Engineering Section Manager

Job description / Role

Group overview

Headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, we operate construction and manufacturing businesses, design and development centers, and a host of facilities in the Middle East and other countries.

Alfanar is involved in:

• Electrical, electromechanical and civil engineering construction
• Manufacturing and marketing electrical construction products
• Allied engineering services

Our main divisions:

• Alfanar Electric
• Alfanar Construction
• Alfanar Building Systems

Job purpose

Lead and manage the Substation Automation (SAS) Design and Testing section within DASA, ensuring high-quality engineering deliverables, compliance with international standards, and successful execution of design and testing activities. Oversee teams of design engineers and testing engineers, drive innovation and process improvement, and ensure seamless integration of SAS solutions into projects.

Key accountability areas

Leadership & team management
Provide effective leadership to Substation Automation Design Engineers and Testing Engineers.
Manage, mentor, and develop team members, fostering collaboration, accountability, and technical excellence.
Define section objectives, KPIs, and performance standards to ensure alignment with departmental goals.

Design & engineering oversight
Supervise the preparation of engineering designs, drawings, and technical documentation for SAS projects.
Ensure compliance with IEC standards, customer specifications, and utility requirements.
Review and approve system configurations, schematics, and integration plans for SAS panels, consoles, and networks.

Testing & validation
Oversee testing activities for SAS systems, including FAT (Factory Acceptance Test), SAT (Site Acceptance Test), and integrated system validation.
Ensure test plans cover performance, reliability, safety, and interoperability criteria.
Monitor test execution, review results, and drive root cause analysis and corrective actions for any deviations.

Project management & delivery
Manage the section’s project workload to ensure timely completion of deliverables within scope, budget, and quality standards.
Allocate resources across design and testing projects efficiently, ensuring optimal utilization of manpower, tools, and equipment.
Support project managers and site teams with technical expertise during execution phases.

Collaboration & coordination
Work closely with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and other engineering teams to ensure seamless integration of SAS solutions.
Coordinate with vendors and suppliers to qualify and procure critical SAS components, ensuring compliance with specifications.
Support customer-facing activities, including technical clarifications, inspections, and approval processes.

Quality & compliance
Establish and maintain quality assurance processes across design and testing activities.
Ensure adherence to HSE standards and promote a strong safety culture within the section.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives in engineering, testing methodologies, and documentation practices.

Innovation & technology advancement
Monitor trends in substation automation technologies and incorporate advancements into DASA’s design and testing practices.
Support initiatives in digital substations, cybersecurity, and next-generation automation solutions.
Encourage a culture of innovation and structured problem-solving within the engineering and testing teams.

Documentation & reporting
Ensure accurate preparation and control of design files, test records, and compliance documentation.
Provide regular reports on section performance, project progress, risks, and improvement initiatives to senior management.

Role accountability

HR proficiency
Ability to recruit, recognize, and cultivate high performers and expose them in order to create a robust second line of management.
Ability to recognize low performers and guide them to improve or release them.
Ability to treat subordinates equally without any discrimination.
Assessment criteria of subordinates is performance that leads to planned results.
Ensure availability of delegation of authority matrix to have sufficient delegations as per company policy.

Responsibility
Must take full responsibility for his operation as per the job description and the required deliverables from this position, taking into consideration the general company guidelines.
Able to anticipate problems and make the necessary proactive steps to prevent them.
Ability to take necessary and proper timely decisions.

Delivery
Deliver the required results in a timely manner with required quality and cost.

Making a tangible difference
Must make a tangible difference to his area of operation and exceed business expectations.

Business planning and performance
Able to transform the corporate goals into business plans.
Able to plan, follow-up, and execute those plans, whether they are annual or development plans.
Monitor the plan performance and initiate action to strengthen results and take the corrective action accordingly.
Provide periodic work progress reports.
Responsible for monitoring and controlling budgets and expenses to achieve optimum cost efficiency.

Organizational development
Develop the organizational structure according to the current requirements taking into consideration future and development plans.
Ensure availability of job descriptions for all job roles and deployment.

Business process improvements
Develop, coordinate well-defined written systems, policies, procedures, and seek automation opportunities as much as possible.
Should be conversant and able to navigate through IT solutions especially those relevant to his job and business.
Promote the automated systems and use them fully to spread its culture.

Quality
Quality is considered as Alfanar’s prime competitive advantage; as such, managers are expected to act accordingly.

Adaptation
Adapt to new and alternative techniques, technologies, management structures, and business models.

Health, safety and environment
Ensure a safe, secure, and legal work environment as per the standard regulations.

Academic qualification

Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering

Work experience

6 to 10 years

Technical / functional competencies

• Accountable
• Analytical thinking
• Communication
• Delegation
• Initiative
• Leadership
• Research analysis
• Resource management
• Results oriented
• Design

About the Company

alfanar builds efficient energy systems & solutions of the present and sets up infrastructures for a brighter future.

We assist utility sector partners & customers in transforming cities into sustainable, habitable, and inclusive Smart Cities by harnessing renewable energy resources from wind, solar, and waste heat energy. Promoting the transition to a sustainable eco-conscious future.

Using world-class technologies, we develop unrivaled quality electrical solutions & products from our manufacturing facilities, to solve the world’s major energy challenges and make the world a better viable place.

Diligence, Efficiency, and Innovation are the key criteria our teams adopt in order to continuously provide effective solutions. We’re constantly equipping our teams with the tools they need to expand their horizons and reach higher grounds.

Being in an ever-changing environment with a crucial impact on their surroundings, our employees are nurtured to become keen thinkers with highly refined skills and a consistent outlook on the future, working together on finding the next big innovation.