RETAINED ASSIGNMENT

Our client was established in 2004 in the UAE. They are one of the leading landscape maintenance and natural sports turf design, build and maintenance companies in the GCC. Their portfolio consists of range of projects carried out to international standards and specifications, ranging from 5 star celebrity golf courses to the Burj Al Arab. They are the 1st contractor to offer a sustainable approach to landscape maintenance and where possible offer solutions such as native plant selections, smart irrigation control systems, integrated pest management, materials and recycling of all biodegradable waste.

The Role
To build a Unit that becomes and retains a market leadership position in the landscape maintenance segment. Develop a commercially viable and profitable Business Unit. To build a high performance and purposeful product portfolio, robust team, systems and structures. Be self-directed, motivated, persistent and show a sense of purpose, commitment, a customer centric and “now” work ethic while displaying integrity and respect.

Key Duties and Responsibilities
Strategy
Focus on the UAE market and expand later into Bahrain and KSA
• Maintain high quality service standards
• Build and maintain excellent client relationships and client retention strategies
• Responsible for the P&L
• Collaborate closely with other divisions on opportunities and solutions – work as a true team member with a team spirit.

Core Objectives
•Business Development
• Grow the landscape maintenance business in line with a vision. Identify and seize product, commercial and regional opportunities
• Spearhead partnering with other departments and encourage cross selling Client Relations
• Implement a strategic business plan that expands company’s customer base
• Build and promote strong, long-lasting customer relationships by partnering with existing and new clients by understanding and fulfilling their needs.
• Regularly meet clients to satisfy project requirements, identify opportunities and solve issues
• Frequently meet clients to get new variation orders and to process them on time Commercial
• Review and further improve the strategies in Landscape management focusing on customer requirements and commercial viability in maintaining the highest standards.
• Provide support and guidance to the Divisional Managers, Landscape Managers, Supervisors in running the projects efficiently and to identify project opportunities.
• Identify and mitigate market and competitor risks.
• Participate in project related meetings, work closely with the Project Team, Procurement and Finance, and review project financial data to: (a) Identify opportunities for revenue enhancement, schedule relief and penalties/claim avoidance (b) Take appropriate actions to protect the companies interests and/or improve project performance
• Review all the tender submissions and contribute to pricing strategies. Scrutinize all official bids and contract copies issued to our clients to ensure accurate costing and risks are addressed accurately Project Management
• Maintain client relationships through regular client meetings, addressing their concerns in line with contractual commitments
• Manage and resolve all KPI’s on project sites issued by the clients and ensure no penalties are imposed
• Propose new techniques in landscape management, resource selection, irrigation improvements etc and secure variation orders above the AMC contracts Collections
• Facilitate monthly collections by ensuring clients are making payments towards work carried out on time Quality Audit
• Evaluate the quality of maintenance works at various sites for their standards, identify gaps and recommend improvements
• Document all quality concerns of sites through periodic reporting with detailed evidence
• Ensure plans are developed to execute the improvement initiatives in consultation with clients and, hence mitigate the gaps
• Identify and highlight design or build errors, and proactively plan to reduce maintenance expenditures.

Staffing & Resource Development
• Ensure manpower plans for the forecasted business requirements and periodical replacement of possible retirees / nonperformers, recommend and onboard talents to support the growth of the company.
• Develop and maintain KPI’s for the team. Set goals, monitor progress, and direct the workflow of the department to assure standards are met.
• Conduct regular performance evaluations and annual review of performance expectation.
• Maintain a training schedule for people improvement and provide training to team members on contracts, cost control, quality of work and other topics that are essential to strengthen the team
• Ensure productivity of staff is managed to get the highest output for the division Logistics & Machinery
• Ensure appropriate vehicle & machinery is available at site for operational efficiency
• Ensure periodic preventive maintenance is done for all machinery to reduce any loss of time due to breakdown
• Develop strategies to improve fleet efficiency across the division • Promote the use of machinery where ever possible and ensure trained personnel are handling such equipment
• Plan for replacement of ageing machines as and when required to ensure the best quality equipment are at use Risk Management
• Prepare a detailed plan which identifies risks, analyzes risks and develops responses to those risks
• Identify risks through various information gathering techniques and deal with them as early as possible
• Carry out regular checks on project sites and other work locations and ensure material / chemical / pesticides are stored as per ministry guidelines
• Ensure onsite security for fertilizer/ pesticides / tools and equipment • Ensure proper documentation for all work carried out on site
• Ensure health and safety requirements are implemented and adhered to on sites • Prepare and maintain a checklist for all such activities to be checked on weekly basis to mitigate all risks Reporting
• Ensure timely weekly and monthly reports are provided to the CEO/ CFO and included in the MIS
• Oversee the preparation, compilation and coordination of standard template cost reports (work done, cash flow, payments, accruals, planned vs actual budget, variances, forecasts, analyses etc.) for ongoing projects
• Assist in any other tasks assigned by the Line Manager.

Requirements
•Horticultural Degree / Diploma from a recognized university
• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience at a similar level with exposure to landscape maintenance industry
• Experience in dealing with maintenance projects, commercially, contractually and financially aware to ensure successful management of all financial aspects of the projects.
• Able to guide in estimation and planning.
• Exceptional listener and communicator who effectively conveys information verbally and in writing with clients, colleagues and the public.
• Flexible team player who thrives in environments requiring ability to effectively prioritize and juggle multiple concurrent projects.
• Proven ability to develop quality standards, testing procedures, inspection reporting formats, and ability to conceptualize tasks and accomplish them.
• Dynamic with Initiative who can get the job done, strong personality

Salary Package  - AED 55,000(rising to AED 60,000) + Car + Family Medical + Bonus

If you are interested in a confidential discussion, please send cv to lana@opusrecruit-me.com