Head of Project Department (Construction)

آكسس | ACSC; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 300,000 - 400,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading project management firm in Saudi Arabia seeks a Head of Project Department to lead the entire project portfolio. This role is critical for ensuring project governance, timely delivery, and compliance with quality and safety standards. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in project management, demonstrating the ability to build high-performing teams and maintain strong stakeholder relationships. This is an opportunity to drive successful project outcomes across multiple sites.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in leading large scale projects in construction or engineering.
• Strong understanding of project governance and compliance standards.
• Ability to build and develop high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead project portfolio to achieve targets for schedule, cost, quality, and safety.
• Monitor and report on project progress while managing stakeholder expectations.
• Ensure compliance with HSE standards across all project sites.

Skills

Project management

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Communication skills

Job description

The Head of Project Department leads ACSC’s full project portfolio end-to-end—from planning and mobilization through execution, handover, and close-out. This role sets project governance, drives on-time/on-budget delivery, ensures quality and HSE compliance, and builds a high-performing project delivery organization across multiple sites.

Tasks

• Develop and oversee comprehensive project plans, ensuring alignment with company objectives and adherence to industry standards.
• Lead and manage a team of project managers, providing guidance and support to ensure successful project execution and delivery.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including architects, engineers, and contractors, to ensure seamless coordination and communication throughout all project phases.
• Monitor project progress, budgets, and schedules, implementing necessary adjustments to mitigate risks and address any potential issues promptly.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with clients and stakeholders, ensuring their needs and expectations are met while fostering long-term partnerships.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

Project Leadership & Delivery

• Lead the full project portfolio (concurrent sites) to achieve schedule, cost, quality, and safety targets.
• Establish project execution standards (processes, templates, reporting cadence, change control, document control).
• Ensure consistent project planning: WBS, baseline schedules, critical path tracking, and recovery plans.

Commercial & Contracts

• Oversee project commercial performance with QS/Contracts (budgets, cost-to-complete, variations, claims, EOT support).
• Lead change management and ensure approvals/variations are documented and controlled.
• Coordinate with procurement and suppliers to protect lead times and manage material/subcontractor risks.

Quality, HSE & Compliance

• Ensure projects comply with approved drawings/specs, Saudi regulations, and internal QA/QC plans.
• Enforce HSE standards across sites; drive proactive risk controls and incident prevention.

Stakeholder Management

• Own client communication and executive-level reporting (progress, risks, decisions needed).
• Align with design/engineering, procurement, finance, and site teams to remove blockers fast.

People & Capability Building

• Build and lead Project Managers, Planning Engineers, Site Engineers, QA/QC, HSE, and PMO functions.
• Coach the team on delivery discipline, reporting, and decision-making; manage performance and succession.