Project Director (Metro/Rail), Bid Opportunity

SYSTRA Arabia; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 700,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

SYSTRA Arabia invites an experienced Project Director to lead the design consultancy for a major rail/metro project in the Middle East. The role demands over 20 years of experience in complex transportation infrastructure, with a strong emphasis on metro stations and integration across disciplines.

You will oversee design management, client relationships, and program delivery, ensuring budget, schedule, and quality standards are met while coordinating with authorities and partners.

Qualifications

• 20+ years of professional experience in the design and delivery of major infrastructure or transportation projects.
• Proven experience in a Project Director, Design Director, or similarly senior leadership role within a lead design consultancy environment.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering rail, metro, or station projects, ideally including complex or high-value public transport programs.
• Strong understanding of station design, transit architecture, multidisciplinary design coordination, and consultancy delivery models.
• Experience managing large multidisciplinary teams across architecture, engineering, specialist systems, and technical support functions.
• Strong client-facing experience, including management of senior stakeholders, transport authorities, and approval agencies.
• Proven experience in project governance, commercial management, program control, risk management, and quality assurance.
• Experience across the full project lifecycle, including concept design, detailed design, tender support, and construction-stage design services.
• Middle East experience preferred, particularly on rail, metro, or major infrastructure programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of the lead design consultancy scope across all project phases.
• Provide overall project leadership, governance, and strategic direction.
• Manage multidisciplinary design teams across architecture, engineering, and specialist disciplines.
• Act as the primary senior point of contact for the client and key stakeholders.
• Oversee design management, coordination, and integration across all project interfaces.
• Ensure delivery against program, budget, quality, and contractual requirements.
• Direct project planning, resource allocation, and team mobilization.
• Lead design reviews, progress meetings, and strategic workshops.
• Manage project risks, issues, dependencies, and change control processes.
• Oversee commercial performance, reporting, and contract administration.
• Ensure compliance with applicable codes, standards, authority requirements, and approval processes.
• Coordinate the integration of station architecture, civil, structural, MEP, rail systems, urban realm, accessibility, wayfinding, and fire life safety requirements.
• Maintain strong relationships with transport authorities, government bodies, and delivery partners.
• Support tender, procurement, and construction-stage design services as required.
• Drive technical excellence, design quality, operational functionality, and passenger-focused outcomes.
• Ensure effective quality assurance and timely submission of coordinated design deliverables

Skills

20+ years experience

Senior leadership

Rail/metro project delivery

Station design expertise

Multidisciplinary team management

Client-facing & stakeholder mgmt

Governance & quality assurance

Full lifecycle design delivery

Middle East experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, Design, or related

Postgraduate qualification advantageous

Job description

SYSTRA is one of the world's leading engineering and consultancy groups specialising in public transport and sustainable mobility. With over 10,300 employees, SYSTRA's mission is to design safe and sustainable transport solutions to bring people together, develop social inclusion and facilitate access to employment, education and leisure throughout the world.

For 65 years, the Group has been working alongside cities and regions to contribute to their development by creating, improving and modernising their infrastructure and transport systems, throughout the life cycle of their projects. SYSTRA is involved from the earliest stages of design through to the testing, deployment and maintenance phases. The company provides all its services in over 80 countries worldwide and generates 74% of its turnover internationally. With its new services, SYSTRA supports its clients and partners in their digital, ecological and energy transition, in order to invent the mobility of tomorrow.

We are seeking an experienced Project Director to lead the delivery of a lead design consultancy scope for a major rail/metro project. This is a senior leadership role suited to a highly accomplished professional with at least 20 years of experience in the design and delivery of complex transportation infrastructure projects, with a strong focus on metro, rail stations, and associated transit environments.

Key Responsibilities:

Acting as the primary point of accountability, the individual will oversee the full design management process, direct multidisciplinary teams, manage client and stakeholder relationships, and ensure that the consultancy scope is delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest standards of quality and technical compliance.

• Lead the delivery of the lead design consultancy scope across all project phases.
• Provide overall project leadership, governance, and strategic direction.
• Manage multidisciplinary design teams across architecture, engineering, and specialist disciplines.
• Act as the primary senior point of contact for the client and key stakeholders.
• Oversee design management, coordination, and integration across all project interfaces.
• Ensure delivery against program, budget, quality, and contractual requirements.
• Direct project planning, resource allocation, and team mobilization.
• Lead design reviews, progress meetings, and strategic workshops.
• Manage project risks, issues, dependencies, and change control processes.
• Oversee commercial performance, reporting, and contract administration.
• Ensure compliance with applicable codes, standards, authority requirements, and approval processes.
• Coordinate the integration of station architecture, civil, structural, MEP, rail systems, urban realm, accessibility, wayfinding, and fire life safety requirements.
• Maintain strong relationships with transport authorities, government bodies, and delivery partners.
• Support tender, procurement, and construction-stage design services as required.
• Drive technical excellence, design quality, operational functionality, and passenger-focused outcomes.
• Ensure effective quality assurance and timely submission of coordinated design deliverables

Profile/Skills

• Minimum 20 years of professional experience in the design and delivery of major infrastructure or transportation projects.
• Proven experience in a Project Director, Design Director, or similarly senior leadership role within a lead design consultancy environment.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering rail, metro, or station projects, ideally including complex or high-value public transport programs.
• Strong understanding of station design, transit architecture, multidisciplinary design coordination, and consultancy delivery models.
• Experience managing large multidisciplinary teams across architecture, engineering, specialist systems, and technical support functions.
• Strong client-facing experience, including management of senior stakeholders, transport authorities, and approval agencies.
• Proven experience in project governance, commercial management, program control, risk management, and quality assurance.
• Experience across the full project lifecycle, including concept design, detailed design, tender support, and construction-stage design services.
• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, Design, or a related discipline. A postgraduate qualification is advantageous.
• Middle East experience preferred, particularly on rail, metro, or major infrastructure programs.