Serco jobs Dubai spotlight a flagship opportunity: Operations Manager for the Palm Jumeirah Monorail. In this full-time, fixed-term post, you’ll build and lead Operations, Engineering, Security and Safety functions, act as Professional Head of Operations, and deliver a major overhauls programme that boosts reliability, customer experience and margins. You’ll command incidents, manage stakeholders across government, clients, contractors and emergency services, and embed Zero Harm. Success demands fluency with driverless rail systems—moving-block signalling, third-rail power, platform screen doors, AFC, OCC/SCADA—and decisive, data-led leadership over KPIs like punctuality, availability and delay minutes. Ideal profile: 10+ years O&M management, including 5+ in rail.
Table of contents
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Job overview
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About Serco in the Middle East
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Available jobs (related roles)
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Job description
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Key responsibilities
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Why this role?
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Requirements
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How to apply
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FAQs
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Final thoughts
Job overview
Job Title: Operations Manager – Palm Jumeirah Monorail
Company: Serco
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Employment Type: Full time
Contract Type: Fixed term
Category: Transport / Rail Operations
If you’re exploring Serco jobs Dubai with real leadership scope, the Operations Manager role for the Palm Jumeirah Monorail is a flagship opportunity. You’ll establish and develop the system’s Operations, Engineering, Security, and Safety Management functions, act as the Professional Head of Operations, and steer a major overhauls programme that boosts reliability, customer experience, and financial performance. This position demands decisive incident leadership, tight stakeholder management with government agencies and contractors, and an obsession with Zero Harm. You’ll set standards, manage risks, and guide a cross-functional team to deliver safe, on-time service across Dubai’s most iconic rail corridor.
About Serco in the Middle East
With a regional legacy dating back to 1947, Serco partners with governments and essential public services across transport, space, defence, emergency services, justice and migration, and more. The company’s capabilities include service design and advisory, customer experience, complex programme management, systems integration, and asset and facilities management. In Dubai’s mobility ecosystem, Serco is known for operational excellence and a Zero Harm culture—developing people, improving systems, and delivering measurable outcomes that citizens and visitors feel every day.
Available jobs (related roles)
To broaden your options alongside Serco jobs Dubai, consider adjacent paths and feeder roles commonly connected to this Operations Manager mandate:
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Rail Operations Duty Manager – Real-time service management, incident recovery, KPI control.
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Rolling Stock and Systems Engineer – Reliability, condition-based maintenance, overhaul delivery.
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Control Room Supervisor (OCC/SCADA) – Regulation, communications, incident coordination.
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Safety and Assurance Manager (Rail) – SMS, audits, investigations, compliance.
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Customer Experience Manager (Rail) – Station standards, crowd management, NPS/CSAT improvement.
Job description
This Operations Manager post is mission-critical to Palm Jumeirah Monorail’s performance today and resilience tomorrow. You’ll architect and run the operating model across four pillars—Operations, Engineering, Security, and Safety—ensuring the system delivers service quality, margin, and growth in concert. You’ll lead a major overhauls programme that extends asset life, tightens reliability, and reduces life-cycle cost while protecting the customer experience.
Technically, you’ll engage with the full driverless ecosystem: moving block signalling, third-rail power, platform screen doors, automatic gates and fare collection, tracks and crossovers, control and communications, and the underlying electromechanical assets. Your remit is to integrate these subsystems into a cohesive, safe, and punctual operation—underpinned by disciplined procedures, trained people, and vigilant assurance.
Beyond the technicals, the job requires political acuity and crisp communication. You’ll brief board-level and government stakeholders, build high-trust relationships with emergency services and contractors, and set a calm, authoritative tone during incidents or service disruptions. You’ll translate complex data into clear decisions—quickly—without compromising safety, quality, or performance targets.
Key responsibilities
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Leadership and direction: Provide clear purpose and KPIs for multi-disciplinary teams; align safety, customer, and financial outcomes.
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Operations discipline: Stand up and mature Operations, Engineering, Security, and Safety Management functions; codify SOPs and readiness checks.
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Professional Head of Operations: Own procedures, competence management, and readiness reviews; lead the major overhauls programme to completion.
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Performance uplift: Identify gaps; implement improvements that enhance punctuality, availability, dwell adherence, and customer satisfaction.
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Stakeholder management: Maintain trusted relationships with government agencies, clients, contractors, and emergency services; ensure transparent, timely reporting.
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Incident command: Lead response to incidents and service failures; manage safety, regulatory, reputational, and security risks with Zero Harm at the core.
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Data and reporting: Run regular reviews; produce concise, evidence-backed management reports; track KPIs and drive continuous improvement.
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Growth and margin: Develop contract activities to optimize cost, margin, and service; identify organic growth opportunities in the mobility portfolio.
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Team culture: Coach and develop staff; set expectations for communication, motivation, and cross-functional teamwork.
Why this role?
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Iconic impact: Shape daily mobility on the Palm Jumeirah Monorail—a globally recognized Dubai landmark.
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Career acceleration: Enterprise-scale exposure across driverless rail systems, safety assurance, and major overhauls—skills that transfer across rail and broader urban mobility.
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Zero Harm environment: Operate within a safety-first culture backed by structured training, audits, and clear accountability.
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Stakeholder visibility: Engage directly with government, board members, and strategic partners—accelerating your leadership credibility.
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Measured success: Your improvements show up in the numbers: punctuality, availability, delay minutes, safety performance, customer satisfaction, and margin.
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Values-driven employer: Serco invests in learning, wellbeing, and inclusive teams, creating a platform for long-term growth.
Requirements
Education and credentials
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Degree in a relevant engineering or related discipline (ideal).
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Professional membership with a recognized engineering institution (preferred).
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Lean Six Sigma (Yellow/Green/Black Belt) certification (preferred).
Experience
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10+ years in operations and maintenance management.
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5+ years specifically in rail O&M leadership.
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Proven success in time-sensitive, incident-prone environments with senior on-call responsibilities.
Technical knowledge
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Working knowledge of driverless trains, moving block signalling, third-rail power, platform screen doors, automatic gates and fare collection, tracks/crossovers, control and communication systems, and E&M.
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Thorough understanding of railway safety across operations and maintenance, including regulatory frameworks and assurance processes.
Leadership and soft skills
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Politically astute; able to engage government agencies, clients, contractors, and staff.
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Excellent communication, motivation, and staff development skills.
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Decisive, analytical, and composed under pressure; able to make well-considered decisions on complex information.
How to apply
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Visit the Serco Careers site and open the listing for Operations Manager – Palm Jumeirah Monorail (Dubai).
- Click Here to Apply!
FAQs
1) Is this role purely operational, or does it include engineering ownership?
Both. You will oversee operations, engineering, security, and safety—ensuring technical functions align to service KPIs and Zero Harm.
2) What systems experience is most valuable?
Background with driverless operations, moving block signalling, third-rail power, PSDs, AFC, and OCC/SCADA workflows is highly advantageous.
3) Does the role include incident on-call responsibilities?
Yes. You’ll handle time-sensitive events and may fulfill senior on-call duties to stabilize operations and protect customer experience.
4) What leadership style succeeds at Serco?
Visible, data-driven, and safety-led—combining decisive command in incidents with coaching and development in steady-state operations.
5) Which KPIs will I own?
Expect to lead on punctuality/OTP, availability, delay minutes/causes, safety metrics, customer satisfaction, and financial performance aligned to contract goals.
6) How can I stand out when applying for Serco jobs Dubai?
Quantify performance wins—e.g., “reduced delay minutes by 22%,” “lifted availability to 99.3%,” “zero lost-time incidents for 12 months,” or “completed mid-life overhauls under budget by 8%.”
Final thoughts
Among Serco jobs Dubai, the Operations Manager – Palm Jumeirah Monorail role offers rare end-to-end ownership: operations discipline, engineering reliability, safety assurance, incident command, and stakeholder leadership. If you’re ready to run a driverless system with global visibility—and you thrive on turning complex rail ecosystems into safe, punctual, customer-loved service—this is your stage. Apply now to lead a high-profile mobility asset and help shape the next chapter of Dubai transport excellence.