General Manager - Kuala Lumpur (Operations)

Job Summary:

The General Manager (KL) is accountable for the overall performance, delivery, and profitability of all projects executed within the KL portfolio. This role provides leadership and oversight to multiple Project Directors, ensuring consistency in execution standards, resource allocation, stakeholder management, and commercial outcomes across all assigned projects. The GM acts as the senior point of accountability for project success in KL, bridging project level execution with corporate level oversight from the Head of Malaysia.

Responsibilities:

Portfolio Leadership & Oversight

• Provide leadership, direction, and support to all Project Directors managing KL projects, ensuring each project is delivered on time, within budget, and to required quality and safety standards.
• Set consistent performance expectations and delivery standards across all projects in the portfolio.
• Review and approve project plans, budgets, and resourcing strategies proposed by Project Directors.
• Escalate cross-project risks, resourcing conflicts, or systemic issues to the Head of Malaysia.

Commercial & Financial Accountability

• Own overall profitability and cost performance across the KL project portfolio.
• Monitor project level P&L, cash flow, and cost trends; intervene where projects are at risk of overrun.
• Work with the Finance function (as a partner, not a direct report) on budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting for the portfolio.
• Support Project Directors at tender/contract stage, ensuring commercial terms are sound before award.

Stakeholder & Client Relations

• Serve as the senior relationship owner for authorities, major clients, and consultants across the portfolio.
• Represent the company at a senior level in client and regulatory engagements, particularly where issues span multiple projects or require escalation beyond a single Project Director.
• Build and maintain the company's reputation and standing with government agencies, consultants, and industry stakeholders in KL.

People Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Project Directors and senior project staff within the portfolio.
• Ensure adequate manpower planning and succession coverage across projects.
• Foster a high performance culture, holding Project Directors accountable for their teams productivity and delivery.

Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Ensure all projects in the portfolio comply with safety, quality, and regulatory standards.
• Drive a consistent safety culture across all sites and project teams.
• Ensure lessons learned and best practices are shared across projects rather than siloed within individual teams.

Governance & Reporting

• Ensure timely and accurate reporting from all projects up to the Head of Malaysia (progress, financials, risks, milestones).
• Coordinate with corporate functions (Finance, HR, Legal, Procurement) as needed to support project delivery, recognizing these functions report separately to the Head of Malaysia.
• Chair periodic portfolio review meetings with all Project Directors to track cross-project performance.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Building, Quantity Surveying, or a related engineering/construction discipline. A postgraduate qualification in Business Administration, Project Management, or a related field would be an advantage.
• Minimum 15 years of relevant experience within the construction, engineering, or main contracting industry, with substantial experience managing large scale and complex construction projects.
• At least 5 years in a senior leadership capacity, such as General Manager, Project Director, Senior Project Director, Operations Director, or equivalent, with responsibility for multiple projects and senior project teams.
• Proven experience overseeing a portfolio of projects concurrently, with accountability for project delivery, financial performance, resource allocation, risk management, quality, and safety.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with demonstrated experience managing project P&L, budgets, cost performance, cash flow, forecasting, contractual matters, and project profitability.
• Strong understanding of the full construction project lifecycle, from pre-construction, tender and contract review through project execution, commissioning, handover, and close out.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and hold Project Directors and senior project leaders accountable for project performance and delivery outcomes.
• Strong experience in manpower and resource planning across multiple projects, including the ability to resolve competing resource requirements and project priorities.
• Sound knowledge of construction contracts, commercial risk, claims, variation management, procurement, and subcontractor management.
• Strong track record in managing relationships with clients, consultants, authorities, contractors, and other key external stakeholders at senior management level.
• Good knowledge of Malaysian construction regulations, statutory requirements, safety standards, quality requirements, and local authority processes.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and manage significant project, commercial, operational, contractual, safety, and stakeholder risks, with appropriate escalation and mitigation strategies.
• Strong leadership, communication, negotiation, influencing, and decision-making capabilities, with the ability to operate effectively across both project and corporate environments.
• Able to establish consistent project governance, reporting, performance standards, and best practices across multiple project teams.
• Experience working collaboratively with corporate functions including Finance, HR, Legal, Procurement, Commercial, and Safety/Quality teams to support successful project delivery.
• Experience in managing large scale, technically complex or mission-critical projects, including data centres, would be a strong advantage.