Head of Engineering

Overview

Job Purpose

Engineering Strategy & Technical Authority

• Define and implement the engineering strategy, design philosophy, and technical governance framework for the division.
• Establish company standards for drawings, documentation, SLDs, wiring diagrams, design templates, and BOM structures.
• Act as the final technical approval authority for all engineering deliverables and design packages.
• Own technical risk management and ensure alignment with business profitability and margin targets.
• Lead high-level technical engagement with clients, consultants, utilities, and OEM partners.
• Define and execute the technology roadmap including adoption of modern substation automation, IEC 61850 architectures, smart MCCs, and digitalization initiatives.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action for major technical failures, NCRs, or quality concerns.

• Project Engineering & Bid Management

• Provide technical leadership during bids, tenders, and proposal stage, ensuring optimal technical and commercial positioning.
• Validate technical compliance with customer specifications, international standards, and contractual requirements.
• Oversee project engineering to ensure designs are delivered on time, within budget, and with zero major deviations.
• Manage interfaces with clients, consultants, OEMs (Siemens, ABB, GE, SEL, Schneider, etc.), and internal stakeholders.
• Balance standardization vs. customization to improve efficiency without compromising project requirements.
• Support business growth by enabling engineering capability for new markets, products, and solutions.
• Ensure seamless coordination with Testing & Commissioning teams for successful system validation and handover.

• Departmental Leadership & Capability Building

• Establish and lead a high-performing engineering organization including Protection, Automation, Design, and Application Engineering.
• Define competency frameworks, skill matrix, and succession pipeline for critical roles.
• Drive recruitment, mentoring, and technical capability development.
• Optimize engineering resource planning across multiple concurrent projects.
• Foster a culture of innovation, ownership, and continuous improvement.

• Commercial & Value Engineering

• Own engineering cost optimization through value engineering and design efficiency.
• Review and influence project profitability through technical decisions.
• Identify cost drivers within BOMs and propose alternatives without compromising performance.
• + Support contract negotiations on technical clauses and deviations.

• Quality, Safety & Compliance (Non-Negotiables)

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering (Master’s preferred).
• ****Experience****
• 15–18+ years of relevant experience in Protection, Automation, Panel, or System Integration Engineering.
• Minimum 5–8 years in a senior engineering leadership or departmental head role.
• Experience handling multi-million AED EPC or system integration projects is preferred

Knowledge & Technical Expertise

• Protection Engineering
• + Deep expertise in protection schemes (Differential, Distance, REF, Overcurrent, Busbar).
• + Relay coordination , system studies, and CT/VT sizing.

• Panel & System Design

• Automation & Communication

• + SCADA, RTU, IEC 61850, Modbus, DNP3, IEC 60870-5 protocols.
• Engineering Tools

+ Etap / Skm

• Commercial Acumen
• + Strong understanding of technical specifications, BOM costing, value engineering, and project lifecycle