadership

• Prepare and deliver presentations, reports, and other communication materials tailored to stakeholder needs.
• Ensure that all stakeholder engagement activities comply with the relevant regulations and ethical standards.
• Utilize data analytics to drive strategies and decisions.

Culture and Values

• Embrace NEOM’s culture and Values.
• Act with honesty and integrity by following best practices, and upholding the robust standards and expectations set out in NEOM’s Code of Conduct.
• Maintain fair, ethical and professional work practices in accordance with NEOM’s Values and Code of Conduct.
• Adhere to NEOM’s Policies, procedures, and controls to ensure compliance with rules.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• 10+ years of relevant experience focused on organization and/or workforce transformation, operating model/organization health diagnostics and design, change management, performance improvement and team effectiveness.
• Leadership, relationship building, collaboration, presentation, and facilitation skills to coordinate and collaborate with colleagues and other stakeholders; build partnerships, networks, and client relationships; share expertise and provoke thinking to effectively influence stakeholders and clients; and participate as an effective team member.
• Ability to identify risks and bottlenecks in strategy execution and develop mitigation strategies.
• Project management skills, with experience developing and implementing HR programs designed around user needs to enable and facilitate adoption of new processes.
• Continuous improvement, problem-solving, research, creativity, and innovative thinking skills to identify issues/trends and find new, unique, realistic, standardized, and user-friendly solutions.
• Computer skills with ability to use software such as Microsoft Office, presentation applications.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business or applied behavioral sciences e.g. Strategy, Business Administration, Human Resources, Organizational Development, Psychology or a related discipline.
• Certifications in Change management, Facilitation /Coaching, Design thinking, or Agile preferred.

NEOM is committed to attracting and retaining the highest caliber of employees to support NEOM’s vision, mission and strategy. NEOM sources the best candidates based on fit for the role and searches local and global markets to identify talent.

NEOM is an equal opportunities employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, disability, age, or any other form of discrimination/other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances.

As part of our recruitment process, NEOM will undertake reference checks to confirm suitability for the role. All offers of employment are subject to references, evidence of all qualifications and awards, and other background checks being satisfactorily completed. Additionally, all offers are subject to the candidate being able to successfully obtain a work visa to enter and work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This job description is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities. The employee may be required to perform additional job-related tasks and duties as assigned. To meet NEOM’s objectives and business needs, the work location is subject to change. Non office-based roles involve outdoor activities. Candidates should be prepared to work outdoors and on construction sites as part of their job responsibilities.

NEOM uses artificial intelligence as part of its recruitment process to assist and enhance efficiency. However, all final hiring decisions are made by human recruiters, ensuring that NEOM’s employment process remains fair and transparent.

The actions of our team should always support the NEOM Values

Learn more about NEOM’s Values