Operations Assurance Manager

The purpose of this document is to describe the position of Operations Assurance Manager in the Keolis MHI organisation. The missions and activities described below are not exhaustive and may evolve to better suit the needs of Keolis MHI.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic

• Lead the Operational assurance activities across both eh Dubai Metro and Tram as detailed below.
• Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive operations assurance framework to ensure safe rail operations aligned with regulatory and contractual safety requirements.
• Conduct proactive hazard analyses, risk assessments, and system reliability evaluations to identify and mitigate operational risks before they impact service.
• Maintain, lead updates and ensure compliance to the Minimum Operating Requirements
• Lead or support investigations into safety incidents and near-miss events; develop robust corrective and preventive actions.
• Ensure compliance with local regulations (e.g., RTA/RTA safety frameworks), international rail/metro standards, and contract delivery obligations.
• Drive internal and external operations assurance audits, inspections, and compliance checks and ensure timely resolution of findings.
• Maintain and develop operations assurance documentation, including assurance plans, procedures, performance reports, safety cases and change impact analyses.
• Monitor and analyse service performance indicators (safety performance, reliability KPIs, incident trends) to support continuous reliability improvements.
• Champion continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives that reduce risk, enhance service quality, and improve operational readiness.
• Collaborate with operations, maintenance and engineering teams to validate assurance outcomes and operational improvements.
• Manage assurance aspects of operational changes, including evaluating the impact of changes to infrastructure, processes, technology or service delivery.
• Ensure assurance requirements are integrated into change and release processes and that risks are properly assessed and controlled.
• Serve as a key interface with internal functions (Operations Control Centre, Safety, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality) to align assurance activities with operational priorities.
• Represent the assurance function in meetings with regulators, contractors, clients and senior management, and ensure alignment on safety and compliance obligations.
• Lead the preparation and review of operational assurance plans, schedules, audit results, and progress reports for senior leadership across both Dubai Metro and Tram
• Provide transparent and actionable reporting on risk posture, audit outcomes, and performance against assurance targets.
• Promote a strong assurance and safety culture across operations teams through training, coaching, and assurance awareness programs.
• Support workforce competence development related to assurance practices and risk management.

Financial

• Ensure Contractual KPIs are met, and a plan is in place to meet the annual targets.
• Ensure functional team expenditure is sanctioned and approved by the Deputy Director QHSE Systems Assurance and Compliance & / Or QHSE Director.

Stakeholder / Customer

• Arrange and lead on key Operational assurance topics with internal and external stakeholders.
• Prepare material for all stakeholder meetings where required and ensure material is reviewed and approved before presentation.
• Lead on all key communications and committees related to the scope of the role.

Operational 

• Continuously monitor day-to-day railway operations to verify that safety controls, procedures, and operating rules are being correctly applied across train operations, stations, OCC and interfaces with maintenance.
• Lead the operational assurance aspects of incident and near-miss reviews, identify systemic issues and trends, and ensure corrective and preventive actions are implemented, tracked, and verified for effectiveness.
• Plan and conduct routine and targeted operational audits, inspections, and compliance checks (e.g. rule compliance, degraded mode operations, emergency preparedness), ensuring findings are closed within agreed timescales.
• Provide operational assurance for changes to procedures, timetables, systems, or configurations, and validate that degraded and emergency operating modes are risk-assessed, authorised, trained, and operationally ready.
• Analyse operational performance data (safety KPIs, service reliability, rule breaches), produce assurance reports for management and regulators, and support operational readiness for special events, peak periods, and abnormal operations.

Capability / People 

• Ensure all safety-critical operational staff are trained, assessed, certified, and authorised, and that competence remains current and auditable.
• Identify capability gaps from incidents, audits, observations, and performance trends, and ensure that training and refresher programmes effectively address real operational risks.
• Promote a strong safety, reporting, and just culture by encouraging hazard and near-miss reporting and reinforcing safe behaviours across operations.
• Observe frontline operations to assure rule compliance, decision-making, and human factors such as fatigue, workload, and situational awareness are effectively managed.
• Assure that operational changes are supported by appropriate communication, training, and competence updates before implementation.

DIMENSIONS

• Working hours as per contract.
• On-Call working hours as per departmental requirements.
• Incident response and availability as required.
• Office environment. Occasional travel may be required.

CHALLENGES

• Challenging unsafe practices or non-compliance while operations are under pressure to maintain punctuality, capacity, and customer service without being seen as obstructive.
• Driving behavioural and capability improvements across Operations, OCC, Maintenance, and Contractors, where the assurance function relies on influence rather than command.
• Assuring competence, procedures, and readiness while new systems, timetable changes, upgrades, or degraded modes are introduced into an already operating network.
• Encouraging honest reporting of errors and near misses in a multi-national, multi-contractor workforce, while maintaining accountability and regulatory compliance.
• Ensuring staff remain confident and competent in rare but safety-critical situations (e.g. emergency evacuations, major system failures, abnormal operations).

KEY COMPETENCIES

Technical Competencies

• Understanding of Dubai Railway Implementation Law.
• Understanding of Operations Assurance in a rail or transport industry environment.
• Working knowledge of Operations Assurance principles & terminology.
• Working knowledge of railway organisational structures and standards, workflows, procedures and terminology. Examples include hazard logs & risk assessment principles.
• Thorough understanding of core Keolis-MHI business operations.
• Currently possesses or is working towards a NEBOSH Cert qualification.

Behavioural Competencies

• Strategic Thinking.
• Communication.
• Decision Making.
• Teamwork.
• Ethical Behaviour.

MINIMUM QULAIFICATION