Chief Business Development & Operating Officer

Job Purpose

• Set the company's growth direction and lead company-wide execution of that strategy, combining executive Business Development leadership with full operating accountability.
• The role secures strategic clients, partnerships, technologies and major opportunities, then ensures the organisation has the technical capability, people, systems, supply chain, capital discipline and delivery capacity to execute those commitments safely, reliably and profitably across Nigeria's oil and gas industry.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Formulate the company's multi-year growth and operating strategy and recommend priority clients, service lines, technologies, capability investments, partnership models and capacity requirements to the MD/CEO and Board.
• Translate market developments, client capital programmes, Nigerian regulatory direction, technology trends and competitive dynamics into clear decisions on where the company should invest, partner, build capability, scale or withdraw.
• Develop and maintain executive relationships with senior leaders of operators, NNPC-linked entities, indigenous independents, major contractors, OEMs, technology owners, financial/technical partners and other strategic stakeholders.
• Sponsor the company's largest and most strategic pursuits, ensuring executive alignment on client strategy, technical solution, differentiated value proposition, partner model, pricing posture, risk, working-capital exposure and negotiation position.
• Lead or oversee high-level commercial negotiations for strategic contracts, framework agreements, OEM representation, technology licences, consortiums, alliances and other market-entry arrangements.
• Shape OEM and partner structures with appropriate technical, legal, finance and operating support, ensuring clear responsibilities for territory, exclusivity, intellectual property, warranty, training, after-sales support, local capability and commercial economics.
• Set commercial policy and recommend acceptable pricing, return, credit, contracting, warranty and risk parameters for executive approval.
• Review the total opportunity portfolio and direct management attention toward high-value, executable opportunities with sufficient margin, strategic value and capacity to deliver.
• Ensure growth plans incorporate Nigerian Content as genuine operating capability, including local staffing, sourcing, service/fabrication capacity, training, technology transfer and sustainable partner development.
• Convert approved growth plans into an integrated operating model covering organisation, facilities, equipment, inventory, OEM support, supply chain, systems, people, working capital and capital requirements.
• Ensure operational readiness for approved service offerings, including relevant technology services, equipment supply, projects, BiSN/Wel-lok work, OCTG supply, wellhead procurement and other company-approved lines of business.
• Establish company-wide tender-to-delivery governance so that technical scope, pricing assumptions, commercial risk, HSE/quality requirements, Nigerian Content commitments, client obligations and resource needs are formally tested and handed over before mobilisation.
• Set project and service execution standards for planning, mobilisation, change control, technical assurance, reporting, acceptance, invoicing support, lessons learned and close-out.
• Own company-wide operational HSE, quality and risk-management performance and ensure leadership focus on prevention, learning, corrective action, compliance and business continuity.
• Lead supply-chain resilience, including strategic sourcing, supplier qualification, OEM performance, inventory policy, local/import sourcing choices, logistics contingencies and critical-spares planning.
• Evaluate and recommend investments in new technologies, local facilities, specialised equipment, inventory, digital systems and workforce capability based on strategic fit, commercial return, cash exposure and execution need.
• Work with the MD/CEO and Finance on operating budgets, capex, working-capital priorities, investment cases, inventory exposure and margin/cash protection across the portfolio.
• Review major contract and project performance, identify recurring causes of margin erosion, delay, quality failure, supplier underperformance or client dissatisfaction and direct corrective action.
• Ensure the company does not sell capacity, delivery dates or technical performance that it cannot credibly support, and intervene where a strategic pursuit creates unacceptable operational or financial exposure.
• Develop local technical capability and ensure OEM knowledge transfer, competence assurance, leadership succession and cross-training reduce dependence on single-source or expatriate expertise where practical.
• Strengthen management systems, dashboards, delegations, operating procedures and performance reviews so the company can scale without losing commercial or operational control.
• Chair or sponsor major business-development and operating reviews and intervene directly on strategic negotiations, critical projects, client escalations, supply-chain failures, incidents and business-continuity threats.
• Build senior commercial, technical and operational leadership depth, clarify spans of control and ensure performance management is linked to measurable growth, delivery, margin, cash, HSE and client outcomes.
• Present growth performance, strategic options, major pursuits, operating results, capacity constraints, capex needs and material risks to the MD/CEO and Board and recommend decisions requiring executive or Board approval.

Nigeria Oil & Gas Industry Responsibilities:

• Executive-level understanding of Nigeria's oil and gas commercial and operating environment, including upstream procurement, operator contracting models, indigenous participation, service-company economics, local-content requirements and working-capital realities.
• Strong understanding of the Petroleum Industry Act framework and how NUPRC, NCDMB and, where relevant, NMDPRA and other institutions affect investment, procurement, capability development and operating requirements.
• Strong senior network across Nigerian operators, contractors, OEMs, technology owners, service partners and relevant industry stakeholders.
• Ability to structure growth positions that are technically credible, compliant, commercially attractive, financeable and executable in Nigeria.
• Practical understanding of Nigerian Content capability development, OEM knowledge transfer, local workforce development and partner/subcontractor execution.
• Ability to lead a mixed portfolio of technology services, equipment supply and projects under demanding client, HSE, schedule, supply-chain and cash-flow conditions.

Key Performance Indicators

Measures / Indicators

Sustainable order intake, revenue growth, operating profit and margin contribution against strategic and annual plans.

Value and quality of major contracts, frameworks and partnerships secured in priority markets.

Revenue diversification, concentration risk, qualified long-term pipeline and balance of opportunities against delivery capacity.

Company-wide mobilisation, milestone delivery, client acceptance, close-

Measures / Indicators

out and operating-margin performance.

Quality of pricing, risk, contract and negotiation decisions and control of avoidable post-award exposure.

Cash conversion, inventory efficiency, capex discipline, mobilisation exposure and return on growth investments.

Market access, technical capability, commercial value and delivery reliability created through OEM, technology and consortium relationships.

Commercial return, client adoption, pilot-to-contract conversion and repeat demand from new technologies and service lines.

Safety, quality and compliance outcomes, including reduction in repeat events and timely corrective-action closure.

Reliability of OEMs, suppliers, logistics channels and critical materials, with reduced avoidable disruption.

Growth in local technical competence, OEM knowledge transfer, management succession and multi-skilled workforce capability.

Facilities, systems, people, equipment, inventory and partner capacity available to support approved growth without uncontrolled risk.

Depth and strategic value of senior client, partner and industry relationships.

Performance, accountability, collaboration and succession strength of the senior commercial and operations leadership team.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or another closely related technical discipline.
• An advanced management, business, finance or commercial qualification is advantageous.
• Approximately 15+ years of relevant experience in Nigerian oil and gas services, engineering, equipment supply, well services, projects, technology or complex technical service delivery.
• Substantial senior leadership experience spanning both technical/operational delivery and Business Development/commercial responsibility.
• Demonstrable record of winning major technically complex contracts, negotiating strategic agreements and delivering high-value work safely and profitably.
• Proven responsibility for multi-functional operations, P&L/budgets, HSE/quality, supply chain, people, capex or working capital and senior client delivery.
• Strong record of structuring OEM/technology partnerships, introducing new offerings and scaling local capability in the Nigerian market.
• Experience presenting material strategic, commercial and operating matters to MD/CEO and Board-level forums.

Technical / Functional Competencies:

• Corporate growth strategy, portfolio choices and integrated operating-model design.
• Deep technical judgement sufficient to challenge solution feasibility, execution assumptions, OEM claims, resource requirements and operational risk before commitment.
• Complex commercial negotiation, contract-risk judgement and executive deal structuring.
• Major tender sponsorship, strategic account leadership and pipeline governance.
• P&L, working capital, capex, investment-case evaluation, margin protection and return-on-invested-capital judgement.
• Multi-project/service portfolio governance, execution standards and capacity planning.
• Supply-chain, inventory, facilities, logistics and critical-resource strategy.
• HSE, quality, operational risk, regulatory compliance and business continuity.
• OEM/technology partnership, alliance, consortium, knowledge-transfer and local-capability structuring.
• Nigerian Content strategy, market-access implications and execution governance.
• Management systems, performance dashboards, delegated authority and executive/Board reporting.

Key Working Relationships:

• Internal: MD/CEO, Board as required, General Manager Business Development & Operations, Finance leadership, Technical/Engineering, Supply Chain, QHSE, HR/Administration and project/service leaders.
• External: operator executives, NNPC-linked entities, major contractors, OEM and technology-owner executives, consortium/investment partners, strategic suppliers, advisers, auditors/inspectors, logistics providers and relevant industry or regulatory stakeholders as appropriate.

Decision Rights and Authority Boundaries:

• Holds delegated executive accountability for both Business Development and Operations.
• May set commercial and operating priorities, allocate approved resources, sponsor strategic deals and approve matters within delegated limits.
• Major capital commitments, acquisitions, guarantees, binding strategic agreements, exceptional contractual settlements, commitments outside approved risk/return parameters and other reserved matters require MD/CEO and/or Board approval.
• The role title does not itself confer statutory Board membership.

Behavioural / Leadership Competencies:

• Enterprise leadership with equal respect for growth and execution discipline.
• Strong technical credibility and sound commercial judgement.
• Ability to make clear decisions under uncertainty and pressure.
• Calm, disciplined negotiation style and strong external presence.
• High integrity, safety leadership and respect for governance.
• Ability to challenge assumptions without damaging productive relationships.
• Strong talent leadership, accountability and succession focus.
• Financial discipline and willingness to reject growth that cannot produce acceptable risk-adjusted returns.
• Strong collaboration with the MD/CEO, Finance and functional leaders.

Work Environment and Travel:

• Nigeria-based executive role with significant travel to client offices, operating bases, ports, yards, project sites and partner facilities across Nigeria.
• Periodic international travel is required for strategic OEM, technology-owner, supplier, partner and client engageme
• The role must be available for major negotiations, critical operational incidents, project escalations and other time-sensitive executive decisions.

Role Governance:

• This job description defines the principal accountabilities of the role but is not exhaustive.
• The role holder may be assigned other duties consistent with the position.
• All financial, contractual, operational and people decisions remain subject to La-Vallee Energy Services Limited policies, the approved organisation structure and the company's delegated-authority framework.

Application Closing Date
19th October, 2026.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their resumes to: using Job Title as the subject of the email.

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