Deputy Chief Operating Officer

JOB DESCRIPTION

Deputy Chief Operating Officer & Project Director – Essar Constructions India Limited

Essar Constructions India Limited (ECIL) was set up in May 2017 as the Indian arm of Essar Projects, the EPC business of the Essar Group, to consolidate and pursue EPC business in the Indian subcontinent. Essar Projects brings over five decades of experience delivering mega-scale projects across Energy, Minerals & Metals, Offshore and Infrastructure in India, the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Africa and Australasia.

ECIL executes civil, mechanical, piping and structural packages for large metals and mining clients, and runs a multidisciplinary Engineering & PMC division offering feasibility studies, FEED, detailed design, PMC, field engineering, commissioning support and debottlenecking. Recent work includes:

• Civil works for a 6 MTPA pellet plant and slab caster, and mechanical works for iron-making units and central utility piping at JSPL, Angul

• A 100 km slurry pipeline from Barbil to Dudipani and civil works for a beneficiation plant at Barbil for JSPL

• CPU and stacker-cum-reclaimer works at Nuagaon and Narayanposhi for JSW

• Civil works for the Chaliyama Steel Plant for RML, and blast furnace mechanical works at Jajpur for an OP Jindal Group company

ECIL reported an order book of about Rs. 1,100 crore as of 31 December 2023, around five times its FY23 operating income of Rs. 201.63 crore, to be executed over two to three years. Converting this order book on time, on margin and on cash is the central mandate of this role.

The Deputy COO & Project Director is the second-in-command for ECIL operations and the single point of accountability for delivering the company's project portfolio. The role directs multiple concurrent EPC projects from mobilisation to handover, builds a disciplined project-controls and cash-collection culture, and deputises for the COO across operations, client relationships and the leadership team. The role is intended as a succession position for the COO.

Operations Leadership (Deputy COO)

• Deputise for the COO in all operational matters and lead operations in the COO's absence.

• Translate the annual business plan into project-wise targets for revenue, EBITDA margin, cash collection and safety, and track them monthly.

• Standardise project execution processes, delegation of authority and reporting across sites.

• Lead monthly operations reviews and present portfolio performance to the COO, CEO – Essar Projects and Essar Capital.

Project Direction & Delivery

• Direct all live projects end to end: mobilisation, engineering interface, procurement, construction, pre-commissioning, commissioning and handover.

• Own baseline schedules, budgets and resource plans for each project, and approve recovery plans when projects fall behind.

• Manage subcontractors and construction partners, including selection, productivity, billing and close-out.

• Drive early resolution of design approval and drawing-release delays, which have previously held back revenue.

Commercial & Contract Management

• Own the commercial outcome of every contract: variations, claims, extensions of time, price escalation and liquidated damages exposure.

• Ensure timely RA billing, certification and closure of variations with clients.

• Lead negotiations with clients and subcontractors on change orders and disputes, with support from legal and contracts teams.

Project Controls, Cash & Receivables

• Establish earned-value based project controls covering cost-to-complete, cash flow forecasting and margin tracking for each project.

• Bring down receivables and working capital by tightening billing cycles and leading collections with client project teams.

• Keep projects within approved budgets and protect the targeted EBITDA margin.

Health, Safety, Environment & Quality

• Own HSE performance across all sites, with zero fatalities and continuous reduction in LTIFR as standing goals.

• Ensure compliance with client HSE standards, statutory requirements and Essar Group policies.

• Drive quality plans, inspection and test plans, and first-time-right execution to reduce rework.

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Act as senior point of contact for key clients including JSPL, JSW, RML and OP Jindal Group companies, and secure repeat orders through delivery performance.

• Manage relationships with local authorities and communities at project sites to avoid execution disruptions.

Business Development & Tendering Support

• Support the Business Development, Tendering & Estimation team on bid strategy, execution methodology, schedules and risk pricing for new tenders.

• Review major bids for execution feasibility and margin before submission.

• Identify new opportunities with existing clients and in adjacent sectors such as steel, mining, cement, power and oil & gas.

People & Organisation

• Lead and develop project directors, project managers and site leadership teams.

• Build a bench of project managers through structured succession planning and rotation.

• Set clear KPIs for site teams and lead performance reviews.

• Delivery: Projects completed within baseline schedule, with schedule variance tracked monthly

• Financial: Revenue booked against the annual plan; project EBITDA margin against budget; cost-to-complete accuracy

• Cash: Billing turnaround time; collection efficiency; reduction in receivables older than 180 days

• Commercial: Value of variations and claims approved; LD exposure avoided

• HSE & Quality: Zero fatalities; LTIFR; NCR closure rate; rework cost

• Client: Client satisfaction scores; repeat orders from existing clients

• People: Retention of key project staff; number of successors ready for Project Manager and Project Director roles

• Internal: COO, ECIL; CEO and leadership team of Essar Projects; Essar Capital

• Internal: CFO; Business Development, Tendering & Estimation; Engineering & PMC; Procurement; HR; Legal

• External: Client project and management teams; subcontractors and vendors; consultants; statutory authorities

• B.E./B.Tech in Civil or Mechanical Engineering. An MBA or PMP certification is preferred.

• 20–25 years of experience in industrial EPC, of which at least 8 years leading projects or a project portfolio as Project Director, Head of Projects or Head of Operations.

• Track record of delivering metals and mining projects, such as steel plants, pellet and beneficiation plants, blast furnaces, material handling and slurry pipelines, with individual project values of Rs. 500 crore or more.

• Hands-on experience with civil, mechanical, structural and piping packages, and with running several sites at the same time.

• Strong grounding in EPC contract commercials, claims and variations, and project controls tools such as Primavera P6 and SAP.

• Experience working with large Indian private-sector steel and mining clients is highly preferred.

Strategic & Technical Competencies

• Multi-project EPC delivery and portfolio management

• Schedule, cost and cash flow control using earned-value methods

• Contract, claims and subcontractor management

• Construction methodology and constructability for heavy industrial projects

• HSE leadership in high-risk construction environments

• Bid review and risk-based pricing

Leadership & Behavioural Strengths

• Ownership and bias for action under tight timelines

• Firm, fair negotiation with clients and subcontractors

• Ability to build and retain strong site teams

• Clear communication with clients, the board and site teams alike

• Integrity and adherence to governance and compliance standards

• Willingness to spend significant time at remote project sites

L&T (Minerals & Metals and Heavy Civil Infrastructure), Tata Projects, MECON, Shapoorji Pallonji E&C, Afcons Infrastructure, SMS India, Primetals Technologies India, Danieli India, Paul Wurth India, McNally Bharat Engineering, Simplex Infrastructures, and in-house project teams of JSW Steel, JSPL, Tata Steel and AM/NS India.