Chief Assurance Officer / الرئيس التنفيذي للضمان

Job Scope

The Chief Assurance Officer (CAO) provides enterprise leadership over Legal, Governance, Risk, Compliance, Quality, and HSE, and serves as the principal legal and governance advisor to the Board of Directors and CEO. The role safeguards OOMCO’s integrity through robust assurance frameworks that support informed decision-making, regulatory compliance, and long-term value creation.

The CAO provides strategic, forward-looking insights to the CEO, Board of Directors, and Steering Committee, anticipates enterprise risks, and enables effective Board oversight. The role also serves as Board Secretary and Board Compliance Officer.

Job Description
Legal:
• Act as the principal legal advisor to the BoD, CEO, and Executive Management, providing authoritative legal guidance to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and contractual obligations.
• Steer legal review, structuring, and risk assessment of all relevant contracts and agreements prior to the execution and CEO or Board approval.
• Provide legal opinions and interpretations on matters impacting corporate decisions and operational activities.
• Lead the representation of the Company in legal proceedings, legal disputes, negotiations, regulatory engagements, and other formal legal matters, as required.
• Oversee legal advisory and documentation support for mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, and other corporate transactions.
• Oversee the scope, and performance of external legal firms, ensuring alignment with Company interests and legal risk management objectives.

Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC):
• Oversee embedding governance and compliance disciplines into strategic planning, major commercial decisions, capital investment decisions, supply agreements, and market entry initiatives.
• Safeguard the OOMCO license to operate by driving monitoring and enforcing compliance with local and international sector-specific laws and regulations.
• Oversee corporate risk management, including identification, assessment, mitigation, and monitoring of strategic, operational, regulatory, Legal, and reputational risks.
• Lead regulatory engagement and compliance coordination with local and international relevant authorities, including Financial Services Authority (FSA), Ministry of Energy, environmental regulators, etc.
• Provide executive leadership to ensure full compliance with the Commercial Companies Law, FSA Regulations, Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) requirements, and all other applicable legal and regulatory obligations.
• Serve as the Company’s primary regulatory liaison for listed-company obligations, including the Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX), Financial Services Authority (FSA), and other relevant regulators, ensuring transparent communication, full compliance, and constructive relationships with shareholders and regulatory stakeholders.
• Oversee the management and governance of Non-Conformance Actions (NCAs) across all departments, ensuring timely documentation, system upload, ownership actions, and effective closure.
• Drive a strong ethics, integrity, and compliance culture across OOMCO through training, employee engagement, and effective whistleblowing and escalation mechanisms.

Quality:
• Provide executive oversight of quality assurance and audit frameworks for new and ongoing projects to ensure compliance with approved standards, specifications, and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee the planning, execution, and monitoring of the Quality Management System (QMS), including internal audits, vendor audits, and compliance with applicable industry-related standards and specifications covering, but not limited to, fuel sourcing, receipt, storage, distribution, and retail, in alignment with ISO standards and local regulatory frameworks.
• Provide executive oversight of all observations and findings arising from external audits, safeguarding certification status and continuous compliance.

HSE:
• Provide executive oversight over compliance with all applicable HSE laws, regulations, and industry requirements through active engagement with regulators, authorities, and external advisors.
• Oversee OOMCO HSE assurance, audits, and inspections, ensuring effectiveness of controls and closure of findings.
• Lead the establishment of Emergency Response Management governance, ensuring company readiness and response capability to all HSE-related issues.
• Exercise strategic oversight of HSE risk management to ensure disciplined risk governance that protects people, assets, and operational sustainability.
• Oversee incident reporting, investigation, and root-cause analysis, ensuring timely closure of actions and prevention of recurrence.
• Steer periodic HSE meetings across all company operations, reviewing performance, risks, and compliance to ensure operational excellence.

Strategic Leadership:
• Own the design, implementation, and continuous enhancement of frameworks across all functions Legal, GRC & Quality, and HSE, that ensure regulatory adherence and support sustainable business performance.
• Advise Executive Management on regulatory developments, industry trends, and emerging risks impacting OOMCO business, and sustainability, proving strategic oversights highlighting gaps and recommending value-enhancing actions.
• Steer all performance review meetings for the reporting divisions to ensure alignment with OOMCO’s business objectives, value creation agenda, and long-term sustainability.
• Represent OOMCO in key internal and external forums, strengthening the company’s profile, partnerships, and stakeholder relationships, where relevant.
• Cultivate strategic relationships with external partners, regulatory bodies, and internal executives.
• Drive a culture of compliance, governance, and safety across OOMCO by promoting employee awareness through training, communication, and engagement programs.
• Direct the development, mentor, and empowerment of employees while ensuring succession readiness and talent continuity.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement, operational agility, and long-term value creation.
• Oversee divisions’ budgeting processes, monitor financial performance, and ensure alignment with OOMCO priorities.
• Embed the innovation, transformation, and a culture of excellence, accountability, and ethical governance.
Qualifications and Requirements
Educational Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Law or an equivalent discipline is required.
• Master’s degree (Law, MBA, Corporate Governance or related discipline) is highly preferred.
• Professional-related certifications, such as ISO Lead Auditor and Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional (CCEP), or equivalent, are desirable.
Experience
• 16 years of experience, preferably in Legal, with proven experience in GRC, Quality, or HSE.
• 8+ years in senior leadership roles.
• Strong exposure to ISO standards, corporate governance, and local regulatory frameworks frameworks such as pervious experience in working with listed company.
• Experience in leading audits, governance and compliance activities at the corporate level.
Competencies

Technical Competencies:
• Enterprise Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Leadership
• Board, Regulatory & Shareholder Governance
• Legal Strategy & Corporate Advisory
• Integrated Assurance (Legal, GRC, Quality, HSE)
• License-to-Operate & Regulatory Stewardship
• Crisis, Incident & Emergency Governance
• Policy Architecture & Ethical Compliance

Behavioural/ Leadership Competencies
• Decisive Executive Leadership
• People Management
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Executive Influence and Advisory
• Strategic and analytical Thinking
• Executive Communication and Collaboration
• Ethical & Values-Based Leadership