Senior Design Manager – Utilities📣 Job Ad

About the Role

Buro Happold is seeking a Senior Design Manager – Utilities to lead the design of utility systems for a major luxury development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This role is central to delivering robust, coordinated, and future-ready utility infrastructure for a flagship project. You will oversee dry and wet utility design, sitewide coordination, manage authority interfaces, lead consultant teams, and ensure technical assurance throughout the project lifecycle. This is an opportunity to contribute to a landmark development by shaping its essential utility backbone.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead utilities design management across concept, developed, and detailed design stages.
• Oversee design coordination for power, telecom, district cooling, water, sewerage, stormwater, irrigation, and related utility networks.
• Manage consultant teams and review utility strategies, layouts, calculations, and technical submissions.
• Coordinate with infrastructure, roads, transport, architecture, and landscape teams to resolve corridor and interface issues.
• Support authority engagement, technical approvals, and utility provider coordination.
• Identify and manage risks, changes, and design constraints affecting utility packages.
• Lead value engineering and design optimisation initiatives to improve efficiency, constructability, and lifecycle performance.
• Monitor programme milestones, deliverable schedules, and consultant performance.
• Prepare reports and updates for project leadership and client teams.
• Support procurement documentation, consultant selection, and technical bid evaluations as required.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, or Utility Engineering, or a related field.
• Significant experience managing utility design on major infrastructure or mixed-use developments.
• Strong understanding of wet and dry utility systems and multidisciplinary coordination.
• Experience with authority approval processes and utility stakeholder engagement.
• Strong analytical, organisational, and technical reporting skills.
• Ability to manage complex design interfaces in fast-paced project environments.
• Middle East experience, particularly in Saudi Arabia or the GCC, is strongly preferred.

Required Skills

• Utilities design management
• Management of complex utilities packages
• Sitewide coordination
• Dry and wet utility design
• Corridor coordination
• Authority interfaces management
• Consultant management
• Technical assurance
• Design coordination for power, telecom, district cooling, water, sewerage, stormwater, and irrigation networks
• Review of utility strategies, layouts, calculations, and technical submissions
• Coordination with infrastructure, roads, transport, architecture, and landscape teams
• Support for authority engagement and technical approvals
• Utility provider coordination
• Risk management
• Change management
• Design constraints management
• Value engineering and design optimisation
• Monitoring of programme milestones, deliverable schedules, and consultant performance
• Reporting and technical updates
• Support for procurement documentation, consultant selection, and technical bid evaluations
• Comprehensive understanding of wet and dry utility systems
• Multidisciplinary coordination
• Familiarity with authority approval processes and utility stakeholder engagement
• Strong analytical and organisational skills
• Proficiency in technical reporting
• Experience managing complex design interfaces in fast-paced project environments
• BIM and digital coordination experience is advantageous

Work Context

This role is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is offered on a contract basis. The position requires over 10 years of experience. Buro Happold is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and welcomes applications from individuals seeking flexible working patterns.