The Design Manager will lead the integrated project management and consultancy (PMC) scope for rail and infrastructure programs, with a core focus on trackwork and civil/structural assets. This role oversees multi-disciplinary design management, design assurance, and interface control from concept through detailed design and construction support, ensuring alignment with client requirements, KSA standards, and international best practice
Responsibilities
- Establish and enforce design standards, technical criteria, and compliance with KSA codes, MOMRAH, MOT, and relevant rail standards (e.g., EN, AREMA where applicable), including client-specific requirements.
- Manage multi-disciplinary design teams (track, civil/structural, geotechnical, drainage, utilities, architectural, MEP interfaces, systems), ensuring integration and timely delivery.
- Provide subject matter expertise in permanent way engineering (alignment geometry, trackform selection, rail systems interfaces, ballast/non-ballast solutions, turnouts, transition zones).
- Oversee civil/structural scope for rail structures (viaducts, bridges, culverts, retaining walls, stations sub/ superstructure interfaces, depots, and ancillary structures), including design calculations, specifications, and constructability.
- Direct geotechnical interpretations and earthworks strategies relevant to trackbed design, settlement control, and durability in arid environments.
- Manage interfaces across civil works, track, signaling, telecoms, power/traction, rolling stock, and O&M inputs; maintain interface control documents and close-out logs.
- Coordinate corridor interfaces (roads, utilities, third parties, land acquisition) and station/yard integration.
- Drive BIM and data integration (CDE management, model federation, clash detection) to support design coordination and delivery.
- Develop and implement the Design Management Plan (DMP), Design Assurance Plan (DAP), and Verification & Validation (V&V) strategies.
- Lead hazard identification, HAZID/HAZOP sessions, constructability reviews, RAMS inputs, and design risk registers.
- Ensure robust change control, technical query (TQ/RFI) management, and conformity with project KPIs, ISO processes, and PMC quality standards.
- Act as the primary client-facing design lead, providing clear status reporting, issue resolution, and decision facilitation.
- Engage with authorities and utilities (KSA ministries, municipalities, utility providers) to secure NOCs, permits, and approvals.
- Support procurement (scope, specifications, employer's requirements) and tender evaluations for design and D&B packages.
- Provide technical leadership during construction support, responding to site queries, managing shop drawing reviews, and addressing non-conformances.
- Oversee design changes and value engineering, balancing cost, schedule, quality, and lifecycle performance.
- Contribute to testing and commissioning readiness from a design perspective, ensuring handover documentation and as-builts are complete and accurate
Qualifications and Experience
Candidates must have:
- Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, or related field; Master's degree preferred.
- Minimum 15 years of experience with a strong emphasis on trackwork and structures within rail/transportation infrastructure.
- Demonstrable PMC or client-side program/portfolio design management experience on large, complex projects.
- Proven Middle East experience with a minimum of several years delivering projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; strong knowledge of local regulations and authority processes is essential.
- Chartered or Professional Engineer status (e.g., CEng, PE, PEng) preferred.
- Extensive experience with design codes and standards relevant to track and structures (EN, Eurocodes, AASHTO/AREMA as applicable), and KSA/regional authority requirements.
- Proficiency in BIM/CDE environments and associated workflows (e.g., ISO 19650), with familiarity in tools such as Autodesk, Bentley, and model review platforms.
- Strong leadership, stakeholder engagement, negotiation, and communication skills; proven track record of leading multidisciplinary teams.
- Technical excellence in permanent way and civil/structural design, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Mastery of design governance, assurance, and risk management in a PMC environment.
- Interface management across systems and civil disciplines, with a focus on integration and deliverable quality.
- Commercial acumen: scope definition, change management, value engineering, and claims avoidance.
- Results-driven mindset with the ability to operate in fast-paced, culturally diverse environments and navigate complex stakeholder landscapes in KSA.
