Design Director jobs in United Arab Emirates

The Design Director provides executive leadership across all design functions at MCE. This role ensures multidisciplinary coordination, technical excellence, regulatory compliance, and strategic alignment across the design portfolio. Serving as the senior-most authority on design delivery, the Design Director bridges the pre-award technical strategy, active project design oversight, and post-award milestone validation. The role also supports and mentors Project Managers and design leads to elevate firmwide design capability.

• Define and implement the firm’s overarching design strategy, delivery standards, and excellence benchmarks.
• Develop standardized design planning frameworks, including milestone sequencing, coordination cycles, and authority submission integration.
• Lead milestone design reviews and act as the final approver for high-risk or escalated deliverables.
• Oversee QA / QC governance and ensure full compliance with UAE codes, DOH regulations, and international healthcare design standards.
• Direct BIM implementation, digital delivery protocols, and adoption of emerging design technologies.
• Provide hands-on design management support where PM capabilities require strengthening.

• Monitor and oversee design performance across the active project portfolio, ensuring progress aligns with planning benchmarks and quality thresholds.
• Lead resolution of escalated coordination challenges, technical design risks, and cross-discipline interface conflicts.
• Track portfolio-level design schedules and identify emerging risks; initiate early interventions to safeguard milestone achievement and design integrity.
• Chair high-stakes design coordination meetings and directly manage complex integration issues.
• Review and authorize key design packages prior to authority and client submission.
• Approve and optimize resource allocations across projects based on firmwide capacity and strategic priorities.
• Maintain a live view of discipline-level utilization and projected demand; address over / under-capacity.
• Coordinate with department heads to balance senior and junior staff deployment across project workloads.
• Support technical recruitment and external consultant onboarding to address skill gaps or capacity constraints.

• Define design input for technical proposals, including durations, narratives, layouts, and team structuring.
• Align design strategy with pursuit positioning and client expectations.
• Lead pre-concept-stage interviews, proposal presentations, and design differentiators to strengthen win probability.
• Review fee proposals to understand scope and deliverables.
• Provide full and detailed appraisal of project requirements as issued by client.
• Take sole ownership of draft design brief and present for comment and approval prior to beginning next stage.

• Validate milestone completions and align with invoicing schedules.
• Support variation and claim justifications for additional design scope.
• Monitor design phase profitability and track discipline-level resource burn.

• Review and validate project-level design schedules and planning strategies.
• Ensure alignment with QA checkpoints, milestone definitions, and resource availability.
• Provide technical input and escalation support for complex or delayed deliverables.
• Demonstrates familiarity and hands-on experience with site supervision and project management duties.
• Participate in senior technical recruitment for design leads, BIM specialists, and key discipline heads.
• Define evolving skill set needs based on pipeline complexity and project typologies.
• Recommend targeted training and support succession planning within the design function.

• Lead R&D efforts in sustainable design, digital delivery, and healthcare innovation.
• Monitor authority requirement changes and ensure internal workflows are updated accordingly.
• Conduct structured post-project reviews and implement feedback into future process improvements.
• Drive automation, modularization, and design standardization through BIM libraries and optimized templates.

• Bachelor"s degree in Architecture (Master’s preferred).
• 15+ years in the engineering industry experience.
• 10+ years of experience in multidisciplinary design leadership, with a strong focus on healthcare projects.
• Extensive experience with UAE / GCC regulatory frameworks and authority submissions.
• Preferred certifications : Chartered status (RIBA, AIA, CEng, or equivalent)
• LEED AP / WELL AP / ESTIDAMA or equivalent sustainability credentials

• Strategic design leadership across disciplines
• Resource forecasting and capacity optimization
• BIM and digital delivery oversight
• Client interfacing and stakeholder negotiation
• QA / QC framework implementation
• Regulatory compliance and authority engagement
• Team coaching and leadership development
• Financial and commercial design awareness
• Strong understanding of FIDIC or other international contract standards

• Proven track record delivering major healthcare facilities in the UAE / GCC
• Hands-on management approach
• Adaptable in dynamic project environments; able to adjust to changing priorities, client needs, and unforeseen challenges
• Problem solving and solution oriented
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams of 20+ professionals
• Established relationships with regulatory bodies (DHA, DOH, HAAD, ADM)
• Willingness to provide hands-on support during transitional phases or escalation events
• Site construction and design experience

• Director

• Full-time

• Design

• Architecture and Planning and Design Services