Director - Operation

The Director – Operation vacancy at Botanica, Red Sea Global‘s subsidiary, is based in Umluj, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The post leads operations across the 180-hectare Botanica site: nursery upkeep and plant protection, irrigation, soil mixes, the flow of plants and materials in and out, and the facilities, fleet and workshops.

About the Director – Operation job in Umluj

The role sits in the Nursery Operations department of the Botanica Red Sea division, and every business unit leans on that department: Production for site care, soil and water, Landscape Maintenance for equipment, transport and soil, and Commercial for dispatch on time. Water management alone handles 2,000–4,000 m³ a day, sourced from desalinated supplies and TSE. Irrigation is where a failure costs most, since losing irrigation in summer heat can wipe out stock within days, so the job runs on prevention and backup plans for supply interruptions and system failures, with risks raised before they turn into losses.

Responsibilities

• Looks after the mother stock areas, 1,533,100 m² of planting zones and 173,800 m² of shading, with routine stock care (weeding, pruning, spacing, cleaning), daily plant-health checks and plant protection following the biosecurity and IPM programme that R&D & Biosecurity sets
• Designs, operates and maintains the pump stations and irrigation network, plans watering for each zone and season, and monitors consumption, flow and water quality while cutting freshwater use through smart irrigation, drip and TSE
• Produces soil mixes and growing substrates to approved recipes from raw materials sourced with Procurement, tests and records each batch, and supplies soil to other internal sections and to outside clients as a revenue stream
• Handles the receiving of plants and materials, whether local or imported, passes them to Biosecurity when inspection or quarantine is needed, runs dispatch against confirmed orders (delivery documentation, picking, loading and transport), works with Procurement on imports that pass through the bonded facility, and keeps accurate stock movement records
• Keeps equipment, shade structures, greenhouses and facilities in working order through preventive and corrective upkeep, and manages the fleet’s compliance, utilization and availability along with the asset register and workshops
• Owns the Nursery Operations budget (maintenance, spares, fuel, energy, water and labour), assigns transport, machinery and manpower to sections and to requests from Production and Landscape Maintenance, and reports KPIs every month while raising operational risks early, each with corrective actions
• Leads the operatives, supervisors and section heads, sets competency and training standards, controls high-risk work (machinery, chemicals, lifting, driving, heat stress) together with HSSE, and covers the fixed Department Head responsibilities (Section 11.1)
• Enforces delegation of authority (DoA), processes and SOPs together with the policies of Botanica and RSG Group so work stays controlled, auditable and consistent, applies an environmental, quality and safety management system (ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001) plus a compliance management system (ISO 37301), and leads improvements to department systems and practices, with international best practice as the yardstick and lower costs, higher productivity and client value as the aims

Requirements

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Agriculture or Horticulture
• Background in facility, landscape, agricultural or nursery operations, with the field leadership years covering a workforce of 200+
• Proven water management and irrigation experience in arid climates, plus fleet and facility maintenance and logistics
• Technical command of pump stations, irrigation systems and water efficiency, along with stock control and dispatch planning
• CMMS maintenance planning and asset management
• HSSE leadership and cost control
• Fluent English

Preferred qualifications

• Experience in KSA or elsewhere in the GCC
• Arabic

About Botanica

Red Sea Global’s subsidiary Botanica is part of the group, supplying sustainable greenery to the group’s destinations and fitting new species in with local flora. The job listing names The Red Sea Landscape Nursery as the company and Botanica Red Sea as the division. Its site covers more than 1 million square meters, and since 2020 it has grown more than 5 million plants, aiming for 30 million by 2030 for The Red Sea and Amaala. About 40% of its team comes from the local community.

How to apply

Applicants can apply using the button below.