Head of Engineering

Location: Dubai or Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — office-based, with regular travel to project sites across the region

Reports to: Managing Director

Direct reports: Discipline Leads (Electrical, Mechanical, Civil/Structural, Controls & Instrumentation) and Design Manager

Contract: Permanent, full-time

Package: Competitive tax-free salary plus allowances and benefits

About the company

We are a specialist energy construction and EPC contractor delivering power generation, grid infrastructure and renewable energy projects across the UAE and the wider Gulf. We self-perform design and construction, working directly for utilities, developers, independent power producers, national oil and gas companies and large industrial end users. With a strong secured order book and a growing regional footprint, we are investing in our engineering capability to support the next phase of the business.

Role purpose

The Head of Engineering owns the technical function end to end — design integrity, engineering standards, resourcing and delivery across the project portfolio. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can hold technical authority in front of clients, consultants and local authorities, while building an engineering team capable of supporting the company's growth across the region.

Key responsibilities

Technical leadership

Act as the senior technical authority for the business, signing off design philosophies, calculations and engineering deliverables.
Set and maintain engineering standards, procedures and design templates across all disciplines.
Own technical risk: identify, quantify and mitigate engineering risk on live projects and at bid stage.
Ensure designs comply with international codes and standards — IEC, BS EN, ASME, API and equivalents — alongside local authority and utility requirements and client specifications.
Manage authority approvals and third-party design reviews through to consent.
Drive design optimisation, standardisation and modularisation to reduce cost and programme.

Project delivery

Provide engineering leadership from concept and FEED through detailed design, procurement support, construction and commissioning.
Oversee interface management between disciplines, subcontracted design partners and site delivery teams.
Review and approve vendor documentation, technical queries, concession requests and design change.
Support commissioning and handover, ensuring as-built documentation and O&M deliverables are complete.
Track engineering progress, man-hours and deliverable status against project programmes and flag deviation early.

People and capability

Lead, mentor and develop a multi-discipline engineering team drawn from a broad mix of nationalities and engineering backgrounds.
Forecast engineering resource requirements and manage the balance of permanent staff, contractors and outsourced design, including offshore design centres.
Build succession and professional development pathways, supporting chartership and local engineering registration where relevant.
Set objectives, run performance reviews and address capability gaps.

Commercial and client-facing

Provide engineering input to bids and tenders — concept design, technical submissions, engineering hours and risk allowances.
Represent the business technically with clients, consultants, utilities, regulators and supply chain partners across the region.
Support the selection and technical assessment of key subcontractors and equipment vendors, including regional and international supply chain.
Contribute to value engineering and innovation that improves margin without compromising quality or safety.

HSQE and compliance

Embed safety in design, ensuring hazard reviews, HAZOP and design risk assessments are properly executed and closed out.
Maintain the engineering elements of the quality management system and support internal, client and third-party audits.
Ensure environmental, sustainability and carbon reduction requirements are designed in, not bolted on.

Essential experience

Degree in an engineering discipline — Electrical, Mechanical, Civil or similar.
Chartered Engineer status or international equivalent, or working towards it with a clear route to completion.
Extensive engineering experience within energy, power or industrial construction, gained with an EPC contractor, principal contractor or owner-operator.
Proven track record leading multi-discipline engineering teams on large-scale capital projects.
Strong working knowledge of the full project lifecycle: FEED, detailed design, procurement, construction and commissioning.
Demonstrable technical authority — comfortable making and defending engineering decisions under commercial and programme pressure.
Experience managing external design consultants and technical supply chain.
Confident client-facing communicator, able to translate technical detail for commercial and executive audiences.
Willingness to be based in the UAE and travel to project sites across the region as required.

Desirable

Prior experience delivering projects in the UAE or wider GCC, with an understanding of local authority approval processes and utility requirements.
Experience across more than one energy sub-sector, such as substations and HV networks, battery storage, solar, thermal generation, hydrogen or industrial process energy.
Familiarity with FIDIC contract forms and the engineering obligations they carry.
Exposure to digital engineering — BIM, three-dimensional modelling and common data environments.
A background that includes site-based delivery or commissioning, rather than purely design office experience.
Track record of building or restructuring an engineering function through a period of growth.
Arabic language skills, though this is not a requirement.

Competencies

Decisive technical judgement balanced with commercial awareness.
Credible leader who develops people rather than simply directing them.
Effective working across a multicultural team and client base.
Structured and process-minded, without becoming bureaucratic.
Resilient under programme pressure and comfortable with ambiguity on early-stage projects.

What's on offer

Competitive tax-free salary with housing and transport allowances.
Annual performance bonus.
Family medical insurance, life cover and annual flights home.
Schooling allowance and visa sponsorship for the successful candidate and immediate family.
End-of-service gratuity in line with UAE labour law.
Annual leave in line with company policy, plus public holidays.
A secured pipeline of regional energy infrastructure projects and genuine influence over how the engineering function is built.
A clear route to Engineering Director as the business scales.