Senior Manager – Engineering

Confidential Careers; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential Careers in the United Arab Emirates seeks a senior electrical/mechanical engineer to lead design of airport systems, building services, and infrastructure utilities, guiding from concept to handover as senior technical authority.

You will coordinate with architectural, civil, and structural teams, drive value engineering, guarantee compliance with international standards, and oversee consultants across scope, schedule, and budget.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Plumbing/Public Health Engineering with minimum PM certification.
• 8+ years of airport/aviation experience with 5+ years in managerial design/engineering.
• Experience on UAE/GCC airport projects (greenfield or brownfield).

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for MEP, life safety, ELV, utilities, and specialist airport systems (BHS, PBB, PCA, GPU, AGL, security screening).
• Ensure compliance with international and local standards, including BS/BS EN, IEC, ASHRAE, ANSI, SMACNA, AMCA, ASTM, ASME, NFPA, DIN, and UAE authority regulations.
• Coordinate building services and airport systems with architectural, civil, and structural disciplines, and resolve design clashes and interfaces.
• Develop scopes of work for consultant appointments and design & build contracts (DBR, BOQ, GFC).
• Review and endorse engineering submissions, calculations, specifications, and reports, maintaining design intent through construction and handover.
• Manage design consultants on schedule, budget, and quality through structured reviews, QA audits, and corrective actions.
• Drive value engineering and constructability, and integrate new designs with existing systems to standardise assets, reduce OPEX, and support Facilities Management.
• Embed sustainability (LEED, Estidama), including solar, recycled water, and energy-efficient solutions, and adopt emerging technologies.
• Work with Procurement, Project Controls, Finance, and operations, administer change control, and ensure contractual technical compliance.
• Present dashboard reports to senior management on status, budget, risks, and mitigations.
• Identify and escalation engineering risks, and uphold HSE standards with the HSE team.

Skills

Airport/Aviation experience

Project management

Stakeholder management

Communication

AutoCAD

Revit

Navisworks/BIM

MS Office

HSE standards

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Plumbing/Public Health Engineering

Project management certification (PMP or equivalent)

Tools

AutoCAD

Revit

Navisworks/BIM

MS Office

Job description

Lead the design of airport systems, building services, and infrastructure utilities across a major airport development and expansion programme. As senior technical authority, you'll make sure designs are compliant, sustainable, constructible, and aligned with the master plan and stakeholder needs, from concept through to handover.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for MEP, life safety, ELV, utilities, and specialist airport systems (BHS, PBB, PCA, GPU, AGL, security screening)
• Ensure compliance with international and local standards, including BS/BS EN, IEC, ASHRAE, ANSI, SMACNA, AMCA, ASTM, ASME, NFPA, DIN, and UAE authority regulations
• Coordinate building services and airport systems with architectural, civil, and structural disciplines, and resolve design clashes and interfaces
• Develop scopes of work for consultant appointments and design & build contracts (DBR, BOQ, GFC)
• Review and endorse engineering submissions, calculations, specifications, and reports, maintaining design intent through construction and handover
• Manage design consultants on schedule, budget, and quality through structured reviews, QA audits, and corrective actions
• Drive value engineering and constructability, and integrate new designs with existing systems to standardise assets, reduce OPEX, and support Facilities Management
• Embed sustainability (LEED, Estidama), including solar, recycled water, and energy-efficient solutions, and adopt emerging technologies
• Work with Procurement, Project Controls, Finance, and operations, administer change control, and ensure contractual technical compliance
• Present dashboard reports to senior management on status, budget, risks, and mitigations
• Identify and escalation engineering risks, and uphold HSE standards with the HSE team

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree (full-time) in Electrical, Mechanical, or Plumbing/Public Health Engineering, plus project management certification
• 8+ years of airport/aviation experience, including 5+ years in a managerial design & engineering role
• 8+ years in client-side or engineering consultancy roles covering design and supervision of airport infrastructure, utilities, and building services
• At least 5 years on UAE/GCC airport projects (greenfield or brownfield)
• Proven ability to translate the needs of multiple airport stakeholders into design
• Proficiency in AutoCAD, Revit, Navisworks/BIM, and MS Office
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects at once
• Facilities Management experience is an advantage