Head of Engineering

About the job

The Head of Engineering is responsible for establishing and leading the engineering function as a core competitive advantage for the System Integration Division. The role provides strategic and technical leadership across design, protection, automation, panel engineering, and system architecture to ensure delivery of reliable, cost-effective, and compliant solutions.

The position drives engineering excellence through standardization, technology adoption, strong customer technical engagement, and robust project execution while ensuring profitability, quality, safety, and customer satisfaction. The role also builds organizational capability by developing high-performing engineering teams, strengthening supplier and OEM partnerships, and supporting bids, new solutions, and product development initiatives.

Job Purpose

Job Responsibilities

Job Requirements

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)

  • Ensure all engineering outputs comply with international standards including:

  • IEC 60255

  • IEC 61850

  • IEC 61131

  • IEC 61439

  • IEEE C37

  • ISO 9001

  • Integrate Safety by Design principles including arc-flash mitigation, segregation, and isolation philosophy.

  • Ensure robust documentation control, ISO compliance, and accuracy of as-built drawings and O&M manuals.

  • Maintain centralized engineering data repository and knowledge management systems.

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

  • LV/MV panel design, heat dissipation, segregation, earthing, and wiring philosophy.

• Automation & Communication

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

• Engineering Tools

  • EPLAN, AutoCAD Electrical

  • DIGSI, AcSELerator, EnerVista

  • ETAP / SKM

• Commercial Acumen

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