Principal Design Engineer - Water and Wet Utilities Infrastructure
AECOM Corporation
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Job summary
AECOM is seeking a Principal Design Engineer - Water in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This senior role leads the planning, design, and delivery of complex water and wastewater infrastructure, directing multidisciplinary teams and ensuring technical quality and regulatory compliance.
The position focuses on hydrology and hydraulic modelling, client engagement, and strategic engineering leadership, with hybrid work arrangement and extensive international project exposure.
Qualifications
- 15 years in wet utilities engineering
- 8+ years in the UAE or GCC
- Professional Engineer certification or equivalent preferred
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams
- Hydrology and hydraulic modelling expertise
- Experience with regulatory standards and project delivery
Responsibilities
- Provide strategic direction for water and wet utilities projects.
- Lead multidisciplinary teams to deliver complex designs.
- Oversee hydrology and hydraulic modelling and ensure accuracy.
- Guide project planning, delivery, and risk management.
- Maintain technical quality and regulatory compliance.
- Engage with clients and stakeholders for project success.
- Mentor engineers and drive continuous improvements.
- Support business development with technical input and proposals.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
Principal Design Engineer - Water and Wet Utilities Infrastructure Job Snapshot - Role: Principal Design Engineer - Water - Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Industry: Civil Engineering - Function: Civil & Structural Engineering - Experience: Minimum 15 years in wet utilities engineering, including at least 8 years in the UAE or other GCC countries - Job Type: Full Time - Work Arrangement: Hybrid
AECOM is seeking an accomplished Principal Design Engineer - Water to join its engineering team in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This senior technical leadership position focuses on the planning, design, management, and delivery of complex water and wastewater infrastructure projects. The successful candidate will provide strategic direction for wet utilities engineering assignments, act as a technical authority, and lead multidisciplinary teams in developing innovative and sustainable infrastructure solutions. The role combines advanced hydraulic engineering expertise with project management, client engagement, technical quality assurance, and business development.
- Country: United Arab Emirates
- City: Abu Dhabi
- Industry: Civil Engineering
- Function: Civil & Structural Engineering
- Salary: Not disclosed
- Gender: No Preference
- Candidate Nationality: Not specified
- Job Type: Full Time
- Work Arrangement: Hybrid
- Provide strategic direction and leadership for water and wet utilities infrastructure projects.
- Ensure engineering activities align with organisational objectives and client requirements.
- Act as a technical authority and subject matter expert in wet utilities engineering.
- Establish technical direction for complex water and wastewater infrastructure assignments.
- Guide multidisciplinary engineering teams in addressing technical and design challenges.
- Promote innovative engineering approaches and sustainable infrastructure solutions.
- Maintain high standards of technical quality and professional engineering practice.
- Lead the planning and design of complex water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
- Provide technical oversight throughout engineering design and project development.
- Guide engineering teams in developing solutions for municipal water infrastructure.
- Review technical approaches to ensure alignment with project objectives and engineering standards.
- Support the development of resilient and sustainable water infrastructure systems.
- Apply specialist engineering knowledge to resolve complex design challenges.
- Ensure technical solutions consider relevant client, regulatory, and project requirements.
- Provide technical leadership in hydrology and hydraulic modelling.
- Oversee the application of advanced hydraulic modelling techniques.
- Guide engineering teams in the use of specialist modelling software, including InfoWorks and InfoWater.
- Review hydraulic modelling approaches and technical results.
- Ensure modelling activities support appropriate infrastructure planning and design decisions.
- Apply advanced knowledge of municipal infrastructure and hydraulic system performance.
- Promote consistent engineering standards in hydraulic analysis and modelling.
- Support the resolution of complex hydraulic engineering problems.
- Oversee the planning, design, and execution of major water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
- Provide leadership across large-scale, multidisciplinary engineering assignments.
- Monitor project performance against established schedules, budgets, and quality requirements.
- Coordinate engineering activities to support timely project delivery.
- Identify potential technical and project delivery risks.
- Develop and implement appropriate risk mitigation measures.
- Review project progress and address issues affecting technical performance.
- Ensure project activities comply with applicable regulations and engineering standards.
- Maintain oversight of engineering quality across assigned projects.
- Ensure design activities follow relevant technical standards and regulatory requirements.
- Review complex engineering issues and provide appropriate technical guidance.
- Support consistent application of engineering design principles.
- Monitor technical risks and coordinate corrective measures where necessary.
- Promote compliance with project specifications and client requirements.
- Support the delivery of technically sound and reliable infrastructure solutions.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with clients and project stakeholders.
- Act as a senior technical representative for water and wastewater infrastructure matters.
- Lead client meetings, technical presentations, and negotiations.
- Coordinate with relevant regulatory bodies and project stakeholders.
- Communicate technical recommendations and project requirements clearly.
- Address client concerns and support the resolution of project-related issues.
- Maintain effective working relationships throughout project development and delivery.
- Support continued client engagement and long‑term professional relationships.
- Lead and coordinate multidisciplinary engineering teams.
- Provide technical guidance to engineers and other project professionals.
- Mentor junior engineers and technical staff.
- Support the development of engineering knowledge and professional capabilities.
- Encourage collaboration and effective communication across project disciplines.
- Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
- Promote knowledge sharing and consistent engineering practices.
- Support effective teamwork throughout project planning, design, and delivery.
- Lead the development of innovative solutions for complex water infrastructure challenges.
- Promote sustainable and resilient engineering design practices.
- Encourage the effective application of advanced modelling techniques and engineering tools.
- Evaluate technical approaches to improve infrastructure performance and project outcomes.
- Support engineering solutions that respond to regional infrastructure requirements.
- Encourage continuous improvement in engineering methods and technical delivery.
- Promote the integration of sustainability considerations into project design decisions.
- Lead technical proposal development for water and wet utilities engineering opportunities.
- Provide specialist engineering input into project proposals.
- Participate in client meetings and negotiations relating to prospective assignments.
- Develop and maintain relationships with key clients.
- Support business development initiatives through technical expertise and client engagement.
- Contribute to securing new projects and repeat business.
- Represent AECOM 's engineering capabilities during relevant client interactions.
- Professional Engineer (PEng) certification, Membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers (MICE), or a similar professional qualification is required.
- Additional certifications such as LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) or Project Management Professional (PMP) are highly desirable.
- The source vacancy does not specify a particular academic degree requirement.
- Minimum 15 years of professional experience in wet utilities engineering.
- At least 8 years of relevant experience in the UAE or other GCC countries.
- Demonstrated experience in engineering leadership roles.
- Proven track record of managing large-scale, multidisciplinary infrastructure projects.
- Extensive experience in hydrology and hydraulic modelling.
- Strong professional background in municipal infrastructure design.
- Expertise in water and wastewater infrastructure engineering and management.
- Experience providing strategic technical direction for complex engineering assignments.
- Demonstrated ability to oversee project schedules, budgets, risks, and quality requirements.
- Experience working with clients, regulatory bodies, and multidisciplinary project stakeholders.
- Ability to contribute to technical proposals and business development activities.
- Advanced knowledge of water and wastewater infrastructure design.
- Extensive understanding of hydrology and hydraulic modelling.
- Strong expertise in municipal infrastructure engineering.
- Proficiency in Bentley SewerGEMS.
- Proficiency in Bentley WaterGEMS.
- Proficiency in InfoWorks.
- Proficiency in InfoWater.
- Experience using Geographic Information System (GIS) applications.
- Ability to interpret hydraulic modelling results and apply them to engineering decisions.
- Knowledge of advanced engineering simulations and modelling techniques.
- Understanding of relevant engineering standards and regulatory requirements.
- Ability to provide specialist technical guidance on complex infrastructure projects.
- Knowledge of sustainable and resilient infrastructure design principles.
- Strong strategic leadership and engineering management abilities.
- Excellent technical judgment and decision‑making skills.
- Ability to lead large‑scale, multidisciplinary engineering projects.
- Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Strong client presentation and negotiation capabilities.
- Advanced analytical and problem‑solving abilities.
- Ability to mentor engineers and develop technical teams.
- Effective coordination across engineering disciplines.
- Strong understanding of project risk, quality, and delivery requirements.
- Commitment to technical excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.
AECOM is committed to maintaining a secure and trustworthy recruitment process and takes fraudulent hiring activities seriously. All newly hired employees are required to attend an in‑person Day 1 onboarding session at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Life, accidental death and dismemberment, and disability benefits.
- Paid time off and leaves of absence.
- Voluntary benefits and employee perks.
- Flexible work options.
- Well‑being resources and employee assistance programmes.
- Business travel insurance.
- Service recognition awards.
- Retirement savings plans.
- Employee stock purchase plans.
AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting firm providing professional services across transportation, water, environment, energy, and buildings. The company partners with public‑and‑private‑sector clients to address complex infrastructure challenges and deliver innovative, sustainable, and resilient solutions. Its multidisciplinary services span the project lifecycle, including advisory, planning, design, engineering, programme management, and construction management. AECOM employs more than 50,000 professionals worldwide, including engineers, planners, designers, scientists, digital specialists, and construction management professionals. A Fortune 500 company, AECOM reported revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025.
Official Website: aecom.com
Job Reference: J10163660
Business Line: Transportation
Business Group: DCS
Strategic Business Unit: ME and Africa
Career Area: Engineering
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