CONSTRUCTION DIRECTOR – MAIN CONTRACTING

Sanzen Developments; Dubai; On-site; AED 300,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanzen Developments is seeking a highly experienced Construction Director to lead major UAE projects with a main contractor background. The role requires steering senior teams to meet cost, schedule, quality, safety and profitability targets across a diverse portfolio.

The ideal candidate will have 20+ years in construction, UAE experience, and a track record of delivering large-scale developments while managing contracts, procurement, and risk with strong leadership and stakeholder skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management or related field.
• Minimum 20 years in construction with senior leadership experience.
• Proven track record delivering major building and real estate projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead overall construction strategy, execution, and delivery across multiple major UAE projects.
• Oversee performance of Project Directors, Managers, and site teams.
• Manage project cost, schedule, quality, safety, profitability and operational targets.
• Lead contractual, commercial negotiations and manage variations and EOTs.

Skills

Main Contractor

Leadership

Project Controls

Budget Management

Risk Management

Stakeholder Management

HSE Leadership

Client & Consultant Liaison

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering

Job description

We are seeking a highly experienced, results-driven Construction Director with a strong main contracting background to lead and oversee major construction projects across the UAE.

The ideal candidate will have extensive senior-level experience in managing large-scale construction projects and leading multidisciplinary teams, with a proven ability to deliver projects in line with cost, profitability, quality, safety, schedule, and operational performance targets.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the overall construction strategy, execution, and delivery across a portfolio of major projects.
• Manage and oversee the performance of Project Directors, Project Managers, Construction Managers, Project Engineers, and site teams.
• Take overall responsibility for project cost, schedule, quality, safety, profitability, and operational performance.
• Manage project budgets, cash flow, cost performance, forecasts, and financial controls.
• Review and approve construction methodologies, execution strategies, master programmes, recovery plans, resource plans, logistics plans, and procurement strategies.
• Ensure projects are delivered in accordance with approved programmes, budgets, specifications, contractual requirements, and company objectives.
• Manage and monitor Variations, Claims, Extensions of Time (EOT), Contracts, Subcontracts, and all contractual obligations.
• Lead contractual and commercial negotiations with clients, consultants, subcontractors, suppliers, and business partners.
• Maintain effective coordination with clients, consultants, government authorities, utility providers, and other project stakeholders.
• Identify operational, technical, contractual, and commercial risks and implement effective mitigation and recovery strategies.
• Drive productivity improvement, resource optimization, Value Engineering, and cost reduction without compromising quality, safety, or project requirements.
• Ensure the effective management of subcontractors, suppliers, labour, plant, materials, and site resources.
• Ensure full compliance with HSE, QA/QC, project specifications, authority requirements, and UAE regulations.
• Establish and monitor KPIs across projects, construction teams, and site operations.
• Review project performance and implement corrective actions where required.
• Provide regular executive reports to senior management covering project progress, costs, cash flow, profitability, procurement, risks, claims, resources, and overall performance.
• Support Tendering, Contractor and Subcontractor Evaluation, Pre-Construction, Procurement, and Project Planning activities.
• Participate in tender reviews, project handovers, constructability reviews, and bid-to-execution transition.
• Contribute to the development of company-wide construction strategies, operational systems, policies, procedures, and project management processes.

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 20 years of construction industry experience, including substantial experience in senior leadership positions.
• Strong and proven experience working with a Main Contractor / Contracting Company is mandatory.
• Minimum 8 years of construction experience in the UAE is mandatory.
• Valid professional engineering classification/registration is mandatory: Unlimited Category in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in addition to valid engineering registration/classification in Sharjah.
• Proven track record of successfully leading and delivering major construction projects, including:
• Residential Developments
• Commercial Developments
• Mixed-Use Developments
• Strong knowledge of Construction Contracts, FIDIC, Claims, Variations, Extensions of Time, Procurement, Subcontracts, and Project Controls.
• Strong experience in budget management, cost control, cash flow, profitability, forecasting, and commercial management.
• Extensive experience in risk management, construction planning, resource management, logistics, procurement, and supply chain coordination.
• Strong knowledge of UAE construction regulations, authority requirements, approval procedures, and industry practices.
• Demonstrated experience in managing multiple projects and large multidisciplinary construction teams.
• Strong capability in reviewing programmes, delay analysis, recovery plans, productivity reports, and project performance indicators.
• Exceptional leadership, decision-making, negotiation, problem-solving, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Proven ability to deliver projects under demanding programmes, budgets, and contractual requirements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; Arabic would be an advantage.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

We are looking for a proven Construction Leader / Director with a strong track record of leading major construction projects in the UAE and a balanced combination of:

• Technical and construction expertise
• Executive leadership
• Commercial and financial management
• Contract administration
• Claims and EOT management
• Cost and profitability control
• Planning and project controls
• Procurement and supply chain management
• HSE and QA/QC leadership
• Client and stakeholder management

The successful candidate must be capable of making strategic and operational decisions, leading senior management and site teams, and dealing directly with key clients, consultants, authorities, subcontractors, suppliers, and business partners.

The ideal candidate will have a proven ability to deliver measurable results across quality, cost, schedule, safety, productivity, cash flow, and profitability.

MANDATORY ELIGIBILITY

• Only candidates who meet all the following requirements will be considered:
• Minimum 20 years of construction industry experience.
• Minimum 8 years of construction experience in the UAE.
• Proven senior leadership experience with a Main Contractor / Contracting Company.
• Valid Unlimited Category professional engineering classification in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
• Proven delivery experience across major building and real estate construction projects.