Chief Operating Officer – Water Solutions

About the role

The General Manager / Chief Operating Officer will steer the overall strategy and operations of an integrated water solutions business, covering water treatment, desalination, EPC, Operations & Maintenance, manufacturing, and specialty chemicals.

Key responsibilities

• Lead business strategy, operational performance and growth across municipal, industrial and commercial water sectors.
• Own P&L, revenue growth, profitability, EBITDA, CAPEX and overall efficiency.
• Oversee EPC and O&M projects for water treatment and desalination facilities.
• Manage manufacturing and engineering of RO, MED, MSF and STP technologies.
• Ensure plant performance meets contractual water‑quality, uptime, energy‑efficiency and KPI targets.
• Direct the specialty water‑treatment chemicals business, including manufacturing, trading and supply‑chain activities.
• Drive asset management, preventive maintenance and continuous‑improvement initiatives.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with clients, government entities, technology providers and suppliers.
• Lead commercial negotiations, major agreements and strategic partnerships.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, HSE, quality and engineering standards.
• Develop multidisciplinary engineering, technical, operational and commercial teams.
• Promote localization, local sourcing and organizational capability development.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related field; MBA highly desirable.
• 15+ years of experience in water treatment and/or desalination.
• Strong background in the Saudi Arabian water sector with knowledge of its regulatory, procurement and technical environment.
• Proven track record of leading large‑scale EPC, O&M and manufacturing operations.

Required skills

• Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology
• Multiple‑Effect Distillation (MED)
• Multi‑Stage Flash (MSF) technology
• Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) systems
• Specialty water‑treatment chemicals manufacturing
• EPC project management
• Operations & Maintenance (O&M) expertise
• Asset management and preventive maintenance