From Field Inspection to Technical Leadership—Lessons from 25 Years in Global Oil & Gas Projects

Technical leadership in oil and gas is not built in meeting rooms ; it is earned in fabrication yards, offshore barges, desert pipelines, and high-pressure shutdowns. Ehab’s career journey from hands-on inspection roles to senior technical and QA/QC leadership reflects the value of deep field experience in shaping effective decision-makers.

Early-stage inspection work teaches engineers how projects truly operate. You see how specifications are interpreted, how constraints are managed, and how small decisions compound into major outcomes. Welding quality, surface preparation, coating application, curing time, and inspection discipline all interact in ways that textbooks rarely capture.

As responsibilities grow, the challenge shifts from “doing” to “enabling others to do it right.” Leading QA/QC functions across multinational projects requires more than technical knowledge—it demands communication, trust-building, and cultural awareness. A successful technical leader knows how to align contractors, inspectors, engineers, and clients around a shared quality objective.

One of the most valuable lessons learned over decades of global projects is that quality improves fastest when teams understand the “why,” not just the “what.” Training applicators, inspectors, and engineers to understand failure mechanisms creates ownership and accountability. This approach consistently reduces NCRs, rework, and schedule delays.

Another key leadership insight is the importance of preparation. High-performing projects invest time upfront in qualifications, method statements, inspection and test plans, and mock-ups. These steps may appear time-consuming, but they save months of corrective work later.

Ehab’s experience managing large technical teams across regions also highlights the role of standardized processes. When inspection systems, reporting formats, and acceptance criteria are consistent, quality becomes measurable and predictable. This enables management to make informed decisions rather than reactive ones.

In recent years, technical leadership has also evolved to include data. The ability to analyze inspection trends, failure patterns, and production metrics allows leaders to move from reactive quality control to proactive risk prevention.

The most effective technical leaders today are those who combine field credibility, structured systems, and modern analytical thinking. They don’t just enforce standards—they elevate performance across the organization.