Senior Project Manager (Design)

Job Summary

The Senior Project Manager, Design will lead the planning, management, and delivery of large, multidisciplinary design projects from mobilization through design development, tender, and closeout. The role requires strong client leadership, technical coordination, commercial control, and the ability to drive programme, quality, and delivery performance across multiple design disciplines.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary design projects in line with contractual scope, programme, budget, quality, and client requirements.
• Act as the principal client contact, managing expectations, priorities, decisions, and project interfaces.
• Coordinate architecture, structural, MEP, infrastructure, landscape, BIM, and specialist design teams.
• Develop and maintain the Project Management Plan, design programme, deliverables schedule or MIDP, responsibility matrix, risk register, and reporting requirements.
• Monitor design progress against the approved baseline programme and implement recovery measures where needed.
• Chair internal and client progress meetings, ensuring timely closure of actions, technical matters, and decisions.
• Manage project resources, workload, and team performance in coordination with discipline leads.
• Control project budgets, man-hours, profitability, invoicing, variations, and change management.
• Identify additional services and lead the preparation and management of variation orders.
• Ensure compliance with QA/QC, BIM, document-control procedures, and client standards.
• Coordinate with authorities, approving entities, and external stakeholders to support approvals, permits, and NOCs.
• Identify and mitigate design, commercial, contractual, programme, and delivery risks.
• Support tender-stage activities, including bidder queries, design clarifications, and technical evaluations.
• Ensure timely project closeout, completion of deliverables, and resolution of outstanding comments.

Required Qualifications, Experience and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• A postgraduate qualification in Project Management, Engineering, or Architecture is an advantage.
• PMP or an equivalent recognised project management certification is preferred.
• 15 to 20 years of overall professional experience, including a minimum of 12 years in highly relevant design project management roles.
• Proven track record managing large, complex, multidisciplinary design projects within a consultancy environment, from concept design through detailed design, tender, and closeout.
• Saudi Arabia or GCC experience, with familiarity with local clients, authorities, and approval processes, is highly desirable.
• Strong design project management, leadership, client relationship management, and stakeholder coordination capabilities.
• Demonstrated commercial awareness, including budget, man-hour, profitability, variation, and change-management control.
• Strong programme-management capability, including Primavera P6 and/or MS Project.
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary coordination, resolve technical challenges, and manage project risks effectively.
• Working knowledge of BIM-based delivery, Aconex or other EDMS platforms, document control, project reporting, and QA/QC procedures.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, presentation, negotiation, and decision-making skills in English.