Technical Director - Building Services Leader

WSP; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 600,000 - 800,000; Full time

Job summary

WSP in the Middle East seeks a Technical Director to lead the Building Services team in Riyadh. This senior, client-facing role demands strong mechanical or electrical expertise, cross-disciplinary leadership, and the ability to drive major projects from inception through delivery.

The candidate will oversee design quality, client relations, and strategic growth of the Riyadh team. The role requires hands-on leadership, international collaboration, and the ability to connect local teams with

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, building services engineering or closely related discipline.
• Chartered Engineer status or equivalent registration strongly preferred.
• 18+ years of relevant experience with substantial leadership in multidisciplinary design.
• Proven client engagement, work winning, proposal leadership and turning opportunities into appointments.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation and influencing skills; able to engage at executive and technical levels.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for Building Services with deep expertise in mechanical or electrical engineering.
• Lead design reviews, challenge assumptions and resolve complex interfaces.
• Ensure coordinated, buildable, efficient designs aligned with client brief and codes.
• Promote innovation, digital delivery and practical design solutions.
• Lead Riyadh Building Services team and develop Saudi national talent.
• Oversee project scope, programme, resources, quality, risk and client communication.
• Develop opportunities and lead selected pursuits and client account strategies.

Skills

Technical leadership

People management

Client engagement

Stakeholder communication

Building Services knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or electrical/building services engineering

Master’s degree advantageous

Job description

Technical Director - Building Services Leader

Job Description

WSP in the Middle East is seeking an accomplished Technical Director to lead our Building Services team in Riyadh. This is a senior, client-facing role for a mechanical or electrical background building services professional who can provide credible technical leadership while growing and managing a high-performing multidisciplinary MEP team.

The successful candidate will be directly involved in major and complex projects, build trusted client relationships, lead selected pursuits and proposals, maintain oversight of project and commercial performance, and connect our local teams with WSP’s regional and global expertise. The role requires a hands-on leader who can move confidently between technical decisions, team management, project leadership and business development.

Responsibilities

Technical leadership and quality

Act as a senior technical authority for Building Services, with deep expertise in either mechanical or electrical engineering and a strong understanding of the complete MEP design process.

Provide clear technical direction on major and complex projects, lead key design reviews, challenge assumptions and resolve difficult technical and multidisciplinary interfaces.

Ensure designs are coordinated, buildable, efficient and aligned with the client brief, applicable codes, authority requirements, sustainability objectives and WSP quality procedures.

Promote innovation, digital delivery, standardisation and practical design solutions that improve quality, efficiency and client outcomes.

People and team leadership

Lead, inspire and develop the Riyadh Building Services team, creating a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, accountability and ownership.

Manage team performance, workload, utilisation, development and succession, working closely with discipline leads and project managers.

Assess capability and capacity, allocate the right people to projects and identify recruitment or specialist support requirements.

Coach the building services team and support the development of Saudi national talent and early-career professionals.

Connect the local team with WSP specialists across KSA, the Middle East and the wider global business.

Project and operational leadership

Lead selected major Building Services or multidisciplinary design projects from mobilisation through delivery and close-out.

Take accountability for scope, programme, resources, technical quality, coordination, risk, client communication and delivery performance.

Monitor project health and intervene early where recovery action is required.

Clients, markets and work winning

Build trusted relationships with developers, asset owners, government entities, architects, project managers and other influential clients and partners in KSA.

Represent WSP as a senior Building Services leader and trusted adviser, maintaining client confidence through responsive, practical and technically credible advice.

Identify and develop opportunities, lead selected prospects and contribute to market and client account strategies.

Commercial, risk and governance

Take ownership of the commercial performance of assigned projects and contribute to the financial performance of the Building Services team.

Monitor fee, progress, change, work in progress, invoicing, debt, forecast and resource performance, taking timely corrective action where required.

Identify and manage technical, contractual, commercial, programme, resource and relationship risks.

Ensure changes in scope are recognised, communicated and managed through appropriate commercial controls.

Apply WSP project management, quality assurance, health and safety, ethics and governance requirements consistently.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, building services engineering or a closely related discipline; a relevant master’s degree is advantageous.

Chartered Engineer status or equivalent professional registration with a recognised institution is strongly preferred.

18+ years of relevant experience, with substantial experience in a leading multidisciplinary design consultancy.

A strong record of client engagement, work winning, proposal leadership and converting opportunities into appointments.

Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation and influencing skills, with the confidence to engage at executive and technical levels.

GCC experience is highly desirable. Experience delivering projects in Saudi Arabia, knowledge of local authority requirements and an established KSA network would be a strong advantage.

Why WSP?

This role offers the opportunity to shape and grow WSP’s Building Services capability in Riyadh, lead significant projects and client relationships, and draw on a strong regional presence and global network of engineering and specialist expertise. You will have the platform to influence our technical direction, develop our people and contribute directly to the continued growth of our Property & Buildings business in Saudi Arabia.

Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all.

Work on landmark projects around the world and embrace opportunities to make an even bigger impact in the communities you care about. What if you could do the best work of your life and create a legacy for yourself?