Head of Engineering (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

Job Requirements

• Engineering Strategy & Technical Authority
• Define and implement the engineering strategy, design philosophy, and technical governance framework for the division.
• Establish company standards for drawings, documentation, SLDs, wiring diagrams, design templates, and BOM structures.
• Act as the final technical approval authority for all engineering deliverables and design packages.
• Own technical risk management and ensure alignment with business profitability and margin targets.
• Lead high-level technical engagement with clients, consultants, utilities, and OEM partners.
• Define and execute the technology roadmap including adoption of modern substation automation, IEC 61850 architectures, smart MCCs, and digitalization initiatives.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action for major technical failures, NCRs, or quality concerns.
• 2. Project Engineering & Bid Management
• Provide technical leadership during bids, tenders, and proposal stage , ensuring optimal technical and commercial positioning.
• Validate technical compliance with customer specifications, international standards, and contractual requirements.
• Oversee project engineering to ensure designs are delivered on time, within budget, and with zero major deviations.
• Manage interfaces with clients, consultants, OEMs (Siemens, ABB, GE, SEL, Schneider, etc.), and internal stakeholders.
• Balance standardization vs. customization to improve efficiency without compromising project requirements.
• Support business growth by enabling engineering capability for new markets, products, and solutions.
• Ensure seamless coordination with Testing & Commissioning teams for successful system validation and handover.
• 3. Departmental Leadership & Capability Building
• Establish and lead a high-performing engineering organization including Protection, Automation, Design, and Application Engineering.
• Define competency frameworks, skill matrix, and succession pipeline for critical roles.
• Drive recruitment, mentoring, and technical capability development.
• Optimize engineering resource planning across multiple concurrent projects.
• Foster a culture of innovation, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• 4. Commercial & Value Engineering
• Own engineering cost optimization through value engineering and design efficiency.
• Review and influence project profitability through technical decisions.
• Identify cost drivers within BOMs and propose alternatives without compromising performance.
• Support contract negotiations on technical clauses and deviations. 5. Quality, Safety & Compliance (Non-Negotiables) Ensure all engineering outputs comply with international standards including: IEC 60255 IEC 61850 IEC 61131 IEC 61439 IEEE C37 ISO 9001 Integrate Safety by Design principles including arc-flash mitigation, segregation, and isolation philosophy. Ensure robust documentation control, ISO compliance, and accuracy of as-built drawings and O&M manuals. Maintain centralized engineering data repository and knowledge management systems.
• Support contract negotiations on technical clauses and deviations.
• Ensure all engineering outputs comply with international standards including:
• IEC 60255
• IEC 61850
• IEC 61131
• IEC 61439
• IEEE C37
• ISO 9001
• Integrate Safety by Design principles including arc-flash mitigation, segregation, and isolation philosophy.
• Ensure robust documentation control, ISO compliance, and accuracy of as-built drawings and O&M manuals.
• Maintain centralized engineering data repository and knowledge management systems.
• Qualifications

Experience