Design Manager; Track

The Design Manager will lead the integrated project management and consultancy (PMC) scope for rail and infrastructure programs, with a core focus on trackwork and civil/structural assets. This role oversees multi-disciplinary design management, design assurance, and interface control from concept through detailed design and construction support, ensuring alignment with client requirements, KSA standards, and international best practice

• Establish and enforce design standards, technical criteria, and compliance with KSA codes, MOMRAH, MOT, and relevant rail standards (e.g., EN, AREMA where applicable), including client-specific requirements.
• Manage multi-disciplinary design teams (track, civil/structural, geotechnical, drainage, utilities, architectural, MEP interfaces, systems), ensuring integration and timely delivery.
• Provide subject matter expertise in permanent way engineering (alignment geometry, trackform selection, rail systems interfaces, ballast/non-ballast solutions, turnouts, transition zones).
• Oversee civil/structural scope for rail structures (viaducts, bridges, culverts, retaining walls, stations sub/ superstructure interfaces, depots, and ancillary structures), including design calculations, specifications, and constructability.
• Direct geotechnical interpretations and earthworks strategies relevant to trackbed design, settlement control, and durability in arid environments.
• Manage interfaces across civil works, track, signaling, telecoms, power/traction, rolling stock, and O&M inputs; maintain interface control documents and close out logs.
• Coordinate corridor interfaces (roads, utilities, third parties, land acquisition) and station/yard integration.
• Drive BIM and data integration (CDE management, model federation, clash detection) to support design coordination and delivery.
• Develop and implement the Design Management Plan (DMP), Design Assurance Plan (DAP), and Verification & Validation (V&V) strategies.
• Lead hazard identification, HAZID/HAZOP sessions, constructability reviews, RAMS inputs, and design risk registers.
• Ensure robust change control, technical query (TQ/RFI) management, and conformity with project KPIs, ISO processes, and PMC quality standards.
• Act as the primary client facing design lead, providing clear status reporting, issue resolution, and decision facilitation.
• Engage with authorities and utilities (KSA ministries, municipalities, utility providers) to secure NOCs, permits, and approvals.
• Support procurement (scope, specifications, employer's requirements) and tender evaluations for design and D&B packages.
• Provide technical leadership during construction support, responding to site queries, managing shop drawing reviews, and addressing non conformances.
• Oversee design changes and value engineering, balancing cost, schedule, quality, and lifecycle performance.
• Contribute to testing and commissioning readiness from a design perspective, ensuring handover documentation and as built are complete and accurate.

Candidates must have:

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, or related field;
  Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum 15 years of experience with a strong emphasis on trackwork and structures within rail/transportation infrastructure.
• Demonstrable PMC or client side program/portfolio design management experience on large, complex projects.
• Proven Middle East experience with a minimum of several years delivering projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; strong knowledge of local regulations and authority processes is essential.
• Chartered or Professional Engineer status (e.g., CEng, PE, PEng) preferred.
• Extensive experience with design codes and standards relevant to track and structures (EN, Eurocodes, AASHTO/AREMA as applicable), and KSA/regional authority requirements.
• Proficiency in BIM/CDE environments and associated workflows (e.g., ISO 19650), with familiarity in tools such as Autodesk, Bentley, and model review platforms.
• Strong leadership, stakeholder engagement, negotiation, and communication skills; proven track record of leading multidisciplinary teams.
• Technical excellence in permanent way and civil/structural design, with strong analytical and problem solving skills.
• Mastery of design governance, assurance, and risk management in a PMC environment.
• Interface management across systems and civil disciplines, with a focus on integration and deliverable quality.
• Commercial acumen: scope definition, change management, value engineering, and claims avoidance.
• Results driven mindset with the ability to operate in fast paced, culturally diverse environments and navigate complex stakeholder landscapes in KSA.