Middle East Refining & Petrochemicals Start-up: Critical Roles Filled in 90 Days
During the start-up and operational-support window of a Middle East integrated refining project, we filled 25+ unit engineer and operations technician roles for the client within 90 days, delivered through a dual model of permanent search and Contract staffing.
Project Background
The client was providing construction and start-up support on an integrated refining project in the Middle East as units moved successively into mechanical completion and feed introduction. The owner imposed a hard requirement on start-up experience: candidates had to have hands-on start-up track records on comparable units (atmospheric/vacuum distillation, hydrotreating, cracking, etc.). Local visa rules and employment regulations were complex, and with many roles open at once, the client's own recruiting team was stretched beyond capacity.
Client Challenges
- The start-up window was fixed: critical roles had to be on site within 90 days, and arriving late meant missing the commissioning milestone
- The owner strictly scrutinised candidates' start-up records on comparable units; ordinary refinery operations experience was not accepted
- Concurrent gaps across process, mechanical, instrument and electrical disciplines made it hard for the recruiting team to stay focused
- Some roles were project-based while others required long-term retention, so the delivery model had to be a hybrid
- Family arrangements and rotation schedules for expatriates weighed heavily on candidates' willingness to accept
KUTA's Approach
Delivery plan back-scheduled from start-up milestones
Aligned with the client's master start-up schedule, we locked the mobilisation date, interview rounds and offer cadence for each role, producing an executable 90-day milestone plan.
Targeted sourcing prioritising comparable-unit experience
We focused on process and mechanical engineers with experience on large Chinese refining and petrochemical plants and Middle East projects, verifying each individual's start-up and operational-support track record one by one.
Dual-track permanent + Contract approach
Core operations management was sourced through executive search for long-term retention, while volatile roles were staffed on a Contract basis, flexibly scaling up and down with start-up progress.
Overseas onboarding support
Visa and work-permit advice, rotation flights and accommodation, host-country insurance and payroll were all managed end to end, lifting candidate acceptance rates.