Senior Tunnel Construction Engineer - Underground Works

Parsons; Tayma; On-site; SAR 391,000 - 558,000; Full time

Job summary

Parsons Corporation seeks a Senior Tunnel Construction Engineer for underground works in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The role leads construction oversight of bored tunnels, caverns, adits, shafts and cross passages, coordinating TBM activities, ground support, and contractor performance to meet safety, programme and cost targets.

The ideal candidate brings 15+ years in tunnelling, strong TBM and NATM experience, and a proven PMC/client-side leadership track record on major underground programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil, Mining, Tunnelling or equivalent.
• Minimum 15 years of experience delivering bored tunnels or underground infrastructure.
• Strong TBM tunnelling expertise, including hard rock, EPB or slurry systems.
• Experience as PMC/client-side technical representative on large underground projects.
• Proven ability to coordinate multi-disciplinary teams and manage interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Oversee bored tunnels, caverns, shafts, adits and cross passages.
• Monitor TBM assembly, launch, production tunnelling and recovery.
• Review contractor method statements and technical submissions.
• Lead QA/QC and ensure IFC designs and specs are met.
• Coordinate geotechnical inputs and ground control strategies.
• Provide field engineering support for tunnelling and underground works.
• Manage contractor performance and safety on site.
• Maintain project controls alignment and schedule integrity.

Skills

TBM tunnelling

Hard rock TBM

NATM

Drill and blast

Ground control

Contractor management

PMC construction oversight

Underground logistics

QA and QC

Interface management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil/Mining/Tunnelling

Tools

ITA guidelines

Saudi Arabia Codes

Eurocodes

EN standards

BS standards

Job description

Job Snapshot

Role: Senior Tunnel Construction Engineer - Underground Works

Location: Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Industry: Civil Engineering

Function: Construction

Experience: Minimum 15 years

Job Type: Full-time

Position Overview

Senior Tunnel Construction Engineer - Underground Works in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia is a senior Civil Engineering opportunity responsible for construction oversight of bored tunnels, underground caverns, adits, shafts, cross passages, and associated temporary and permanent works. The role provides technical leadership across hard rock TBM excavation, cavern construction, breakthrough, recovery, decommissioning, ground support, contractor performance, QA and QC, and site demobilization while maintaining alignment with safety, programme, cost, quality, and operational requirements.

Job Details

Country: Saudi Arabia

City: Tabuk

Industry: Civil Engineering

Function: Construction

Salary: 35000-50000 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 Senior Tunnel Construction Engineer - Underground Works acts as a senior PMC and client-side technical representative for complex tunnelling and cavern construction. The position oversees contractor execution from TBM assembly and launch through production tunnelling, breakthrough, recovery, dismantling, closure works, and final worksite restoration. The role requires strong field judgment because underground construction conditions can rapidly affect safety, production, logistics, structural performance, and contractual exposure. By coordinating tunnelling contractors, geotechnical specialists, construction teams, planners, quality personnel, and HSE functions, the engineer helps ensure underground assets are delivered safely, efficiently, and in accordance with approved designs and project standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee construction of bored tunnels, underground caverns, shafts, adits, cross passages, and associated underground infrastructure.
• Monitor hard rock TBM assembly, commissioning, launch, production tunnelling, breakthrough, reception, and recovery activities.
• Review TBM operating performance and identify construction or interface issues requiring technical intervention.
• Supervise cavern excavation using SEM, NATM, drill and blast, or other approved underground excavation techniques.
• Verify construction activities comply with IFC designs, project specifications, approved procedures, applicable codes, and quality requirements.
• Provide field-based engineering support to resolve tunnelling, cavern, structural, logistics, and temporary works issues.
• Act as the PMC focal point for contractors performing tunnel and cavern construction activities.
• Review contractor method statements, technical submissions, work plans, and recovery strategies.
• Oversee TBM breakthrough preparation and confirm reception shaft or open-cut areas are ready for controlled machine recovery.
• Review contractor plans for TBM dismantling within shafts, tunnels, or designated recovery areas.
• Assess heavy lifting studies associated with cutterheads, shields, backup gantries, and other major TBM components.
• Monitor lifting, transport, removal, and disposition of TBM equipment.
• Coordinate reuse, refurbishment, storage, or disposal requirements for recovered TBM components.
• Ensure temporary tunnelling systems are safely decommissioned when no longer required.
• Oversee removal or shutdown of muck handling facilities, temporary services, and associated construction infrastructure.
• Monitor closure activities including interface grouting, sealing, structural completion, and permanent finishing works.
• Confirm tunnel interfaces are completed in accordance with approved permanent works requirements.
• Ensure site restoration and demobilization activities meet environmental and project requirements.
• Monitor contractor compliance with waste management, restoration, and environmental obligations.
• Ensure complete QA and QC closeout documentation is produced for underground assets.
• Review Level 3 and Level 4 contractor programmes covering TBM drives, cavern excavation, recovery, and demobilization.
• Validate construction sequencing against available access, logistics, site interfaces, and downstream activities.
• Coordinate tunnelling sequence with muck removal, segment delivery, temporary services, and underground logistics.
• Ensure construction planning considers subsequent fit‑out, utilities, systems installation, and operational integration.
• Monitor TBM advance rates and compare actual production with approved programme targets.
• Track cavern excavation cycles and identify causes of productivity loss.
• Require and monitor recovery actions where production or schedule performance falls below planned targets.
• Coordinate construction planning with project controls teams to improve schedule accuracy and forecasting.
• Ensure Geotechnical Baseline Report and geotechnical design requirements are considered throughout excavation and permanent works.
• Monitor implementation and performance of temporary and permanent ground support systems.
• Review conditions encountered during excavation and identify potential departures from anticipated geotechnical conditions.
• Support assessment of differing ground conditions and related technical or contractual implications.
• Coordinate with geotechnical teams on ground behavior, excavation stability, support requirements, and risk mitigation.
• Review contractor proposals affecting tunnel support, cavern excavation, temporary works, or excavation methodology.
• Participate in technical reviews concerning ground control, temporary support, and construction sequencing.
• Maintain oversight of contractor performance across safety, quality, progress, technical compliance, and interface management.
• Coordinate closely with other contractors where tunnel works interface with civil, structural, systems, utilities, or operational packages.
• Resolve interface issues that could delay underground construction or subsequent works.
• Support management of construction risks associated with live underground activities.
• Ensure compliance with applicable Health, Safety, and Environmental requirements and Life‑Saving Rules.
• Monitor high‑risk activities including TBM breakthrough, cutterhead extraction, confined space work, underground lifting, and heavy transport.
• Review lifting plans and verify appropriate controls are established before major underground lifting activities begin.
• Participate in safety inspections, risk reviews, incident investigations, and corrective action follow‑up where required.
• Promote safe working practices across tunnels, caverns, shafts, and temporary underground facilities.
• Monitor QA and QC implementation throughout tunnelling and cavern construction.
• Oversee inspection and testing of segmental tunnel linings.
• Verify workmanship associated with tunnel structural elements, ground support, interfaces, and permanent works.
• Ensure inspection records and technical approvals remain traceable throughout project delivery.
• Review as‑built documentation before acceptance and handover.
• Verify that outstanding construction, quality, and technical issues are closed before final turnover.
• Support integration of tunnels and caverns into downstream operational infrastructure.
• Prepare technical reports, construction assessments, recommendations, and management updates for senior stakeholders.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor 's degree or equivalent in Civil Engineering, Mining Engineering, Tunnelling Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 15 years of experience delivering bored tunnels, underground caverns, or major underground infrastructure.
• Strong experience with TBM tunnelling using hard rock, EPB, slurry, or comparable tunnelling systems.
• Practical understanding of TBM assembly, launch, operation, breakthrough, reception, recovery, dismantling, and demobilization.
• Extensive experience with cavern construction using SEM, NATM, drill and blast, or similar techniques.
• Background working on major metro, rail, highway, hydropower, mountain tunnel, utility, or comparable infrastructure programs.
• Strong understanding of underground construction sequencing and site logistics.
• Experience reviewing and managing contractor method statements and technical submissions.
• Practical knowledge of heavy lifting operations associated with underground construction and TBM recovery.
• Strong understanding of ground control and tunnel support systems.
• Familiarity with Geotechnical Baseline Reports and management of differing ground conditions.
• Experience managing temporary works and their eventual removal or decommissioning.
• Strong understanding of construction risk, contractor interfaces, and programme dependencies.
• Familiarity with environmental requirements associated with large underground projects.
• Knowledge of ITA guidelines, Saudi Arabia Codes, Eurocodes, EN standards, BS standards, and applicable international tunnelling practices.
• Experience working within PMC, EPC, Delivery Partner, or client-side project environments is preferred.
• Strong contractor management and stakeholder coordination capability.
• Ability to challenge contractor proposals constructively and provide clear technical direction.
• Strong leadership skills suited to complex, high‑risk construction environments.
• Ability to coordinate technical issues across geotechnical, civil, structural, quality, safety, planning, and construction disciplines.

Skills Set

• Tunnel construction
• TBM tunnelling
• Hard rock TBM
• EPB TBM
• Slurry TBM
• Underground caverns
• SEM
• NATM
• Drill and blast
• Tunnel breakthrough
• TBM recovery
• TBM decommissioning
• TBM dismantling
• Cutterhead extraction
• Heavy lifting
• Underground logistics
• Segmental linings
• Shaft construction
• Cross passages
• Access adits
• Ground support
• Ground control
• Geotechnical Baseline Report
• Differing ground conditions
• Temporary works
• Closure grouting
• Structural completion
• Construction sequencing
• Level 3 schedules
• Level 4 schedules
• Productivity monitoring
• TBM advance rates
• Contractor management
• Interface management
• Construction risk
• Underground HSE
• Confined space works
• QA and QC
• IFC drawings
• Method statement review
• As-built documentation
• Site demobilization
• Environmental compliance
• ITA guidelines
• Saudi Arabia Codes
• Eurocodes
• EN standards
• BS standards
• PMC construction oversight

Why Join Us

This role provides an experienced underground construction engineer with the opportunity to lead technically demanding Civil Engineering works in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia across the complete tunnelling lifecycle. Responsibilities extend beyond excavation into contractor governance, TBM recovery, heavy lifting, temporary works, geotechnical risk, construction controls, quality closeout, and final operational integration. The scale and complexity of the work provide valuable exposure to advanced underground construction methods and large infrastructure delivery, offering strong career progression for specialists seeking senior responsibilities in tunnelling, Construction, PMC management, or underground project leadership.

About the Company

Parsons Corporation provides engineering, construction management, program management, and technical consulting services for major infrastructure developments. Its teams across Saudi Arabia support complex transportation and underground projects through technical oversight, contractor management, construction supervision, project controls, and integrated delivery expertise.