Head of Design Department

Confidential Company; Muscat; On-site; OMR 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential Company in Oman seeks a Technical Director to lead design production for infrastructure projects, allocating DPMs and engineers, and optimizing resources across several programs. The role demands strong governance, mentoring, and cross-team coordination.

The ideal candidate will have 15+ years in civil infrastructure leadership within a consultancy, a Civil Engineering degree, and preferably a Master’s and chartered status, with proven client engagement skills.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive engineering and design leadership experience.
• Experience in engineering design consultancy or professional services.
• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering or related field; Master’s preferred and chartered status is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee design production across all active infrastructure projects.
• Allocate Design Project Managers, DPMs, engineers and technical teams by project requirements.
• Optimize resource utilization and resolve cross-project conflicts.
• Establish efficient workflows and design delivery processes.
• Provide senior technical input and intervention on high-value, high-risk projects.
• Support client interactions and technical proposals and bids.

Skills

Leadership

Resource planning

QA/QC governance

Stakeholder management

Mentoring & coaching

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering

Master’s degree in Civil/Infrastructure Engineering (preferred)

Chartered Engineer (preferred)

Tools

QA/QC systems

Job description

Department Resource Management

Lead and oversee design production across all active infrastructure projects Allocate Design Project Managers DPMs engineers and technical teams based on project requirements and priorities Optimize resource utilization and resolve cross-project resource conflicts Establish efficient departmental workflows and design delivery processes

Team Leadership Management

Directly manage mentor and evaluate Design Project Managers and senior technical staff Provide guidance on project delivery technical challenges and complex engineering decisions Monitor team performance workload productivity and delivery timelines Develop and maintain a high-performing technical design team

Technical Governance Quality Control

Establish and maintain robust design procedures checking processes and QA QC systems Ensure consistency and standardization across design deliverables Review technical outputs to ensure compliance with applicable standards specifications and regulatory requirements Promote continuous improvement in design processes quality and technical performance

Project Technical Intervention

Act as Technical Director or Technical Manager on critical high-value high-risk or technically complex infrastructure projects Provide senior-level technical input and intervention where required Support project teams in resolving complex engineering and design issues Ensure technical risks are identified managed and appropriately addressed

Commercial Client Support

Support the preparation of technical proposals expressions of interest and bids Participate in technical presentations and client meetings Build and maintain strong relationships with clients and key stakeholders Provide technical input to support business development client retention and future project opportunities

Qualifications and Experience

15+ years of progressive engineering and design leadership experience Experience must be gained strictly within an engineering design consultancy or professional-services environment Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering or a related engineering discipline Master’s degree in Civil/Infrastructure Engineering is preferred Chartered Engineer or equivalent professional engineering certification is preferred Proven experience managing multidisciplinary civil infrastructure design teams and multiple projects simultaneously

Required Sector Expertise

Strong technical and leadership experience across multidisciplinary civil infrastructure projects, including:

• Roads and Highways
• Bridges and Structures
• Urban Infrastructure
• Drainage and Stormwater Management
• Hydrology and Hydraulics
• Flood Protection
• Water Supply Networks
• Sewerage and Wastewater Networks
• Utility Infrastructure
• Geotechnical Engineering Interfaces

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Proven experience developing and implementing QA/QC systems and standardized design workflows.
• Strong technical governance and design management capabilities.
• Excellent client-facing, stakeholder management, and communication skills.
• Experience supporting technical proposals, bids, and business development activities.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and people-management skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and resources across multiple projects.
• Previous experience in Oman or the wider GCC region is highly advantageous, but not mandatory.