Director - Contracts and Utility Commercial

Parsons; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Job summary

Parsons in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia seeks a Director - Contracts and Utility Commercial to lead all commercial governance for district cooling and gas infrastructure. You will shape tariff models, concession strategies, and long-term financial performance across multi-billion-dollar programs, ensuring asset returns and vendor compliance.

The role requires deep expertise in BOOT/ concession contracts, post-contract administration, and strong leadership of cross-functional teams within a major utility

Qualifications

• 20+ years of progressive leadership experience in utility commercial management, infrastructure contracts, quantity surveying, or energy-sector finance.
• At least 8 years in a senior executive or director-level role.
• Strong background in District Cooling Plant commercial structures and centralized gas networks.
• Proven experience with BOOT, concession, ESCO, or long-term off-take contracts.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain commercial tariff structures for district cooling and gas utility services.
• Lead negotiation and administration of Build-Own-Operate-Transfer agreements.
• Direct concession contract governance across major utility operators.
• Manage multi-decade Energy Services Company off-take agreements.
• Review long-term contractual mechanisms governing utility supply, capacity, consumption, and performance.
• Establish financial models for infrastructure return on investment.
• Coordinate tariff strategies with service charge and cost-recovery systems.
• Monitor compliance with commercial terms, pricing indices, and performance obligations.

Job description

Director - Contracts and Utility Commercial

Director - Contracts and Utility Commercial Role: Director - Contracts and Utility Commercial Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Industry: Utilities Function: Contracts Administration Experience: Minimum 20 years of progressive utility commercial, contract administration, infrastructure quantity surveying, or energy-sector finance experience, including at least 8 years in a senior executive or director-level role Job Type: Full-time

Director - Contracts and Utility Commercial in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is a senior Utilities opportunity responsible for commercial governance, tariff strategy, concession management, contract administration, utility cost recovery, and long-term financial performance across District Cooling Plants and centralized gas infrastructure. Parsons is hiring an executive commercial leader to structure and govern multi-billion-dollar BOOT, concession, ESCO, and utility off-take arrangements while protecting asset returns, ensuring vendor compliance, and supporting financially sustainable city operations.

Job Details

Country: Saudi Arabia City: Riyadh Industry: Utilities Function: Contracts Administration Salary: 65000-90000 Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer. Gender: Any Candidate Nationality: Any Job Type: Full-time

Role Context

The Director - Contracts and Utility Commercial will act as the principal commercial authority for utility infrastructure spanning district cooling and gas storage and distribution systems. The role will connect commercial contracts, tariff models, operator concessions, finance, asset lifecycle planning, smart-meter data, claims management, and asset vesting into one coordinated governance framework. Its impact will be measured through reliable cost recovery, disciplined post-contract administration, optimized utility returns, controlled commercial risk, and successful transition of capital assets into long-term operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain commercial tariff structures for district cooling and gas utility services.
• Establish capacity charges, consumption rates, escalation mechanisms, and pricing frameworks.
• Build commercial models that balance customer affordability with sustainable utility returns.
• Lead negotiation and administration of Build-Own-Operate-Transfer agreements.
• Direct concession contract governance across major utility operators.
• Manage multi-decade Energy Services Company off-take agreements.
• Review long-term contractual mechanisms governing utility supply, capacity, consumption, and performance.
• Establish financial models for infrastructure return on investment.
• Evaluate tariff scenarios for commercial, residential, hospitality, entertainment, and mixed-use customers.
• Coordinate tariff strategies with broader service charge and infrastructure cost-recovery systems.
• Work closely with the Service Charge function to maintain consistent cost allocation principles.
• Lead post-contract administration of major international utility operators.
• Monitor compliance with commercial terms, pricing indices, escalation clauses, and performance obligations.
• Review contractual performance against agreed milestones, commercial deliverables, and operator commitments.
• Lead management of variations affecting utility scope, capacity, network extensions, and service obligations.
• Assess claims associated with utility construction, operation, mechanical performance, or supply changes.
• Develop claims mitigation and dispute avoidance strategies.
• Support negotiation and resolution of commercial disputes.
• Coordinate with Legal and Contracts teams where escalation or formal dispute procedures are required.
• Monitor contractual exposure arising from load increases, infrastructure expansion, and operational changes.
• Review commercial implications of major equipment upgrades and refurbishment programs.
• Partner with Asset Lifecycle Planning teams to assess capital overhaul requirements.
• Evaluate the commercial effect of replacing or refurbishing industrial chillers, cooling towers, gas vessels, and related assets.
• Integrate lifecycle cost assumptions into long-term utility operating budgets.
• Support CAPEX and OPEX decision-making from a commercial and contractual perspective.
• Establish commercial data governance requirements within enterprise platforms.
• Define rules for contract values, pricing tiers, billing cycles, tariffs, and vendor records.
• Coordinate with SAP-EAMS teams to maintain accurate commercial information linked to utility assets.
• Support integration of smart-meter data with commercial invoicing systems.
• Ensure cooling water and gas consumption data can trigger accurate automated cross-charges.
• Coordinate utility billing logic across tenants, operators, districts, and sub-developments.
• Review data integrity where commercial calculations depend on automated meter readings.
• Support reconciliation of operational data with finance and billing records.
• Work with Power, Water, Waste, and other technical asset leaders to assess commercial implications of network changes.
• Evaluate the financial feasibility of infrastructure optimization and supply resilience strategies.
• Provide commercial input into utility expansion and capacity planning.
• Support procurement strategies for utility operators, technical service providers, and specialist contractors.
• Review procurement packaging and commercial terms for major utility contracts.
• Participate in tender evaluation and commercial negotiations.
• Establish contract governance standards across consultants, operators, and service providers.
• Maintain oversight of bonds, guarantees, warranties, insurances, and defect liability obligations.
• Serve as the principal commercial authority on Stage-Gate handover activities.
• Review outstanding claims, commercial liabilities, and unresolved obligations before asset vesting.
• Confirm that contract closeout requirements are satisfied before transition into live operations.
• Verify that required warranties and defect liability securities remain valid at handover.
• Review operational insurance arrangements for major utility assets.
• Ensure commercial risks are clearly identified and accepted before asset transfer.
• Maintain accurate records of commercial decisions, claims, settlements, and approvals.
• Develop executive dashboards covering contract performance, claims exposure, tariff performance, operator compliance, and cost recovery.
• Present commercial risks and recommendations to senior leadership and steering committees.
• Lead periodic commercial reviews with utility operators and internal stakeholders.
• Support audit requirements associated with concession agreements and utility contracts.
• Ensure all commercial records remain complete, traceable, and suitable for legal and financial review.
• Coordinate with Finance on revenue recovery, invoicing, forecasting, and financial reporting.
• Support long-term commercial strategy for utility concessions and city infrastructure.
• Maintain awareness of Saudi utility regulations, concession frameworks, and PPP requirements.
• Apply lessons learned to future concession, tariff, and contract structures.
• Provide leadership and technical guidance to commercial managers, contract specialists, and supporting project teams.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor 's degree in Quantity Surveying, Commercial Law, Corporate Finance, Business Administration, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• Master 's degree or MBA in Construction Law, Procurement, Infrastructure Finance, or a related field is highly preferred.
• Minimum 20 years of progressive leadership experience in utility commercial management, infrastructure contracts, quantity surveying, or energy-sector finance.
• At least 8 years of senior executive or director-level responsibility.
• Proven experience managing large commercial portfolios and multi-million-dollar utility contracts.
• Strong background in District Cooling Plant commercial structures.
• Experience with centralized gas networks including LPG, SNG, or comparable utility systems is highly desirable.
• Proven exposure to BOOT, concession, ESCO, or long-term off-take contracts.
• Strong experience with post-contract administration and operator governance.
• Demonstrated ability to manage variations, claims, disputes, and commercial risk.
• Good understanding of Public-Private Partnership structures.
• Experience with utility tariff development and cost-recovery frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of service charge integration and customer cross-charging.
• Familiarity with smart-meter-based billing and automated invoicing systems.
• Experience aligning commercial contracts with enterprise digital platforms.
• Strong understanding of asset lifecycle cost implications.
• Exposure to SAP-EAMS or related enterprise systems is advantageous.
• FRICS or MRICS qualification is highly desirable.
• FCIPS or MCIPS certification is highly desirable.
• Professional Engineer registration with relevant commercial experience is advantageous.
• Strong commercial negotiation capability with major operators and service providers.
• Excellent understanding of contractual securities, warranties, bonds, and insurance requirements.
• Proven ability to present complex commercial information to senior executives.
• Strong financial modeling and analytical skills.
• Experience in Saudi Arabia or the wider GCC utility market is highly desirable.
• Strong stakeholder management capability across Finance, Legal, Commercial, Operations, and technical functions.

Skills Set

• Utility Commercial Management
• Contracts Administration
• District Cooling Commercial Strategy
• District Cooling Plants
• Gas Infrastructure
• Utility Tariff Modeling
• Capacity Charges
• Consumption Tariffs
• Commercial Cost Recovery
• BOOT Agreements
• Concession Contracts
• ESCO Agreements
• Off-Take Agreements
• Public-Private Partnerships
• Utility Contract Governance
• Post-Contract Management
• Claims Management
• Variation Management
• Dispute Resolution
• Commercial Risk Management
• Contractual Compliance
• Contract Performance Monitoring
• Utility Pricing
• ROI Analysis
• Infrastructure Finance
• Utility Billing
• Cross-Charging
• Service Charge Integration
• Smart Metering
• Automated Billing
• SAP-EAMS
• Commercial Data Governance
• Asset Lifecycle Commercial Analysis
• CAPEX Analysis
• OPEX Analysis
• Lifecycle Costing
• Procurement Strategy
• Tender Evaluation
• Commercial Negotiation
• Vendor Governance
• Operator Performance Management
• Bonds and Guarantees
• Defect Liability Management
• Warranty Management
• Insurance Governance
• Stage-Gate Handover
• Asset Vesting
• Commercial Closeout
• Financial Modeling
• Executive Reporting
• Contract Auditing
• Utility Regulation
• PPP Frameworks
• Commercial Dashboards
• Utility Revenue Management
• Cost Allocation
• Contract Records
• Commercial Forecasting
• Infrastructure Commercial Strategy

Why Join Us

This position offers executive-level responsibility for the commercial architecture behind strategic district cooling and gas infrastructure in Riyadh. The role combines tariff design, concession governance, post-contract administration, utility cost recovery, claims management, lifecycle economics, smart-meter integration, and asset handover within a major Saudi giga-project. For a senior commercial professional, it provides significant influence over long-term infrastructure profitability, operator accountability, commercial risk, and the financial sustainability of city-scale utility systems.

About the Company

Parsons Corporation delivers engineering, infrastructure, program management, construction management, and technology solutions for major developments worldwide. In Saudi Arabia, Parsons supports giga-projects, utilities, transportation, urban development, and complex infrastructure programs through multidisciplinary engineering, commercial management, contract governance, asset planning, and long-term project delivery expertise.