Technical Director - Building Services Leader

Role overview

Technical leadership and quality

• Serve as a senior technical authority for Building Services, with deep mechanical or electrical engineering expertise and strong knowledge of the complete MEP design process.
• Direct technical work on major and complex projects, lead design reviews, challenge assumptions, and resolve difficult technical and multidisciplinary interfaces.
• Ensure designs are coordinated, buildable, efficient, and aligned with client briefs, codes, authority requirements, sustainability objectives, and WSP quality procedures.
• Promote innovation, digital delivery, standardisation, and practical design solutions.

People and team leadership

• Lead, inspire, and develop the Riyadh Building Services team, building a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, accountability, and ownership.
• Manage team performance, workload, utilisation, development, and succession with discipline leads and project managers.
• Assess capability and capacity, allocate people to projects, and identify recruitment or specialist support needs.
• Coach the team, support Saudi national talent and early-career professionals, and connect local staff with regional and global specialists.

Project and operational leadership

• Lead selected major Building Services or multidisciplinary design projects from mobilisation through delivery and close-out.
• Own scope, programme, resources, technical quality, coordination, risk, client communication, and delivery performance.
• Establish project governance, responsibilities, and deliverables; monitor project health and intervene early when recovery action is needed.

Clients and business development

• Build relationships with developers, asset owners, government entities, architects, project managers, and other influential clients and partners in KSA.
• Represent WSP as a senior Building Services leader and trusted adviser, providing responsive, practical, technically credible advice.
• Identify and develop opportunities, lead selected prospects, and contribute to market and client account strategies.

Commercial, risk, and governance

• Own commercial performance for assigned projects and contribute to the Building Services team’s financial performance.
• Monitor fees, progress, changes, work in progress, invoicing, debt, forecasts, and resource performance; take corrective action when required.
• Identify and manage technical, contractual, commercial, programme, resource, and relationship risks.
• Manage scope changes through appropriate communication and commercial controls.
• Apply project management, quality assurance, health and safety, ethics, and governance requirements.

Qualifications and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, building services engineering, or a closely related discipline; a relevant master’s degree is advantageous.
• Chartered Engineer status or equivalent professional registration with a recognised institution is strongly preferred.
• At least 18 years of relevant experience, including substantial experience in a leading multidisciplinary design consultancy.
• Strong track record in client engagement, work winning, proposal leadership, and converting opportunities into appointments.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and influencing skills, with confidence engaging at executive and technical levels.
• GCC experience is highly desirable; Saudi project delivery, local authority knowledge, and an established KSA network are strong advantages.

About the opportunity