Principal Engineer - FIDIC Contract Administration

Parsons; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Parsons Corporation seeks a Principal Engineer - FIDIC Contract Administration in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to act as the Engineer under FIDIC contracts and deliver contractual, commercial, technical, and delivery oversight across major infrastructure projects.

The role requires independent judgment across construction, commissioning, handover, and defects liability, with responsibility for claims, variations, and contract administration in a senior capacity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field.
• Minimum 20 years of professional experience delivering major infrastructure or construction projects.
• Middle East project experience is required.

Responsibilities

• Act as the Engineer under FIDIC contracts and administer the contract.
• Review and certify contractor payments, determine variations and time impacts.
• Lead commercial and contractual discussions with stakeholders and manage claims and disputes.

Skills

FIDIC contract admin

Contractual admin

Project controls

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Job description

Principal Engineer - FIDIC Contract Administration Job Snapshot

• Role: Principal Engineer - FIDIC Contract Administration
• Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Industry: Construction
• Function: Contracts Administration
• Experience: 20 years in major infrastructure, engineering, or construction project delivery
• Job Type: Full-time

Position Overview

Principal Engineer - FIDIC Contract Administration in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is a senior Construction opportunity responsible for acting as the Engineer under FIDIC contracts while providing contractual, commercial, technical, and delivery oversight across major infrastructure projects. Parsons Corporation is hiring an experienced FIDIC Engineer to administer contractual obligations, manage claims and variations, oversee contractors and consultants, and guide projects through construction, commissioning, handover, and defects liability.

Job Details

• Country: Saudi Arabia
• City: Riyadh
• Industry: Construction
• Function: Contracts Administration
• Salary: 50000-70000 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 Principal Engineer will serve as the contractual Engineer and senior Employer representative across major infrastructure and construction assignments. The position requires independent professional judgment under FIDIC conditions while balancing contractual compliance, commercial exposure, technical delivery, schedule performance, risk, quality, and stakeholder expectations. The role will provide continuity from active construction through commissioning, takeover, closeout, and the defects liability period, ensuring that formal decisions and certifications are properly supported and contractually defensible.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the Engineer under applicable FIDIC Conditions of Contract.
• Administer the contract in accordance with delegated authority, contractual procedures, and Employer requirements.
• Issue and manage formal contractual instructions, determinations, notices, certifications, and associated correspondence.
• Review and certify contractor payment applications in accordance with contract provisions and verified progress.
• Evaluate variations and determine their contractual, commercial, schedule, and technical implications.
• Review contractor claims and assess contractual entitlement, substantiation, quantum, and time impacts.
• Evaluate applications for extensions of time and coordinate detailed schedule assessments where required.
• Support fair and timely contractual determinations while protecting the Employer 's contractual position.
• Administer obligations under FIDIC Red Book, Yellow Book, and Silver Book arrangements as applicable.
• Maintain oversight of contractual compliance by contractors, consultants, and supervision teams.
• Provide senior advice on interpretation of contract conditions, Employer requirements, and project-specific amendments.
• Lead commercial and contractual discussions involving payment, variations, claims, instructions, and unresolved obligations.
• Promote early identification and resolution of matters that could develop into formal disputes.
• Support dispute avoidance and, where necessary, formal dispute resolution processes under FIDIC procedures.
• Coordinate with Commercial, Contracts, Legal, Project Controls, Engineering, and Construction teams on material contractual issues.
• Oversee project performance against approved scope, schedule, cost, quality, and contractual milestones.
• Review progress information and identify delivery issues requiring contractual or management intervention.
• Monitor critical milestones and recommend action where contractor performance threatens project objectives.
• Provide strategic advice on recovery measures, contractual remedies, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Maintain oversight of project risk and ensure significant delivery exposures are appropriately escalated.
• Direct contractor and consultant coordination to support efficient project execution.
• Lead senior-level meetings addressing contractual, commercial, technical, and delivery matters.
• Maintain effective relationships with the Employer, contractors, supervision consultants, authorities, and other key stakeholders.
• Ensure contractual decisions are supported by complete records, contemporary evidence, and formal correspondence.
• Promote disciplined document control for instructions, submissions, approvals, notices, claims, and determinations.
• Oversee compliance with HSE requirements throughout project execution.
• Champion QA/QC standards and ensure non-conformities are managed through appropriate corrective processes.
• Support technical and commercial assessment of contractor proposals and alternative solutions.
• Coordinate with Project Controls teams on delay analysis, milestone performance, forecasts, and schedule recovery.
• Review potential contractual exposure arising from delayed approvals, design changes, access constraints, or Employer instructions.
• Lead preparations for project completion, testing, commissioning, and takeover.
• Verify that contractual prerequisites for handover and completion certification have been satisfied.
• Oversee preparation and issuance of completion, takeover, and related contractual certifications where applicable.
• Monitor outstanding works, punch-list items, testing obligations, warranties, documentation, and closeout deliverables.
• Lead contractual administration throughout the defects liability period.
• Review defect notifications, remedial obligations, and contractor compliance with post-completion requirements.
• Ensure final account matters and outstanding contractual issues are progressed toward closure.
• Provide executive-level recommendations on contractual, commercial, schedule, and project delivery risks.
• Mentor senior project, contract, and commercial personnel on FIDIC administration and contractual decision-making.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor 's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, Architecture, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 20 years of professional experience delivering major infrastructure, engineering, or construction projects.
• Master 's degree in a relevant discipline is advantageous.
• Chartered Engineer, PE, PMP, MRICS, MCIOB, or equivalent professional accreditation is highly desirable.
• Proven experience acting as a FIDIC Engineer, Engineer 's Representative, Contract Administrator, Project Director, or comparable senior authority.
• Extensive practical knowledge of FIDIC Red Book, Yellow Book, and Silver Book contracts.
• Strong experience administering claims, variations, extensions of time, payment certification, and contractual determinations.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret complex contract provisions and apply them consistently in live project environments.
• Strong commercial management and contract administration background.
• Experience overseeing large contractors, supervision consultants, and multidisciplinary delivery teams.
• Strong understanding of project controls, scheduling, risk, cost management, and construction delivery.
• Middle East project experience is required.
• Experience through commissioning, handover, project closeout, and defects liability stages. essential.
• Strong knowledge of dispute avoidance and dispute resolution mechanisms under FIDIC contracts.
• Able to manage commercially sensitive issues while maintaining procedural fairness and contractual discipline.
• Strong written communication capability for formal notices, determinations, certifications, and contractual correspondence.
• Confident presenting complex contractual matters to senior Employer and contractor stakeholders.
• Strong negotiation, leadership, judgment, and decision-making capability.

Skills Set

• FIDIC contract administration
• FIDIC Red Book
• FIDIC Yellow Book
• FIDIC Silver Book
• Engineer under the Contract
• Engineer 's Representative
• Contract interpretation
• Contractual determinations
• Payment certification
• Claims evaluation
• Variations management
• Extension of Time assessment
• Contractual notices
• Commercial management
• Dispute avoidance
• Dispute resolution
• Contractor management
• Consultant management
• Project controls
• Schedule performance
• Delay assessment
• Cost management
• Risk management
• Construction delivery
• HSE governance
• QA/QC oversight
• Testing and commissioning
• Project handover
• Defects liability management
• Final account closeout
• Formal correspondence
• Stakeholder management
• Infrastructure project delivery
• Contract governance

Why Join Us

Major infrastructure programs in Saudi Arabia increasingly require senior professionals who can combine engineering judgment with disciplined FIDIC contract administration. This role offers direct responsibility for contractual decisions, payment certification, claims, variations, schedule exposure, commissioning, handover, and defects management across significant Construction projects. It provides a highly experienced professional with the opportunity to influence project outcomes at Employer level while supporting commercially robust and contractually compliant delivery.

About the Company

Parsons Corporation delivers engineering, infrastructure, program management, and technology solutions for major projects worldwide. In Saudi Arabia, its teams support complex construction and infrastructure programs through engineering leadership, FIDIC contract administration, project controls, commercial oversight, technical assurance, and coordinated delivery from construction through final closeout.