Associate Design Director

People Group Arabia; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 350,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

People Group Arabia seeks an Associate Director – Design Management to lead infrastructure design across mega projects in Saudi Arabia, from master planning to IFC, with strategic and technical oversight. The role requires senior leadership, coordination with multidisciplinary teams, and ensuring delivery within programme while complying with Saudi regulations and international standards.

Ideal candidates have 15+ years on large-scale projects, Chartered status, and a proven track record of

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Civil Engineering.
• 15+ years' experience in infrastructure design and design management.
• Experience on large-scale infrastructure or development projects in Saudi Arabia is highly desirable.
• Strong multidisciplinary design knowledge across roads, utilities, structures.
• Chartered status or equivalent professional recognition.
• Excellent leadership, communication, stakeholder management and coordination skills.
• Ability to combine strategic design leadership with strong technical understanding.

Responsibilities

• Managing design from master planning through to IFC, ensuring technical quality and timely delivery.
• Coordinating with master planners, architects, engineers, specialist consultants, contractors, clients and other stakeholders to deliver integrated infrastructure solutions.
• Managing and reviewing design deliverables covering roads, utilities, water, wastewater, power, ICT, structures, marine infrastructure and public realm.
• Providing technical leadership across infrastructure disciplines, with a strong understanding of utility networks, pump stations, process plants, roads, bridges and associated structures.
• Ensuring designs comply with Saudi regulations, authority requirements and international standards, including MOMRAH, NWC, SEC, SWCC and Royal Commissions.
• Managing design schedules, deliverables, risks and interfaces, ensuring alignment with wider programme and project objectives.
• Leading design reviews and value engineering workshops, identifying opportunities to improve design, cost, programme and constructability.
• Providing technical leadership and mentoring to engineers and junior design professionals.
• Working closely with project controls and commercial teams to ensure design progress remains aligned with programme and budget.
• Supporting permitting, approvals and technical coordination with Saudi authorities.
• Ensuring designs support wider objectives around sustainability, resilience and digital infrastructure.
• Acting as a senior technical interface with the client, providing advice and confidently discussing complex engineering solutions.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Coordination

Communication

Strategic design leadership

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Civil Engineering

Chartered status or equivalent

Job description

We are currently seeking an experienced Associate Director – Design Management to join a leading international engineering and infrastructure consultancy, working on major large-scale development and infrastructure projects across Saudi Arabia.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for an experienced infrastructure design professional with a strong track record of managing multidisciplinary design teams, complex stakeholder interfaces and major infrastructure design packages from master planning through to IFC.

The Role

You will lead and manage infrastructure design across all project stages, providing strategic and technical leadership while ensuring design packages are fully coordinated, compliant and delivered to programme.

Key responsibilities include:

• Managing design from master planning through to IFC, ensuring technical quality and timely delivery.
• Coordinating with master planners, architects, engineers, specialist consultants, contractors, clients and other stakeholders to deliver integrated infrastructure solutions.
• Managing and reviewing design deliverables covering roads, utilities, water, wastewater, power, ICT, structures, marine infrastructure and public realm.
• Providing technical leadership across infrastructure disciplines, with a strong understanding of utility networks, pump stations, process plants, roads, bridges and associated structures.
• Ensuring designs comply with relevant Saudi regulations, authority requirements and international standards, including requirements associated with MOMRAH, NWC, SEC, SWCC and Royal Commissions.
• Managing design schedules, deliverables, risks and interfaces, ensuring alignment with wider programme and project objectives.
• Leading design reviews and value engineering workshops, identifying opportunities to improve design, cost, programme and constructability.
• Providing technical leadership and mentoring to engineers and junior design professionals.
• Working closely with project controls and commercial teams to ensure design progress remains aligned with programme and budget.
• Supporting permitting, approvals and technical coordination with Saudi authorities.
• Ensuring designs support wider objectives around sustainability, resilience and digital infrastructure.
• Acting as a senior technical interface with the client, providing advice and confidently discussing complex engineering solutions.

About You

We are looking for a senior infrastructure professional with:

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Civil Engineering or a relevant engineering discipline.
• 15+ years' experience in infrastructure design and design management.
• Proven experience working on large-scale infrastructure or development projects in Saudi Arabia is highly desirable.
• Strong multidisciplinary infrastructure design knowledge across roads, utilities, structures and associated infrastructure.
• Chartered status or equivalent professional recognition.
• Excellent leadership, communication, stakeholder management and coordination skills.
• The ability to combine strategic design leadership with strong technical understanding.

The Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity to take a senior leadership position on high-profile infrastructure and development programmes in Saudi Arabia, working alongside leading technical professionals and managing complex multidisciplinary design environments.

If you are currently working as a Design Director, Associate Director, Design Manager, Infrastructure Design Manager or Senior Infrastructure Engineer and are looking for your next career opportunity in Saudi Arabia, we'd be keen to hear from you.