Head of Engineering&Projects

The Group Head of Engineering & Projects will provide strategic leadership and governance for all engineering, technical services, capital investments, and project portfolios across Crop, Livestock, and Grain Processing businesses.

The role is responsible for developing a unified engineering strategy, ensuring operational excellence, managing large-scale CAPEX programs, driving innovation, and establishing common standards, processes, and technical governance across all clusters.

The position reports directly to the Managing Director of Crop Farming and serves as the highest engineering authority within the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the Group Engineering and Projects Strategy aligned with business objectives across Crop, Livestock, and Grain Processing clusters.
• Establish common engineering standards, technical governance frameworks, and project management methodologies throughout the Group.
• Lead engineering transformation, innovation, digitalization, and automation initiatives.
• Ensure alignment of capital investments with long-term business priorities and sustainability goals.

Project & Portfolio Management

• Oversee the Group project portfolio, including CAPEX programs, infrastructure development, modernization initiatives, and strategic investments.
• Review, prioritize, approve, or reject project proposals based on strategic and financial criteria.
• Define project governance mechanisms, success metrics, and reporting structures.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and according to approved quality standards.
• Drive effective resource allocation and cross-functional collaboration across business units.

Engineering & Technical Excellence

• Lead engineering functions covering mechanical, electrical, civil, automation, irrigation, maintenance, warehouse, and technical services operations.
• Promote reliability engineering, preventive maintenance systems, and operational efficiency improvements.
• Establish best practices in equipment lifecycle management and asset optimization.
• Ensure effective utilization of modern engineering technologies and digital tools.

People Leadership

• Lead and develop engineering leaders across all clusters.
• Build strong succession pipelines and technical talent capabilities.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Mentor senior managers and create unified engineering competencies across the Group.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with local legislation, international engineering standards, and HSE requirements.
• Establish strong risk management practices for engineering and project activities.
• Monitor engineering KPIs, project performance, and budget effectiveness.
• Drive sustainability, environmental responsibility, and operational resilience initiatives.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, Agriculture Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Project Management, or related disciplines.
• Minimum 10-12 years of professional experience, including at least 7 years in senior engineering and project leadership positions.
• Proven experience managing large-scale engineering functions across multiple business units or industrial operations.
• Strong background in CAPEX management, infrastructure development, and project portfolio governance.
• Demonstrated success in leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Project Management certification (PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent) is highly preferred.
• Knowledge of modern maintenance systems, automation technologies, and engineering digitalization practices.
• Fluency in Azerbaijani and English; additional languages are considered an advantage.
• Strong leadership, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Excellent analytical, budgeting, and strategic planning skills.
• Results-oriented with high attention to quality, safety, and operational excellence.