Head of Engineering

Role Overview

The Head of Engineering will shape and run the engineering capability for the System Integration Division, turning it into a key source of competitive strength. This position combines strategic direction with hands-on technical authority across protection, automation, panel engineering, and system architecture to deliver solutions that are dependable, economical, and compliant.

The role is also accountable for raising engineering standards through process consistency, adoption of new technologies, strong customer-facing technical communication, and disciplined project delivery. In parallel, it is responsible for protecting margins, maintaining quality and safety, ensuring customer satisfaction, and strengthening the organization through capable teams, supplier/OEM partnerships, and support for bids, new offerings, and product development.

Engineering Strategy and Technical Governance

• Set the division’s engineering direction, design principles, and technical control framework.
• Create and maintain company-wide standards for drawings, technical documents, single line diagrams, wiring layouts, design formats, and bill of materials structures.
• Serve as the final approving authority for engineering outputs and design packages.
• Own technical risk oversight while keeping business profitability and margin objectives in view.
• Lead senior-level technical discussions with customers, consultants, utilities, and OEM partners.
• Build and execute the technology roadmap, including modern substation automation, IEC 61850-based architectures, smart MCCs, and digitalization efforts.
• Direct root cause analysis and corrective measures for major failures, NCRs, and quality-related issues.

Bid Support and Project Engineering

• Guide technical input during bids, tenders, and proposals to strengthen both technical and commercial positioning.
• Check that solutions comply with customer requirements, international standards, and contractual obligations.
• Oversee project engineering so that designs are completed on schedule, within budget, and without major deviations.
• Coordinate closely with clients, consultants, OEMs such as Siemens, ABB, GE, SEL, and Schneider, as well as internal teams.
• Strike the right balance between standardization and customization to improve efficiency without losing alignment with project needs.
• Enable business expansion by building engineering capability for new markets, products, and solutions.
• Work in sync with Testing & Commissioning teams to ensure smooth validation and handover.

Team Leadership and Capability Development

• Build and lead a strong engineering organization covering Protection, Automation, Design, and Application Engineering.
• Define competency models, skill matrices, and succession plans for key positions.
• Drive hiring, coaching, mentoring, and technical development across the team.
• Plan engineering resources effectively across multiple simultaneous projects.
• Promote a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Commercial and Value Engineering

• Improve engineering cost efficiency through value engineering and smarter design choices.
• Influence project profitability through sound technical decisions.
• Identify cost-heavy items in BOMs and propose alternatives that preserve performance.
• Support negotiations on technical clauses and deviations in contracts.

Quality, Safety, and Compliance

• Ensure engineering deliverables meet the relevant standards, including IEC 60255, IEC 61850, IEC 61131, IEC 61439, IEEE C37, and ISO 9001.
• Apply Safety by Design principles such as arc-flash mitigation, segregation, and isolation philosophy.
• Maintain strong document control, ISO-aligned processes, and accurate as-built drawings and O&M manuals.
• Keep engineering data centralized and well organized through reliable repository and knowledge management practices.

Qualifications and Experience

A Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering is required, and a Master’s degree is preferred.

The role calls for 15–18+ years of relevant experience in protection, automation, panel, or system integration engineering, along with 5–8 years in a senior engineering leadership or department head position. Experience with multi-million AED EPC or system integration projects is preferred.

Technical Knowledge

Strong expertise is expected in protection engineering, including differential, distance, REF, overcurrent, and busbar schemes; relay coordination; system studies; and CT/VT sizing. The role also requires solid knowledge of LV/MV panel design, heat dissipation, segregation, earthing, and wiring philosophy.

In automation and communications, experience should cover SCADA, RTU, IEC 61850, Modbus, DNP3, and IEC 60870-5 protocols. Practical use of engineering tools such as EPLAN, AutoCAD Electrical, DIGSI, AcSELerator, EnerVista, ETAP, and SKM is also expected. A strong commercial mindset is needed, including understanding of technical specifications, BOM costing, value engineering, and the full project lifecycle.

Additional Information

This position is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is a full-time onsite role.