Engagement Manager - Operations Advisory

Engagement Manager – Operations Advisory

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced professional to lead multidisciplinary consulting engagements for public and private clients in Saudi Arabia, focusing on transition to operational phases of large portfolios of urban, social, and economic infrastructure assets.

• Act as the primary day‑to‑day leader for Operations engagements, accountable for on‑time, on‑budget delivery and client satisfaction across multiple work streams.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders (ministries, delivery entities, asset owners, operators, investors), serving as a strategic advisor on asset operations, service models and transformation roadmaps.
• Shape engagement scope, workplans, staffing and budgets, ensuring alignment with client priorities, contractual commitments, and Buro Happold quality standards.
• Integrate Buro Happold offer development by combining capabilities from Asset Consultancy, Advisory, Digital, Sustainability, and core Engineering teams into coherent, repeatable Operations offerings tailored to KSA clients.
• Capture and codify methods, tools and case studies from live projects to create playbooks and accelerators for asset operations, performance improvement, and transformation.
• Collaborate with regional and global leadership to refine the growth strategy for Strategy and Operations services, including priority sectors, geographies, and key accounts.
• Originate and lead Operations opportunities with new and existing clients, including proposal leadership, pitch delivery, and framework responses.
• Represent Buro Happold in market‑facing forums in KSA and the GCC, articulating our perspective on asset operations.
• Mentor and develop junior consultants and engineers, contributing to a high‑performing, diverse and collaborative regional advisory team.
• Lead the development of operating models and implementation plans for portfolios of assets transitioning into operation, including roles and responsibilities, service delivery models, and outsourcing/in sourcing options.
• Define performance frameworks, KPIs and governance structures that link asset operations to wider programme objectives such as Vision 2030, ESG, visitor experience, and revenue and cost optimisation.
• Work with sector and technical specialists to input commercial models that quantify lifecycle costs, whole‑life value and operational risk, informing investment and operating decisions.

• 8–12 years of experience in management consulting, strategy and operations, asset management, or related advisory roles, ideally with exposure to large‑scale infrastructure, urban development or real estate portfolios.
• Strong track record leading complex consulting engagements or programmes, including responsibility for client relationships, delivery management, team leadership and commercial performance.
• Demonstrated experience in the KSA market, with understanding of public‑sector structures, delivery entities and the transition from capital delivery to asset operations.
• Deep understanding of operating model design, asset operations, facilities management, performance management and continuous improvement in an infrastructure or built‑environment context.
• Ability to work effectively with multidisciplinary technical teams (engineering, digital, sustainability, economics) and synthesise their inputs into clear strategic recommendations for senior decision‑makers.
• Excellent communication, facilitation and stakeholder‑management skills, with comfort operating at executive and board level and presenting complex analysis in a clear, actionable way.
• Degree in Engineering, Business, Economics or a related discipline; postgraduate qualification (e.g. MSc, MBA) and/or professional certifications in asset management or operations are advantageous.

• Strategic, delivery‑focused mindset with the ability to connect high‑level vision to detailed operating realities across large asset portfolios.
• Collaborative and entrepreneurial approach, with a strong desire to shape and grow an emerging Operations offering.
• Resilient, adaptable and comfortable working in a fast‑paced, evolving environment as Saudi Arabia’s major programmes move from planning into long‑term operation.

• Hybrid working arrangements.
• Attractive salary and benefits package.
• Strong commitment to continuous development and a learning and development programme.
• Entitlement to two memberships to professional bodies or subscriptions.
• An international culture that values diversity and inclusion.

Buro Happold is an EEO employer. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace.