The posting
Job Title – Chief Operating Officer – Non-Ferrous Metals Manufacturing
Location: Dubai, UAE
About the Role
We are seeking a highly experienced and commercially driven Chief Operating Officer (COO) to lead manufacturing operations, drive operational excellence, and support the strategic growth of a non-ferrous metals manufacturing business. The role will oversee end-to-end operations, including production, procurement, supply chain, quality assurance, engineering, maintenance, financial performance, and business development.
The ideal candidate will bring extensive leadership experience in non-ferrous metals manufacturing, with a strong understanding of metals such as aluminium, copper, zinc, lead, and related alloys. The COO will be responsible for improving production efficiency, optimizing costs, ensuring product quality, strengthening operational controls, and building high-performing teams while maintaining compliance with applicable environmental, health, safety, and industry standards.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic & Operational Leadership
- Develop and execute operational strategies aligned with business objectives, production targets, profitability goals, and long-term growth plans.
- Oversee end-to-end manufacturing operations, ensuring efficient utilization of production facilities, equipment, manpower, and other resources.
- Establish operational policies, standard operating procedures, and performance management frameworks across manufacturing functions.
- Identify opportunities to expand production capacity, improve operational capabilities, and strengthen the business's competitive position.
- Translate strategic priorities into measurable operational plans, budgets, and departmental objectives.
- Evaluate new manufacturing technologies, process improvements, capacity expansion projects, and capital investment opportunities.
- Provide regular operational and strategic performance updates to the CEO, board, or senior leadership team.
Manufacturing & Production Management
- Lead production planning, scheduling, execution, and output management across non-ferrous metals manufacturing facilities.
- Oversee manufacturing processes such as melting, smelting, refining, casting, alloying, extrusion, rolling, recycling, or other relevant processes according to the facility's product portfolio.
- Ensure production targets for output, recovery rates, product specifications, and delivery schedules are achieved.
- Monitor production efficiency, throughput, yield, scrap generation, energy consumption, and overall equipment effectiveness.
- Identify production bottlenecks, process deviations, and capacity constraints, implementing corrective measures to improve performance.
- Coordinate with production and technical teams to optimize process parameters, material utilization, and manufacturing methods.
- Establish preventive and predictive maintenance programs to minimize equipment breakdowns and unplanned production downtime.
- Ensure production planning is aligned with customer demand, raw material availability, inventory levels, and commercial commitments.
Procurement & Supply Chain Management
- Oversee procurement of non-ferrous metals, alloys, scrap, consumables, spare parts, machinery, and other production inputs.
- Develop strategic relationships with metal suppliers, scrap aggregators, traders, processors, logistics providers, and other business partners.
- Negotiate commercial terms and supplier contracts to achieve competitive pricing, consistent quality, and reliable supply.
- Establish effective inventory planning, raw material tracking, warehouse management, and stock control systems.
- Monitor commodity price movements and supply market trends to support purchasing decisions and protect manufacturing margins.
- Coordinate inbound logistics, material handling, storage, production allocation, and finished goods dispatch.
- Implement supply chain controls to reduce material losses, excess inventory, procurement delays, and avoidable logistics costs.
- Ensure traceability and proper documentation of raw materials, production batches, and finished products.
Quality Assurance & Process Improvement
- Establish and maintain quality management systems to ensure products meet customer specifications and applicable industry standards.
- Oversee quality control procedures covering incoming raw materials, in-process production, laboratory testing, and finished products.
- Ensure appropriate chemical composition, dimensional accuracy, mechanical properties, and other relevant product specifications are maintained.
- Work closely with technical and quality teams to investigate product defects, customer complaints, non-conformities, and process variations.
- Implement corrective and preventive actions to improve product consistency and reduce rejection rates.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives using Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S, Total Productive Maintenance, or similar methodologies.
- Standardize manufacturing processes and introduce performance monitoring systems to improve productivity and operational consistency.
- Promote waste reduction, material recovery, recycling efficiency, and sustainable manufacturing practices.
Financial & Commercial Management
- Take ownership of operational budgets, manufacturing costs, profitability, and overall financial performance.
- Develop and monitor key financial and operational indicators, including cost per tonne, production yield, energy cost, scrap recovery, and operating margins.
- Optimize manufacturing costs through improved material utilization, energy efficiency, labour productivity, and process control.
- Work closely with finance and commercial teams on budgeting, forecasting, cost analysis, working capital, and business planning.
- Evaluate capital expenditure proposals, equipment upgrades, capacity expansion projects, and their expected financial returns.
- Support pricing decisions by providing accurate manufacturing cost estimates and production capacity assessments.
- Monitor operational spending and implement controls to improve cost discipline and resource utilization.
- Identify opportunities to improve profitability through operational efficiencies, product mix optimization, and enhanced production performance.
Engineering, Maintenance & Asset Management
- Oversee plant engineering, equipment reliability, utilities, maintenance planning, and technical support functions.
- Ensure critical manufacturing equipment, furnaces, casting lines, processing machinery, and material handling systems operate safely and efficiently, as applicable.
- Establish preventive maintenance schedules, equipment inspection procedures, and reliability improvement programs.
- Coordinate major repairs, equipment upgrades, plant modifications, and commissioning activities.
- Monitor equipment availability, maintenance costs, downtime, and asset performance.
- Ensure adequate availability of critical spare parts and maintenance resources.
- Evaluate new equipment and automation technologies to improve productivity, consistency, and operational reliability.
Health, Safety & Environmental Compliance
- Ensure compliance with applicable UAE regulations, environmental requirements, occupational health and safety standards, and internal operating procedures.
- Establish and monitor robust safety systems across production facilities, warehouses, maintenance areas, and material handling operations.
- Oversee risk assessments, workplace inspections, incident reporting, emergency preparedness, and corrective action programs.
- Ensure appropriate controls are in place for high-temperature operations, molten metal handling, furnaces, hazardous materials, machinery, and other process-specific risks.
- Monitor energy consumption, emissions, waste generation, and environmental performance.
- Promote responsible scrap processing, metal recovery, waste management, and resource conservation.
- Build a strong safety culture through employee training, leadership engagement, and continuous monitoring of operational practices.
Team Leadership & Organizational Development
- Lead and develop senior managers and department heads across production, engineering, procurement, quality, supply chain, and administration.
- Establish clear reporting structures, accountability frameworks, departmental objectives, and individual performance targets.
- Recruit, mentor, and retain high-performing operational and technical personnel.
- Build workforce capability through technical training, leadership development, and succession planning.
- Foster collaboration between manufacturing, commercial, finance, procurement, and support functions.
- Promote a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, operational discipline, and customer focus.
- Manage organizational change and ensure teams are aligned with business expansion and performance improvement initiatives.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related discipline.
- An MBA or postgraduate qualification in Operations Management, Business Administration, or a related field is preferred.
- Typically 15–20+ years of progressive experience in metals manufacturing, metallurgy, metal processing, or heavy industrial operations.
- Significant experience in senior operational leadership, such as COO, Operations Director, Plant Director, General Manager, or equivalent.
- Strong hands-on understanding of non-ferrous metals such as aluminium, copper, zinc, lead, or associated alloys.
- Experience overseeing large-scale manufacturing facilities, production teams, plant maintenance, quality systems, and supply chain operations.
- Demonstrated track record of improving production efficiency, reducing operating costs, enhancing quality, and increasing profitability.
- Experience managing operational budgets, capital expenditure, manufacturing KPIs, and full profit and loss responsibilities.
- Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, operational excellence, and continuous improvement methodologies.
- Understanding of environmental management, industrial safety, quality management systems, and applicable regulatory requirements.
- Experience leading plant expansion, automation initiatives, operational restructuring, or manufacturing transformation projects is an advantage.
- Strong commercial acumen, strategic planning, negotiation, and stakeholder management capabilities.
Key Skills & Competencies
- Executive leadership and strategic execution
- Non-ferrous metals manufacturing and metallurgy
- Plant operations and production management
- Manufacturing process optimization
- Procurement and supply chain management
- Quality assurance and process control
- Plant engineering and equipment reliability
- Financial management and P&L accountability
- Cost reduction and productivity improvement
- Commodity and raw material management
- Health, safety, and environmental compliance
- Capital investment and capacity planning
- Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement
- Team leadership and organizational development
- Business growth and operational transformation
What We Offer
- A senior executive opportunity within the non-ferrous metals manufacturing sector.
- The opportunity to lead operational strategy, manufacturing performance, and business growth.
- Scope to drive efficiency, quality improvement, cost optimization, and production excellence.
- An environment focused on operational leadership, innovation, and sustainable industrial development.
Apply now!
