Major Works & Special Survey Lead

Location: Accra, Ghana (28/28 offshore rotation as required)
Reporting to: Maintenance & Integrity Manager
Contract Length: Initially 12 Months

Job Purpose

Our client is seeking a dynamic Major Works & Special Survey Lead to join the Operations Maintenance & Integrity (M&I) team. Based in Accra with offshore travel on a 28/28 rotation, this role is accountable for developing and delivering both long- and short-term strategies to maintain the vessel’s Class certification.

The role serves as the Company’s focal point for all Class Special Survey activities, ensuring full compliance with Classification Society requirements and acting as the primary interface with Class authorities and certifying bodies. The position defines the strategic roadmap for major maintenance interventions, coordinates cross-functional planning, and ensures effective offshore execution aligned with Our Client’s Operational Management System (OMS) and asset integrity objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Class Compliance

• Develop and maintain the long-term Class Survey strategy, including a 5-year compliance roadmap.
• Act as the primary point of contact for all Class-related inspections, audits, and survey requirements.
• Interface with Classification Societies to ensure inspection readiness and certification timelines are met.
• Define and oversee execution of Special Survey scopes and major works to maintain Class and regulatory compliance.
• Participate in Management of Change (MOC) processes for Class-critical systems and modifications.

Planning & Coordination

• Ensure assigned scopes are incorporated into 28-day and 120-day integrated plans, fully gate-compliant and execution-ready.
• Develop detailed execution plans, including long-lead scope development and resource planning.
• Coordinate with Execution Leads and offshore teams to resolve planning and execution barriers.
• Review construction work packs to confirm scope completeness, technical clarity, and material readiness.
• Support risk assessments, scope assurance, and readiness reviews with cross-functional stakeholders.

Execution & Contractor Oversight

• Manage interfaces with subcontractors to ensure timely delivery of materials, services, and documentation.
• Liaise with onshore fabrication contractors to ensure alignment with project schedules.
• Work closely with Procurement and Logistics to maintain material readiness and communicate priorities.
• Monitor execution progress and escalate risks, schedule deviations, or scope conflicts as required.
• Support mitigation planning to address priority shifts or operational constraints.

Performance & Asset Integrity

• Drive safety, quality, schedule adherence, and cost control throughout planning and execution.
• Ensure compliance with Company procedures, industry standards, and Classification Society rules.
• Promote continuous improvement by capturing lessons learned and sharing best practices.

Risk Management

• Identify and evaluate risks impacting quality, scope, cost, and schedule.
• Participate in HIRA, HAZID, HAZOP, Constructability, Stage Gate, and SIMOPS reviews, ensuring risks are identified and mitigated.

People & Relationships

• Foster transparent communication and knowledge sharing across teams.
• Support mentoring and development of junior staff where applicable.

Experience & Qualifications

• BSc in Engineering or relevant discipline.
• Project Management certification or equivalent experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in offshore oil & gas maintenance, major works, or survey compliance roles.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong understanding of FPSO systems and offshore oil & gas assets.
• Ability to assess multi-discipline contractor job plans for completeness, including:
• Task sequencing
• Materials and tooling requirements
• Manpower and specialist services
• SIMOPS and operational impacts
• Experience with CMMS systems (Maximo preferred) and SAP for financials/procurement.
• Working knowledge of scheduling tools (Primavera P6, MS Project).
• In-depth knowledge of industry and regulatory standards (API, ABS, ASME).
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills with proven cross-functional coordination capability.

Company information

At First Recruitment Group we understand just how important it is to secure the right people. That is why our Recruitment Consultants always take the time to understand requirements in detail and offer sound advice to both clients and candidates.  We actively recruit at all levels and this is a superb opportunity for Special Survey Lead looking for new employment.

As part of putting people first, we strive to be an equal opportunities employer and we are always looking to increase the diversity of our workforce, working closely with our clients to ensure everyone is included.