Senior Claims Manager - Forensic Planner

Job description / Role

The Senior Claims Manager will play an active full-time role on the Riyadh Metro project. The role is based in the Head Office in Riyadh but some travel will be required within Riyadh.

This major rail project requires a senior level professional with a successful track record of construction claims management and dispute resolution.

Reporting to the Chief Claims Manager, the Senior Claims Manager will be an integral and senior member of a team of Contract Administrators and Claims Specialists. This team will be responsible for delivering expert advice in relation to claims

The Senior Claims Manager will also be responsible for the providing advice and expertise in the areas of schedule and/or damage analysis as well as delay analysis, acceleration analysis, impact analysis, productivity analysis, claims, cost verification, cost engineering, dispute resolution and litigation support.

The Senior Claims Manager may also assist in the training, mentoring and development of the junior members of the Contract Administration team.

The chosen candidate will have strong stakeholder management skills and a demonstrable track record in successfully resolving claims on major civils projects and will have prior project technical experience in engineering, quantity surveying or similar field.

Key Responsibilities

Responsibilities will include but are not limited to the following:

Registering of Contractors claims and potential claims:
- Procuring Contractual monthly claims report from the Contractor
- Liaising with Project team to identify potential claims
- Preparing and maintaining a detailed register of Contractors claims and potential claims
- Briefing Employers representative fortnightly on contents and status of claims register

Pre-qualifying claims received from Contractors:
- Checking Contractors claim are received within contractual timescales
- Checking Contractor has submitted reasonable initial substantiation of the claim
- Advising whether Contractors claims are administratively compliant with the Contract
- Notifying the Contractor as appropriate

Conduct forensic analysis of claims and potential claims:
- Reviewing contractors claims and potential claims
- Liaising with project team to obtain relevant background information and documentation
- Conducting forensic investigation of the technical construction issues
- Undertaking delay analysis of the program critical path
- Determining presence of Contractor-caused concurrent delay (if any)
- Formulating the client’s defense and/or counter-claim, as appropriate

Ascertaining Contractor’s entitlement, if any, in respect of
- Change in scope
- Extension of time
- Financial quantum

Preparing expert claims reports:
- For each claim and potential claim on the claims register
- To confirm claim is pre-qualified and administratively valid
- To confirm results of forensic analysis of claims and potential claims
- For presentation to Contract Administration peers for review, analysis and approval
- For submission to the Engineer in due course for his consideration
- To form the basis of summary presentations to key internal stakeholders

Negotiating and settling claims:
- Preparing all necessary letters and transmittal to be issued in respect of potential claims or claims
- Undertaking commercial negotiations with Contractors commercial team
- Reaching provisional settlement with Contractor
- Making settlement recommendations to key internal stakeholders
- Obtaining all necessary approvals to authorize settlement
- Preparing contract change notice and / or settlement agreement.

Resolving disputes:
- Preparing cases for dispute resolution
- Appointing and briefing independent expert witness, where appropriate
- Obtaining testimony from internal Project team, as appropriate
- Preparing and analyzing Scott Schedule and bundles of documentation
- Liaising with the client’s legal department
- Assisting the contractors in the performance of his disputes resolution role under the Contract
- Assisting the client in the performance of its disputes resolution role under the Contract

Lessons Learnt:
- Providing guidance to the Project team on contract management best practice
- Facilitating the avoidance and/or mitigation of successful Contractors claims and disputes

Requirements

- Bachelors degree in a construction-related discipline (e.g., engineering, quantity surveying, or equivalent)
- At least 15 years’ experience relevant post qualification experience on heavy civils projects
- Full membership of a technical professional institution (e.g., MICE, MRICS, or equivalent)
- FIDIC contract knowledge (or equivalent)
- Experience either with a contractor, engineering consultant or claims consultancy, providing advice on contracts and disputes

Strong background in major contract claims and dispute resolution, with a proven ability to:
- Conduct forensic investigation of technical construction issues
- Undertake program delay analysis
- Assess financial quantum
- Draft expert witness reports, with outcome recommendations
- Negotiate settlement of claims
- Native fluency in English
- Working knowledge of PC software packages typically associated with contract administration

Desirable
- Experience as an expert witness (reports / oral)
- MSc degree in construction law
- Rail or rail related project experience
- Middle East experience

About the Company

Parsons is a leader in many diverse markets such as infrastructure, transportation, water, telecommunications, aviation, commercial, environmental, planning, industrial manufacturing, education, healthcare, life sciences and homeland security.

Parsons provides technical and management solutions to federal, regional and local government agencies as well as private industries worldwide.