Associate Director Project Lead

Egis Group; Dubai; On-site; AED 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading architectural firm in Dubai is looking for an experienced Project Oversight & Delivery professional to manage large-scale projects. The ideal candidate will have a professional degree in Architecture and at least 19 years of experience, including 9 years in the region. Responsibilities include managing project teams, ensuring compliance with budgets, and maintaining strong client relationships. This full-time role requires exceptional leadership, communication, and project management skills. Remote work is not offered.

Qualifications

• Minimum 19 years of experience in architectural design consultancy.
• At least 9 years of local/regional experience in architectural consultancy.
• Experience managing large multidisciplinary design teams.

Responsibilities

• Ensure overall project health and delivery.
• Monitor project performance against approved plans.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders and clients.

Skills

Architecture

Leadership

Project Management

BIM workflows

Client Management

Education

Professional degree in Architecture

Job description

Project Oversight & Delivery

• Lead the design development and successful delivery of projects while continuously monitoring overall project health.
• Manage project teams and resources across large-scale projects or defined scopes within complex developments.
• Drive effective team coordination through regular client meetings, issue-focused workshops, internal reviews and interdepartmental collaboration.

Project Control & Reporting

• Coordinate closely with Project Control and Project Management (PC/PM) teams to develop and maintain dashboards, design management plans, project execution strategies and progress reports.
• Ensure accurate and timely reporting (daily, weekly and monthly) to proactively identify risks, bottlenecks and scheduling conflicts.
• Monitor project performance, resources and expenditures against approved plans to maintain schedule and budget compliance.

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Maintain strong relationships with the clients’ senior management addressing and resolving stakeholder conflicts effectively.
• Provide leadership throughout project execution to sustain positive working relationships with sub-consultants, internal teams, project managers and clients.
• Ensure all external interactions reflect the highest professional and ethical standards.

Quality Management

• Lead the implementation of the company’s quality management systems across all project activities.
• Promote quality awareness and conduct regular (monthly) QA/QC reviews.
• Identify, address and resolve non-conformances while ensuring preventative measures are implemented.
• Participate in biannual quality audits as required.

Team Leadership & Development

• Support career development through mentoring, performance management and promotion planning.
• Foster a collaborative and high-performing team culture aligned with project and organizational goals.
• Guide architects, senior architects, design managers, associates and directors in achieving KPIs, quality standards and performance targets.

Collaboration & Strategic Oversight

• Collaborate with other architectural practices within the organization to coordinate workloads, align project stages and ensure delivery excellence.
• Advise senior management on operational improvements, risk mitigation strategies and strategic financial matters including cash flow and collections.

Financial Coordination

• Provide timely and accurate project updates to the accounts team to support invoicing and facilitate prompt payment collection.
• Undertake additional responsibilities as assigned by the Managing Principal and Managing Directors in accordance with company policies.

Business Development & Partnerships

• Identify, assess and pursue new business opportunities aligned with the company’s strategic objectives.
• Lead deal execution activities including partner prioritization, strategic and financial analysis, deal structuring, negotiation and implementation.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior executives within partner and client organizations.
• Act as a local architectural representative protecting and promoting the company’s brand and market presence.

Key Requirements & Qualifications

• Professional degree in Architecture (Bachelors or Masters) from an accredited institution (mandatory).
• Minimum 19 years of experience in architectural design consultancy including at least 9 years of local/regional experience.
• At least 9 years of experience in design development and documentation within an architectural consultancy environment.
• Strong grounding in architectural principles and practices with comprehensive knowledge of the design and construction industry.
• General understanding of BIM workflows and methodologies.
• Thorough knowledge of local and international building codes, building materials and product standards.
• Broad understanding of related disciplines including MEP systems, master planning, infrastructure, landscape, interior design (ID) and stakeholder coordination.
• Proven experience managing large multidisciplinary design teams demonstrating strong leadership and coordination skills.
• Experience delivering high-profile international projects including:
  • Hospitality developments
  • High-rise residential buildings
  • Hospitals
  • Family Entertainment Centers (FECs)
  • Science museums
  • Shopping malls
  • Mixed-use developments
• Active involvement in organizational and business processes including:
  • Staff interviews, mentoring and performance evaluations
  • Technical input for bidding processes
  • RFP evaluations and bid/no-bid decision-making
• Demonstrated ability to develop design systems and processes that enhance quality and efficiency including templates and shared resources for global office use.
• Excellent communication, client management and leadership skills with the ability to build trust and alignment across diverse stakeholders.
• Membership with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) or the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is preferred.

Remote Work: No

Employment Type: Full-time