Job Description/Specification:
A Quality Lead in an offshore Oil & Gas project is responsible for ensuring fabrication and installation activities meet approved project specifications, quality standards, and contractual requirements. This role focuses on quality management across offshore jackets, topsides, pipelines, and vessel-related installation activities, while coordinating with contractors, subcontractors, inspection teams, and project stakeholders.
The position is suited to an experienced quality professional with a strong background in offshore construction, welding, inspection, NDE, and Oil & Gas project quality management.
💼 Key Responsibilities
- Implement the Project Quality Plan and oversee the Contractor's Quality Management System.
- Monitor fabrication and installation activities to ensure compliance with approved specifications and procedures.
- Implement construction surveillance programs covering fabrication and installation work.
- Review and approve Contractor and Subcontractor Inspection & Test Plans (ITPs) and quality procedures.
- Monitor welding activities and ensure appropriate quality controls are maintained.
- Coordinate with contractors and subcontractors to identify and resolve quality issues.
- Manage inspection resources and coordinate surveillance activities through approved inspection agencies.
- Conduct quality and welding training programs to reduce recurring defects.
- Perform regular site walk-throughs to identify quality and safety concerns.
- Ensure inspection records are accurately maintained and aligned with the project's completions management system.
- Manage deficiencies and Non-Conformance Reports (NCRs) from identification through investigation and closeout.
- Support effective project handover by ensuring quality documentation and inspection records are complete.
🎯 Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, or a related discipline.
- Additional qualifications in quality, welding, or NDE inspection are advantageous.
- Minimum 8 years of offshore Oil & Gas industry experience.
- At least 1 year of supervisory experience, including acting or oversight responsibilities.
- Relevant experience with offshore structures and pipeline installation.
- Experience working for Oil & Gas companies, EPC contractors, or technical service organizations.
- Strong knowledge of quality management systems and industry specifications.
- Understanding of relevant Oil & Gas industry standards and quality tools.
- Experience working within large-scale project and operations environments.
- Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
🚀 Why You'll Love This Opportunity
This role provides exposure to major offshore project activities covering fabrication, jackets, topsides, pipelines, welding, inspection, and installation.
It also offers the opportunity to work directly with contractors, subcontractors, inspection agencies, and project teams while contributing to quality performance and project handover.
For experienced Quality Engineers and Quality Supervisors, the position can provide valuable experience in managing quality activities across complex offshore construction scopes.
👤 Who Should Apply?
This opportunity is designed for experienced Quality Engineers, Quality Supervisors, QA/QC professionals, Welding Inspectors, and Offshore Quality Specialists with substantial Oil & Gas project experience.
The ideal candidate understands that quality management involves more than checking completed work. The role requires proactive surveillance, early identification of potential defects, effective communication with contractors, and structured follow-up of corrective actions.
Candidates who have worked on offshore structures, pipeline installation, fabrication yards, welding activities, or large EPC projects should emphasize those areas in their CV.
⭐ Skills That Will Help You Succeed
Key technical and professional skills include:
- Project Quality Management Systems.
- Quality Plans and construction surveillance.
- Inspection & Test Plans (ITPs).
- Welding quality control.
- NDE and inspection processes.
- NCR and deficiency management.
- Contractor and subcontractor quality management.
- Inspection resource coordination.
- Quality documentation and records management.
- Offshore fabrication and installation.
- Completions and handover documentation.
- Technical communication and reporting.
Strong stakeholder-management skills are also important because the Quality Lead must work with project teams while maintaining quality requirements during active construction.
💡 How to Stand Out
A strong CV should clearly show your offshore Oil & Gas experience and the types of projects you have supported.
Highlight experience with jackets, topsides, pipelines, fabrication yards, vessel installation, welding, inspection, and commissioning handover where applicable.
Quantify your responsibilities where possible. For example, mention the size of the inspection team managed, number of contractors supervised, major fabrication scopes covered, or improvements achieved in NCR closure and defect reduction.
Certifications in quality management, welding inspection, NDE, or related inspection disciplines should be clearly listed.
🎤 Interview Preparation
Prepare for technical and scenario-based questions around quality control in offshore construction.
You may be asked how you would handle a contractor performing work that does not comply with an approved specification, how you would review an ITP, or how you would manage repeated welding defects.
Be prepared to explain your approach to NCR management, contractor surveillance, inspection planning, welding quality, and quality documentation.
Interviewers may also explore how you balance project schedule pressures with mandatory quality requirements. Use examples from previous projects to demonstrate how you identified problems, coordinated corrective actions, and verified successful closeout.
📈 Career Growth
Offshore Quality Lead experience can support progression toward positions such as QA/QC Manager, Project Quality Manager, Quality Superintendent, Construction Quality Manager, or Senior Quality Manager.
Additional expertise in welding, NDE, project management, and offshore construction can further broaden opportunities across major Oil & Gas and EPC projects.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How much offshore experience is required?
The vacancy requires 8 years of offshore Oil & Gas experience, including at least 1 year of supervisory experience.
What type of projects are relevant?
Experience related to offshore structures and pipeline installation is specifically relevant.
Is a quality certification required?
The position requires a Bachelor's degree and mentions additional quality, welding, and NDE inspection qualifications as part of the desired background.
What does the Quality Lead oversee?
The role covers project quality implementation, contractor quality systems, construction surveillance, welding quality, inspection resources, NCR management, and quality documentation.
Is English required?
Yes. Excellent written and verbal English communication skills are specified.