Insights Diversity and flexible working help us deliver success on Operations & Maintenance projects in Qatar

Operations Manager, Victoria Al Khoury works in Qatar for our Operations & Maintenance business. She started out her career in Dubai as an electrical site engineer, and after few years, when her son was born, she made the decision to move industries and so shifted to interior fit out, and latterly maintenance and facilities management (FM). She moved to Qatar four years ago to work with a local FM company and last year she joined AtkinsRéalis ’s Ministry of Education Headquarter project.

What’s your current role?

As the operations manager for the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Headquarter project, my role is to oversee the whole project operations, by engaging with the client, understanding their needs, managing and coordinating with our subcontractors, supervising and improving the performance of the team, and supporting all departments within the project (including both the hard and soft services). I also coordinate with various departments within the company such as HR, procurement, and finance, as well as managing the quality of the service we are providing to our client.

Why did you join AtkinsRéalis ?

My engineering background along with my experience in Qatar made me a good match for the position. I joined AtkinsRéalis Lavalin last year for various reasons; Joining a multi-national organization such as SNC-L is always an advantage for my career. AtkinsRéalis Lavalin’s reputation in the market is outstanding and the company has many great initiatives such as promoting sustainability and clean energy. The company also promotes integrity and equality, diversity & inclusion (ED&I), and provide training and development programs.

How do you balance work and home life? How does AtkinsRéalis support you in this?

Being a mom of two kids and an operations manager makes my day full. It’s very important to always set priorities at home and at work, I delegate some chores to my wonderful nanny, so it gives me time to keep my work – life balance I try my best to spend quality time with my family and friends when I come back home!

AtkinsRéalis Lavalin have given me a lot of support, offering flexible working hours when needed, and by encouraging me to take care of my own wellbeing. The company has launched many initiatives to promote work-life balance, and the latest initiative is Happify, an application that helps employees build skills for emotional wellbeing, physical health, resilience, and lasting happiness.

What advice would you give women looking to enter the FM job market?

Facilities management is a very dynamic field where we face a lot of challenges every day, but the passion of helping people and solving the issues is what keeps me motivated. FM is a growing field with an ever-increasing shortage of talent, so I advise any women looking to break into the industry to learn more about FM through various courses, or by following the FM trends and latest technologies. I believe it is much more accessible to women than many other industries, and it gives us the opportunity to innovate. Strong technical skills and an equally strong personality will help you to become successful.

What benefits can gender diversity bring to our clients and projects in the region?

Having a diverse workforce on our operations & maintenance projects can bring a lot of benefits to us and our clients. A diverse workplace allows us to have more ideas and processes, that can help us overcome the daily challenges we face on a project. This diversity of employees has bought a broader range of skills to our project, as well as a diversity of experiences and perspectives which has helped us increase the productivity.

Where do you want to go from here?

My plan is to keep learning in order to achieve personal and organizational goals from technical to financial capabilities. While growing into the FM industry with a leading company, I will continue to work with full dedication to perform my role and responsibilities effectively and deliver value to the business. I see myself growing into a role where I can lead multiple projects in the future.

Why equality, diversity and inclusion matter to us

At AtkinsRéalis , we make sure that everyone has an equal voice. We believe in respecting and empowering our people and creating an environment where everyone is encouraged to contribute. Ensuring that everyone feels encouraged to share their ideas isn't just the right thing to do, we believe it drives innovation and improvement. This is why we're always actively looking to diversify our talent pools.

Learn more about equality, diversity and inclusion at AtkinsRéalis and how we’re creating a culture we can be proud of

Do you want to join a company that is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion ?

We are looking for people that want to make a difference in operations and maintenance. If you are looking to learn, grow and upskill, we’d love to hear from you. Browse our jobs in the Middle East and apply today.

Would you like to know more? Not ready to apply? Join our talent community to stay connected and engaged with us at AtkinsRéalis .