Principal Highways Engineer

Overview

About The Role

• The successful candidate will have demonstrable experience of project team leadership in highways design projects.
• You will be expected to combine technical responsibilities and project management, promoting a collaborative approach to deliver projects to quality, budget and timescales.
• Key responsibilities and duties are listed, but not limited to, the below:
• Lead the delivery of highway design projects with strong experience in local authority standards, procedures, and approval requirements, ensuring designs are developed in full compliance with applicable regulations.
• Manage and oversee the full design lifecycle in Abu Dhabi, from concept and preliminary design through to detailed design and authority submissions
• Act as the key interface for authority coordination in Abu Dhabi & Dubai, including engagement with DMT, ADM, RTA and other stakeholders to secure approvals
• Demonstrate strong familiarity with design standards, approval workflows, and submission processes in Abu Dhabi, with working knowledge of Dubai requirements considered an advantage
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to the team, ensuring designs align with local regulations, international standards, and project-specific requirements
• Lead multidisciplinary coordination across transport planning, drainage, utilities, and other disciplines to deliver integrated design solutions
• Review and ensure the quality of design outputs, calculations, and drawings in line with project and authority standards
• Experience in undertaking or coordinating Road Safety Audits (RSA) at various stages is desirable

Candidate Specification

• BEng or MEng in Civil engineering
• Significant experience in UAE, with strong familiarity with Abu Dhabi design processes and authority requirements; familiarity with Dubai design processes is also desirable
• Able to demonstrate Technical (Design)

Skills

• Ability to demonstrate experience of supporting Traffic impact studies
• Experience of undertaking Highway design for major master-planning in the GCC
• Previous experience in Saudi projects would be an advantage
• Road Safety Audit (RSA) experience is preferable
• Enthusiastic and ambition
• Outward facing with good interpersonal skills
• Self-motivated with good organisational capability
• Effective in both verbal and written communication
• Experience within a Commercial Engineering environment.
• Your benefits
• and rewards:
• Our benefits vary by country and are subject to eligibility and local policy.
• We’ll confirm the details relevant to you as part of the offer process.
• Rewards and bonuses: we are owned by our people (no external investors) and through our employee ownership model success is shared through annual bonus opportunities and longer-term participation as your career grows (subject to local plan, eligibility and business performance)
• Medical insurance and life insurance as per local plan (standard and enhanced coverage may vary by country and policy).
• Annual leave in line with local policy (competitive within the market).
• Maternity leave above and beyond local provisions and paternity leave provisions where applicable
• Professional membership/ institution subscription support
• Learning and career development through project variety, technical networks and structured development opportunities.
• An inclusive culture: we’re committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, and creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and supported.
• Flexible working
• At Mott MacDonald, we support our staff to create work-life balance which works for them and welcome candidates looking for career flexibility.
• We are open to discussing flexible working at interview stage.
• Our benefits package is designed to enhance your experience:
• 90 calendar days paid maternity leave
• Competitive annual leave
• An annual professional institution subscription
• Annual company performance bonus scheme – Subject to company performance