Head of Operational Excellence

The Head of Operational Excellence is responsible for leading initiatives that enhance operational efficiency, streamline processes, and ensure continuous improvement within an organization. This role focuses on implementing best practices, fostering innovation, and driving performance to meet strategic objectives.

Head of Operational Excellence

The Head of Operational Excellence at Al Mulla Group is responsible for establishing a culture of continuous improvement across the Group’s diverse business verticals, including trading & manufacturing, engineering, financial services, office automation, car rental, leasing, and more. This role is crucial in driving operational efficiencies, reducing costs, enhancing customer satisfaction, and maintaining the Group’s competitiveness. The Head of Operational Excellence will collaborate with the respective Managing Directors and Divisional Heads to evaluate current operational processes and implement best-in-class strategies and frameworks tailored to each division’s unique challenges.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement a comprehensive operational excellence strategy across the Group’s varied businesses. Align initiatives with the company’s strategic goals, incorporating best practices from Lean, Six Sigma, and other operational excellence methodologies. Regularly refine the strategy to adapt to emerging challenges and opportunities within the business environment.
• Operational Synergies: Identify cross-functional synergies between business units to optimize operational processes and reduce redundancies. Facilitate inter-departmental collaboration to leverage shared resources and capabilities, enabling cohesive operational improvements across all divisions.
• Business-Specific Process Improvement: Lead and manage customized process improvement initiatives for each business vertical using Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, or Total Quality Management (TQM) frameworks. Assess and enhance process efficiency in manufacturing, service delivery within financial services, and customer management in the car rental and leasing divisions, among others.
• Cost Optimization: Develop strategies to reduce costs across all business units by improving procurement processes, minimizing waste, optimizing resource allocation, and increasing overall operational efficiency. Ensure that long-term sustainable cost-saving measures are in place without sacrificing quality.
• Project Management: Oversee and mentor project managers within the organization, ensuring adherence to project timelines, budgets, and quality standards. Implement project governance frameworks to improve accountability, visibility, and success rates for strategic initiatives.
• Change Management and Cultural Transformation: Build a culture of continuous improvement by leading organizational change initiatives. Conduct workshops and capability-building programs to empower employees at all levels to embrace operational excellence and innovation. Foster a shift in mindset from reactive problem-solving to proactive operational management.
• Innovation and Emerging Technologies: Assess and adopt cutting-edge tools and technologies, such as AI, IoT, and data analytics, to improve process automation, anticipate operational bottlenecks, and enhance decision-making. Ensure the Group stays competitive by leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies in manufacturing, service automation, and data-driven decision-making.
• Customer-Centric Operations: Promote a customer-focused approach in operational processes to ensure the Group’s services and products consistently meet and exceed customer expectations. Develop metrics to monitor and enhance customer satisfaction, response times, and service quality across business divisions.
• Performance Monitoring and Reporting: Establish and track KPIs specific to each business vertical, including manufacturing efficiency, customer service delivery, financial service compliance, and fleet management performance. Develop an executive dashboard to monitor operational metrics, facilitating timely interventions and corrective actions.

Expected Outcomes:

• Achieve measurable improvements in operational efficiency across all business divisions within the first 6-12 months.
• Implement sustainable cost-reduction strategies resulting in a 5-10% reduction in overall operational costs.
• Enhance customer satisfaction across service-oriented divisions by improving response times, service quality, and overall experience.
• Ensure successful delivery of key operational projects within scope, time, and budget, with minimal delays or cost overruns.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement at all organizational levels.

Requirements:

Educational Qualifications:

• Degree: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field. A Master’s degree or relevant certifications (e.g., Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, PMP, Agile) is highly preferred.

Experience:

• Years of Experience: 15 – 20 years in operations management, process improvement, or a related field, with at least 5-7 years in a senior leadership role.
• Field of Experience: Proven track record in implementing large-scale operational excellence programs within multi-industry environments (e.g., manufacturing, financial services, automotive, etc.).

Skills:

• In-depth understanding of Lean, Six Sigma, TQM, Agile, and other continuous improvement methodologies.
• Exceptional project management skills with experience managing complex, cross-functional projects across diverse industries.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, with a focus on data-driven decision-making.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and interpersonal abilities, with a demonstrated capacity to lead diverse teams.
• Awareness of emerging technologies and tools (e.g., AI, IoT, data analytics) and their applications in process improvement.