Position Snapshot

Title: Head of Building Development & Maintenance

Function: Capital projects delivery, hygienic building fabric, facilities maintenance, regulatory compliance

Nationality: Open – Kuwait residency will be sponsored

OUR CLIENT

Is one of the most iconic FMCG (Food) firms in the region exporting across the GCC, EU and USA. The manufacturing footprint spans 2 sites in Kuwait and a portfolio of aseptic, chilled, powder and beverage lines under FSSC 22000, SFDA, McDonald's SQMS and US SID regulatory regimes.

The Role

We are seeking a Head of Building Development & Maintenance to own the full lifecycle of the company's built environment — from ground-up capital construction and hygienic factory upgrades through to steady-state building maintenance and regulatory permitting. This is a hands-on, technically demanding leadership role at the intersection of project management, food-plant hygienic design, and multi-site facilities operations.

The successful candidate will be the single accountable owner for the fabric, envelope, drainage, zoning and building services of every manufacturing site of the company, and the executive lead for all civil, structural and architectural components of the client's capital pipeline.

Core Responsibilities

Capital Projects & Building Development

Lead the civil, structural, architectural and building-services scope of all capital projects, from concept design through commissioning, warranty and defect-liability closure. Own contractor selection, tendering, contract negotiation, EVM-based cost/schedule control, and formal change management on projects up to and beyond 10M USD in value. Interface with process, packaging, utilities and automation disciplines to ensure integrated, buildable, hygienic designs.

Hygienic Building Design & Food Safety

Set and enforce hygienic design standards for floors, drains, walls, ceilings, doors, roofs, insulation and services penetrations across all production zones, aligned with EHEDG Doc. 44 (Parts 1 & 2), 3-A Sanitary Standards, GFSI/FSSC 22000 and SFDA requirements. Design and govern zoning strategies (high-care / low-care / non-food) including pressure cascades, airlocks, personnel and material flows. Manage all construction and renovation work performed in live production environments through structured risk assessments, physical segregation, environmental monitoring and formal food-safety sign-off protocols.

Facilities & Building Maintenance

Own the preventive and reactive maintenance strategy for all buildings and building services (excluding process equipment), including a CMMS-driven (Maximo) PPM program, condition surveys and multi-year CAPEX renewal planning. Reduce the chronic Building Maintenance Request backlog, particularly in wet and high-traffic zones, and eliminate repeat findings from FSSC 22000 and customer audits. Lead facilities cost optimisation, contractor consolidation and SLA governance without compromising hygienic or safety standards.

Regulatory & Stakeholder Management

Own all building-related permits and compliance with Kuwait Municipality, Kuwait Fire Department, MEW, PAM, KEPA (including Table 4 effluent segregation) and Civil Defence, and their counterparts in other geographies where the business may have operations. Serve as the client's authoritative technical voice with consultants, contractors, insurers and regulators.

Leadership

Lead a multi-disciplinary in-house team (civil, MEP, HVAC, soft services) plus a wider contractor workforce. Drive a governance culture — SMART KPIs, structured project reporting, transparent CAPEX/OPEX discipline, and audit-ready documentation.

Ideal Candidate Profile

Must-Have

- Minimum 10 years' progressive experience, with at least 5 years leading building development and/or building maintenance inside a food, beverage, dairy or pharmaceutical manufacturing environment (retail/hospitality FM alone will not qualify).
- Demonstrable ownership of at least one ground-up industrial building project (not fit-out) delivered end-to-end at >2M USD CAPEX value.
- Working fluency with EHEDG Doc. 44 hygienic design principles — floor systems, drain design, wall panels, zoning, roof/condensate management, hygienic services routing.
- Bachelor's degree in Civil, Structural, Mechanical or Architectural Engineering (or Building Services).
- Master's preferred.
- PMP or equivalent recognised project management credential.
- Experience managing construction and renovation works in live food production environments, with a documented food-safety-first methodology.
- Fluent English; strong written communication for executive and board-level reporting.

Strongly Preferred

- Direct exposure to dairy, aseptic, chilled or powder processing plant environments.
- GCC or wider Middle East operating experience; familiarity with Kuwait regulatory authorities is a distinct advantage.
- Additional credentials: CFM (IFMA), Chartered Engineer status, LEED AP, ISO 9001/45001/14001 internal auditor.
- Arabic language capability.

Personal Attributes

- Technically deep, commercially sharp, and comfortable owning trade-offs between cost, schedule, food safety and long-term asset integrity.
- Direct communicator; structured thinker; audit-ready by default.
- Comfortable in a hands-on, site-based leadership role — this is not a desk position.

Deal-Breakers

- Career primarily in retail, hospitality or commercial FM without hard food-manufacturing engineering exposure.
- No direct project management of industrial construction (fit-out-only backgrounds will not be considered).
- Inability to demonstrate specific knowledge of hygienic floor, drain and wall specifications.

Why Join our Client?

Join a heritage brand with strong consumer loyalty at a pivotal moment of transformation. Lead the Building & FM department modernisation journey in a high‑growth environment, championing sustainability and innovation across the GCC region.