Job Title: Head of Engineering Services – ES Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE (Onsite) Employment Type: Full-time
Role Purpose The Head of Engineering Services (ES) is responsible for leading the end-to-end technical, operational, and delivery performance of the Engineering Services portfolio, covering Roads, Highways, Bridges, and Utility Design disciplines. The role ensures excellence in design delivery, technical governance, multidisciplinary coordination, and client satisfaction while driving innovation, efficiency, and compliance with international and local authority standards. The position provides leadership to large engineering teams, ensuring high-quality, safe, sustainable, and cost-effective infrastructure design solutions across complex urban and interurban projects. The role also plays a key part in supporting business growth, improving technical capability, strengthening delivery systems, and ensuring alignment with broader organizational strategy and governance frameworks.
Key Responsibilities
1. Delivery Excellence & Technical Leadership Lead overall delivery of engineering design projects across Roads, Highways, Bridges, and Utility Networks. Ensure all design outputs comply with applicable standards, authority regulations (e.g., ADM, RTA, DOT/ITC), and client requirements. Oversee multidisciplinary coordination between civil, structural, transport, drainage, wet/dry utilities, and related engineering functions. Establish and enforce robust design management processes, including stage-gate reviews, technical audits, peer reviews, and independent checks. Ensure timely delivery of design packages, reports, drawings, calculations, and technical submissions. Drive consistency in design quality, constructability, safety-in-design, and value engineering across all projects. Monitor project KPIs including schedule adherence, design quality, change control, and risk exposure. Lead technical resolution of complex design challenges and provide final engineering authority on critical issues. Institutionalize lessons learned, design standards, and best practices across all projects.
2. Engineering Governance & Assurance Define and implement engineering governance frameworks across all ES disciplines. Ensure compliance with internal QA/QC systems, ISO standards, and client-specific technical requirements. Lead technical assurance reviews for major projects and ensure independent design validation where required. Oversee risk management in design, including constructability risks, interface risks, and utility coordination risks. Strengthen design control processes including approvals, revision management, and document control systems.
3. Stakeholder & Authority Management Act as senior technical representative with clients, government authorities, and regulatory bodies. Lead technical discussions and approvals with entities such as municipalities, transport authorities, and utility agencies. Ensure timely approvals and smooth coordination for design submissions and permits. Manage escalation of technical issues and ensure resolution aligned with client expectations. Maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders to support project continuity and trust.
4. Leadership & Capability Development Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing multidisciplinary engineering team. Drive workforce planning, technical capability development, and succession planning within ES. Foster a culture of technical excellence, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Promote innovation in engineering design, including sustainable solutions and digital engineering tools. Ensure alignment of team performance with organizational goals and delivery expectations.
Qualifications & Requirements Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or related discipline (master’s preferred).15+ years of experience in engineering design within infrastructure consulting. Strong expertise in Roads, Highways, Bridges, and Utility Design (wet and/or dry utilities). Proven leadership of multidisciplinary engineering teams in consulting environments. Strong knowledge of GCC/UAE authority standards and approval processes. Experience in large-scale infrastructure and urban development projects. Strong stakeholder management and technical decision-making capability. Chartered Engineer / Professional Engineer status is an advantage.