Project Director

Snc-Lavalin; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tax-free salary

Life insurance

Medical insurance

Annual leave balance

Company gratuity scheme

Discretionary bonus program

Annual flight contribution

Transportation & housing allowances

Wellbeing program

Job summary

AtkinsRéalis is seeking a senior leader to drive the delivery of large-scale high-rise, mixed-use, residential and villa developments in the UAE. The role requires overseeing design, commercial, construction, governance and stakeholder engagement from concept to handover.

You will lead multidisciplinary teams, manage risk and contracts, and ensure quality, safety and regulatory compliance while shaping business growth and client relationships.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or related discipline.
• 25+ years of experience delivering major building projects in the Middle East/UAE.
• Proven leadership of large multidisciplinary teams and high-value portfolios.
• Strong governance, commercial management, contracts, risk management and stakeholder engagement.
• Deep understanding of design, construction, project controls, and delivery best practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end project delivery from concept through handover for complex developments.
• Act as primary interface with clients, investors, authorities and stakeholders.
• Establish governance, delivery strategies, risk frameworks and performance metrics.
• Oversee design, project management, commercial and construction functions.
• Drive commercial success through contracts, cost management and claims mitigation.
• Ensure quality, safety, sustainability and regulatory compliance.
• Provide strategic direction on procurement and construction methodologies.
• Mentor senior project leaders and support business growth.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Governance

Stakeholder management

Construction management

Contract administration

Cost management

Client management

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering or Construction Management

Job description

Job Description Overview Provide strategic leadership and overall accountability for the successful delivery of large-scale high-rise, mixed-use, residential, hospitality, and villa development projects. Drive project performance across design, commercial, construction, stakeholder management, and governance while ensuring alignment with client objectives, business goals, budget, schedule, quality, and compliance requirements.

Your role Lead end-to-end project delivery from concept through handover for complex building developments and master-planned communities. Act as the primary executive interface with clients, investors, authorities, and key stakeholders. Establish project governance, delivery strategies, risk frameworks, and performance metrics. Oversee multidisciplinary teams across design, project management, commercial, and construction functions. Drive commercial success through effective contract administration, cost management, claims mitigation, and financial oversight. Ensure project delivery meets quality, health & safety, sustainability, and regulatory requirements. Provide strategic direction on design management, value engineering, procurement, and construction methodologies. Monitor project progress, identify delivery risks, and implement corrective actions to achieve project objectives. Lead executive-level reporting, steering committee reviews, and critical decision-making forums. Mentor and develop senior project leaders while fostering a high-performance project culture. Support business growth through client relationship management, project pursuits, and market engagement.

About you Candidate Profile Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or related discipline. 25+ years of experience delivering major building projects, including high-rise towers, mixed-use developments, luxury residential, hospitality, and villa communities. Proven track record in leading large, multidisciplinary teams and managing high-value development portfolios. Strong expertise in project governance, commercial management, contracts, risk management, and stakeholder engagement. Deep understanding of design, construction, project controls, and delivery best practices within the Middle East/UAE market. Exceptional leadership, negotiation, communication, and client management skills.

Key Success Measures

• On-time and within-budget project delivery
• Client satisfaction and stakeholder confidence
• Commercial performance and profitability
• Effective risk and issue management
• Quality, safety, and compliance outcomes
• Team leadership and organizational impact

Ideal Profile: Senior leader with extensive UAE/Middle East experience overseeing landmark high-rise and villa developments valued at AED 1B+ and managing projects through the full development lifecycle.

Rewards & benefits Explore the rewards and benefits that help you thrive – at every stage of your life and your career. This includes:

• Tax-free salary.
• Life insurance coverage.
• Medical insurance.
• Annual leave balance.
• Company gratuity scheme.
• Discretionary bonus program.
• Annual flight contribution.
• Transportation & housing allowances.
• Employee Wellbeing Program: 24/7 access to specialists in finance, legal matters, family care, personal health, fitness, and nutrition.

About AtkinsRéalis We’re AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world. We’re committed to leading our clients across our various end markets to engineer a better future for our planet and its people. Find out more.

Worker Type Employee Job Type Regular

At AtkinsRéalis, we seek to hire individuals with diverse characteristics, backgrounds and perspectives. We strongly believe that world-class talent makes no distinctions based on gender, ethnic or national origin, sexual identity and orientation, age, religion or disability, but enriches itself through these differences. Created by the integration of long-standing organizations dating back to 1911, AtkinsRéalis is a world-class engineering services and nuclear company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. The breadth and depth of our capabilities are delivered to clients in strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear and Capital.

News and information are available at Atkinsrealis or follow us on LinkedIn.