Technical Director Water

About the Role

WSP in the Middle East is seeking a Technical Director for Water to provide technical leadership, strategic direction, and project delivery excellence across its Water business in the Middle East. This full-time role is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and will support projects and clients throughout the GCC and wider Middle East region. The Technical Director will serve as a senior leader within WSP's Water practice, focusing on driving technical excellence, project performance, innovation, and business growth across a diverse portfolio of water infrastructure projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a Technical Authority and subject matter expert across water infrastructure disciplines.
• Provide strategic technical leadership for major water, wastewater, stormwater, irrigation, hydrology, and water resources projects.
• Lead technical reviews, assurance processes, and governance activities across project portfolios.
• Ensure designs comply with international best practice and local authority requirements throughout the Middle East.
• Champion innovation, sustainability, digital engineering, and resilient water infrastructure solutions.
• Drive the adoption of emerging technologies, modelling tools, and best practice methodologies.
• Oversee the successful delivery of complex multidisciplinary water projects from inception through detailed design and construction support.
• Monitor project performance with respect to scope, programme, quality, risk, and profitability.
• Support project directors and design managers in resolving complex technical challenges.
• Lead technical risk assessments and ensure robust mitigation strategies are implemented.

Client Engagement and Business Development

• Build and maintain strong relationships with utilities, government authorities, developers, municipalities, and strategic clients.
• Serve as a senior client-facing representative for WSP across major commissions.
• Lead technical workshops, client presentations, and strategic advisory engagements.
• Contribute to the growth strategy of the Water business across the Middle East.
• Identify emerging market opportunities and support the development of new service offerings.
• Lead or support major bids, technical proposals, and strategic pursuits.
• Enhance WSP's brand and reputation through industry engagement, conferences, and thought leadership initiatives.

Team Leadership and Development

• Mentor, coach, and develop engineers and technical specialists across the Water practice.
• Build and strengthen technical capability across all levels of the business.
• Support recruitment and workforce planning initiatives.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, technical excellence, innovation, and inclusion.
• Identify future technical leaders and support succession planning across the region.

Sustainability and Innovation Focus

• Promote sustainable water management principles across all project activities.
• Advocate for climate-resilient design, circular economy principles, water reuse, and resource efficiency.
• Support the delivery of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) and integrated water management solutions.
• Contribute to WSP's sustainability commitments and regional environmental objectives.

Required Experience

Candidates should possess a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in water infrastructure projects and technical leadership roles.