Head - Service, Middle East

Arabic speaking is mandatory.

• JOB SUMMARY 

The Head of Service – Middle East leads, manages and grows SKF’s Service business across the Middle East in alignment with ISEAM and global Service strategy. The role owns the Middle East Service P&L and the end-to-end Service value chain, covering Service Sales, Condition Monitoring, Reliability Solutions, Circular Solutions and Remanufacturing, Protection Systems, and other relevant service enablers. The position is accountable for profitable and sustainable growth, execution excellence, customer value creation, capability development, and consistent application of SKF Service, EHS, quality and governance standards. 

• KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Education: 

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, Instrumentation, Mechatronics, Reliability or a related Engineering discipline.         MBA, postgraduate business qualification or recognised project / reliability qualification is an advantage.

Experience 

• Typically 10+ years of relevant experience in industrial services, engineering, solution-based businesses, condition monitoring, reliability or rotating equipment services. 
• Demonstrated leadership experience with P&L accountability and multidisciplinary Service teams. 
• Strong exposure to Middle East industrial markets and experience working across countries, cultures and customer segments. 
• Proven track record in profitable growth, service sales, complex project / contract execution, customer management and capability development. 
• Experience with SKF products and Services, regional / global teams, distributors and service partners is preferred. 

•  Knowledge, Skills and Competencies 

• Strong commercial acumen, value-selling capability and understanding of service business models, recurring agreements and margin management. 
• Sound understanding of Condition Monitoring, online monitoring / Protection Systems, Reliability Engineering, Asset Management, Circular Solutions / Remanufacturing and related industrial services. 
• Strategic thinking combined with hands-on execution, structured planning and disciplined performance management. 
• Strong leadership, coaching, change management, stakeholder influence and cross-functional collaboration skills. 
• Ability to lead senior customer discussions, complex negotiations, business reviews and escalations. 
• Strong project and contract management, risk management, quality and EHS mindset. 
• Excellent written and spoken English, with clear communication and presentation skills. Arabic or another Middle East language is an advantage. 
• Strong digital literacy and working knowledge of relevant ERP, CRM, project, service delivery and reporting systems. 
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly across Middle East customer sites. 

Preferred Technical Certifications 

• ISO Category II / III Vibration Analysis, VA / ASNT, reliability engineering, SKF Condition Monitoring or equivalent certification. 
• Project or contract management certification such as PMP / PRINCE2, or equivalent practical experience.

• KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

       Leadership and Strategy

• Act as a member of the ISEAM Service Management Team and contribute to relevant Middle East country management forums. 
• Define, implement and execute the Middle East Service strategy in alignment with ISEAM and global direction. 
• Translate regional and global priorities into clear country and segment action plans, resource requirements and performance reviews. 
• Build a high-performance, customer-focused and collaborative Service culture across countries and functions. 

 Service Business and P&L Ownership 

• Own the Middle East Service P&L, including sales growth, profitability, cost control, working capital support and forecast accuracy. 
• Drive sustainable growth across the three priority offerings: Condition Monitoring, Reliability Solutions and Circular Solutions, while developing relevant enablers and emerging offers. 
• Increase recurring business through long-term service agreements, predictive and proactive maintenance programmes, remote monitoring, Protection System lifecycle services and performance-based solutions. 
• Monitor business performance and implement recovery actions when sales, margin, cost, delivery or cash targets are at risk. 

 Service Sales and Market Development 

• Build and lead a strong Service Sales organisation and ensure disciplined opportunity, pipeline and funnel management. 
• Partner with Frontline Sales, Key Account Management, Segment teams, distributors and service partners to expand Service penetration and strengthen value-based selling. 
• Develop long-term customer relationships, generate qualified opportunities, support major proposals and tenders, and lead strategic commercial negotiations within delegated authority. 
• Conduct market and competitor mapping, identify changing customer needs, and shape differentiated offers for Middle East focus segments. 
• Work with Marketing to promote SKF Service technologies, customer value propositions, sustainability solutions and customer success stories. 

 Service Delivery and Execution Excellence 

• Ensure safe, high-quality and profitable execution of Service, Reliability, Condition Monitoring, Protection System and Remanufacturing projects and contracts. 
• Oversee project and contract delivery against agreed scope, cost, quality, safety, schedule, documentation and customer acceptance requirements. 
• Ensure resource planning, project governance, risk escalation, change control, invoicing triggers and closure discipline across the Service portfolio. 
• Drive standardisation, lessons learned, continuous improvement and consistent use of SKF Service processes, tools and delivery standards. 
• Coordinate with ISEAM and global experts for complex or large projects, technical escalations and capability support. 

 Circular Solutions and Remanufacturing 

• Drive the growth of industrial and railway Remanufacturing and Circular Solutions in the Middle East. 
• Integrate Remanufacturing into the Service portfolio, recurring agreements and sustainability value propositions. 
• Ensure operational alignment, quality governance, capability development and collaboration with ISEAM / global Remanufacturing teams and centres of expertise. 

Customer, Distributor and Partner Management 

• Build trusted relationships with senior customer stakeholders, reliability and maintenance leaders, procurement, EPCs, distributors, vendors and certified service partners. 
• Conduct regular customer visits and business reviews to identify reliability needs, installed-base opportunities, contract renewals, upgrades and new service potential. 
• Expand market coverage through distributors and partners while ensuring consistent SKF Service quality, commercial discipline and customer experience. 
• Act promptly on customer needs and escalations, balancing customer urgency with SKF governance, risk, quality and profitability requirements. 

 People Leadership and Capability Development 

• Lead, coach and develop multidisciplinary and multicultural Service teams across the Middle East. 
• Establish clear objectives, accountabilities, performance routines, succession plans and development actions. 
• Build capability through the ISEAM Service Academy, on-the-job coaching and relevant technical, commercial, project, contract, leadership and safety learning paths. 
• Promote collaboration across Sales, Engineering, Operations, Finance, Marketing, EHS, PX and regional / global Service teams. 

 EHS, Quality and Compliance 

• Ensure all Service activities comply with SKF EHS expectations, applicable legal requirements, customer site rules, risk assessments, permit-to-work and quality standards. 
• Maintain audit-ready documentation, service reports, project records, customer acceptance evidence and corrective / preventive action follow-up. 
• Promote a safety-first culture and stop or escalate work where safety, quality, compliance, contractual or reputational risk is unacceptable.

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Internal

Global Service Team

ISEAM Service Team

Managing Director

Service Managers

Engineers

All departments

SKF Group

SKF ISEAM

External

Distributors / Vendors

End Users

Service Providers

•    LEVEL OF AUTHORITY

• • Is empowered to act promptly to customer demands as well as initiate business potential for ME or sign service agreement with the customer on behalf of the company with approval from supervisor.