
Mott MacDonald
Principal Design Manager
- Permanent
- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Experience 5 - 10 yrs
Job expiry date: 20/05/2026
Job overview
Date posted
05/04/2026
Location
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Salary
AED 30,000 - 40,000 per month
Compensation
Job description
The Principal Design Manager at Mott MacDonald is responsible for end-to-end delivery of complex high-rise, mixed-use, and luxury developments across the built environment sector, ensuring integration of design management, innovation, quality, compliance, and stakeholder leadership. The role provides single-point accountability across the entire project lifecycle, managing requirements definition, scope establishment, basis of design, competencies, governance, quality assurance, risk management, and compliance with client briefs. The position involves acting as Design Manager and/or Project Principal in accordance with Mott MacDonald management systems, policies, and QA/QC procedures while coordinating multidisciplinary design teams, overseeing design reviews, technical assurance, and independent checks to deliver high-quality outcomes. The role ensures compliance with codes, standards, statutory requirements, and client specifications across all design disciplines, while maintaining ownership of design solutions including change control, reporting, and authority approvals. The Principal Design Manager builds strong client relationships, acts as trusted advisor, leads escalation on design-related matters, mentors teams, and fosters a collaborative environment focused on technical excellence. Responsibilities include managing technical, commercial, project, and reputational risks while identifying value enhancement opportunities. The role also requires integrating sustainability frameworks including LEED and Estidama into design development and championing innovation and digital enablement through collaboration with discipline leads and digital teams. The position requires strong experience in project controls, FIDIC contracts, cost management, consultancy environments, and delivering design-to-budget solutions for high-rise, mixed-use, and luxury developments within the Middle East region.
Required skills
Key responsibilities
- Lead end-to-end design process from requirements definition through delivery, establishing scope, basis of design, competencies, compliance with client briefs, quality assurance, risk management, and governance across complex high-rise and mixed-use developments
- Act as Design Manager and Project Principal in accordance with Mott MacDonald management systems, policies, QA/QC procedures, and governance frameworks
- Lead, coordinate, and integrate multidisciplinary design teams, conduct design reviews, oversee technical assurance, and perform independent checks to ensure high-quality design outcomes
- Ensure compliance with applicable codes, standards, statutory requirements, and client specifications across all design disciplines throughout the project lifecycle
- Maintain ownership of design solutions including managing change control processes, reporting, authority approvals, and design governance
- Build and sustain client and stakeholder relationships while acting as trusted advisor and primary escalation point for design-related matters
- Lead, mentor, and develop project teams while promoting technical excellence, collaboration, and professional growth
- Identify and mitigate project, technical, commercial, and reputational risks while identifying value enhancement opportunities
- Integrate sustainability frameworks including LEED and Estidama into design development and project delivery
- Champion innovation and digital enablement by collaborating with discipline leads and digital teams to implement future-ready design solutions
Experience & skills
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Architecture with MSc preferred
- Chartered Engineer or Architect status or equivalent professional registration preferred
- Extensive experience in design management within the built environment and consultancy environments
- Proven experience delivering high-rise, mixed-use, and luxury developments
- Experience working within the Middle East or Gulf region
- Strong understanding of project controls, FIDIC contracts, commercial management, and design management
- Experience in design-to-budget approach working closely with cost consultants
- Strong leadership, client-facing, stakeholder management, and communication experience