Head of Engineering Department📣 Job Ad

Position Overview

Options Executive Search is partnering with a leading international engineering and infrastructure organization to recruit a Head of Engineering Department for its Water Business. This full-time senior technical leadership role is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is central to the organization's design and engineering function.

Role Scope and Strategic Impact

The Head of Engineering Department will drive engineering strategy, standardization, and delivery excellence across a comprehensive portfolio within the water sector. This includes projects related to desalination, water and wastewater treatment, reuse, pumping stations, pipelines, and distribution infrastructure. The role operates within the Desalination, Water Infrastructure, and EPC sectors, offering direct influence on technical strategy and digital transformation initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish engineering strategy, standards, and best practices for all water-sector projects, aligning with business growth objectives.
• Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams, including Process, Civil & Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation & Control, Pipeline, Hydraulic Modelling, and BIM/Digital Engineering.
• Provide engineering leadership across EPC, Design-Build, BOOT, and PPP project structures, ensuring deliverables meet schedule, budget, and quality targets.
• Lead technical evaluation and engineering input for bids and proposals, covering specifications, RFPs, and Bills of Quantities (BOQs).
• Drive the adoption of BIM, AI-assisted design tools, and engineering automation to advance digital transformation.
• Serve as the organization's senior technical representative with clients, consultants, regulators, and technology licensors.
• Build and mentor a high-performing engineering organization, focusing on succession planning and technical capability development.
• Champion quality, Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE), and regulatory compliance throughout design and execution phases.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Civil, Mechanical, Environmental, Chemical, or Water Resources Engineering.
• 18–25 years of experience in water and wastewater infrastructure projects, with a minimum of 8–10 years in senior engineering leadership.
• Proven track record in delivering large-scale EPC, Design-Build, Desalination, Water Treatment Plant (WTP), Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), pumping station, and pipeline projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Engineering, Water Management, or Business Administration.
• Professional Engineer / Chartered Engineer registration.
• Project experience within the Middle East / GCC region.

The Opportunity

This position offers the chance to significantly influence major water infrastructure programs across the region. The successful candidate will have direct impact on technical strategy, digital transformation, and the growth trajectory of a prominent EPC water business operating in one of the world's most active desalination and water infrastructure markets.