Production Manager – Shipbuilding / Marine

About the role

The Yard Manager is a full‑time, on‑site leadership role based in Abu Dhabi, with overall responsibility for the safe, efficient and commercially disciplined operation of the entire facility.

Key responsibilities

• Take overall responsibility for the day‑to‑day operations and performance of the facility.
• Lead integrated planning of vessels, docks, berths, workshops, manpower, equipment, utilities and yard capacity.
• Coordinate Production, Projects, HSE, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance and support functions to achieve operational priorities.
• Ensure docking, undocking, vessel movements and other high‑risk operations are properly planned, coordinated and controlled.
• Chair daily and weekly operational reviews covering vessel movements, work fronts, constraints, safety, quality and schedules.
• Allocate shared manpower, cranes, transportation, utilities, access and yard space according to authorized priorities.
• Ensure readiness and reliability of docks, pumps, cranes, workshops, utilities, firefighting systems and other critical infrastructure.
• Monitor project and production delivery, productivity, overtime, subcontractor performance and recovery actions.
• Maintain operational governance and ensure HSE, environmental, permit, security and housekeeping requirements are consistently enforced.
• Manage congestion, simultaneous operations, unplanned work and cross‑project resource conflicts.
• Monitor operational costs, resource utilization, asset downtime and key performance indicators and implement improvement actions.
• Ensure client, classification society and authority requirements are integrated into operations and concerns are resolved promptly.
• Lead emergency response and business‑continuity actions until relieved by the designated command structure.
• Develop operational managers and supervisors and promote a strong culture of accountability, cooperation and performance.
• Report significant operational risks, incidents, capacity constraints and key decisions to executive management.
• Sponsor lean, digital and process improvements across the facility.
• Remain accountable for overall facility safety, delivery, utilization, asset readiness, operational cost and cross‑functional performance.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in marine, Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture, Operations or a related discipline; a master’s degree is advantageous.
• Minimum 15 years of experience in shipyard, drydock, marine construction or heavy industrial operations, including senior operational leadership experience.
• Demonstrated responsibility for multi‑vessel operations, large workforces, high‑risk activities and critical operational assets.
• Strong understanding of docking operations, ship repair production, HSE, quality, project delivery, cost control and productivity management.
• Strong ability to manage operational priorities, resource constraints, simultaneous activities and complex yard interfaces.
• Ability to work extended hours and lead emergency operations when required.