Senior Manager Infrastructure

Job description / Role

About Al-Futtaim Group

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions: automotive, financial services, real estate, retail, and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group's entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enable the organization to continue to grow and expand, responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration, and integrity, Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day.

Overview of the role

Al-Futtaim is embarking upon a major expansion of Dubai Festival City, including the construction of new road networks, tunnels, bridges, and utility infrastructure. The infrastructure works will include civils works, district cooling, electrical, water, drainage, gas, and telecom services, together with the associated landscaping within the Right of Way. Additionally, the infrastructure works may include enabling works packages, bulk excavation, piling, sub-structure, shoring, and marine wall construction.

Al-Futtaim Real Estate is seeking an experienced Associate Director to serve as the client-side senior manager, driving the successful execution of large-scale infrastructure design and construction projects. This pivotal role requires strategic planning, stakeholder coordination, and oversight of designers to ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and in alignment with our vision and quality benchmarks.

As an integral member of the Development and Delivery team, the Associate Director will contribute to multiple projects, beginning with the design and planning phases, providing strategic and detailed input for wet and dry utilities, civil works, phasing, diversions, contract packaging, contractor selection, and tendering processes.

During the construction phase, the Associate Director will coordinate with the client-side delivery team, Project Management Consultants, and Contract Administrators to provide input and technical oversight. The Associate Director shall maintain an intimate knowledge of the works, from a hands-on approach and regular site visits, directly interfacing with the contractors and consultant teams.

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of successfully delivering major infrastructure projects from design to completion. The Senior Manager - Infrastructure will report to the Director of Infrastructure.

What you will do

Key responsibilities

• Strategic leadership:
  Define project objectives, scope, and success criteria in collaboration with organizational leadership.
  Provide guidance and direction on utility design and civil works infrastructure, including logistics, packaging, approvals, procurement, and buildability.
  Oversee the selection of consultants and contractors to align with project goals.
  Maintain guardianship of sitewide infrastructure works to ensure all assets and plots are developed in alignment with the necessary standard and provisioning.
• Project oversight:
  Manage the procurement of designers and the design of the works, from input to masterplanning, to concept, through construction and handover.
  Ensure alignment with the project brief, organizational standards, and client expectations.
  Participate in contract negotiations and oversee compliance with technical, regulatory, and contractual obligations and approvals.
  Maintain utility trackers for each service and manage provisioning for each plot in the masterplan.
  Make presentations regarding infrastructure design and delivery.
• Design management:
  Provide guidance for infrastructure design standards and requirements.
  Contribute to the production of RFPs for design consultants, undertake technical reviews of submissions, interviews, and make recommendations.
  Review and manage designs from consultants.
  Input to tender documentation and contractor assessment and recommendations.
• Stakeholder management:
  Act as a key point of contact for internal stakeholders and Project Management Consultants.
  Maintain clear and consistent communication across all parties involved in the project.
  Address concerns, resolve conflicts, and ensure stakeholder satisfaction throughout the project lifecycle.
  Authority engagement for approvals and design standards.
• Construction management and project reporting:
  Coordinate with and assist the client's construction delivery team in their administration and delivery of the works.
  Coordinate with the PMC/Cost Consultant site teams in the administration of the project works.
  Participate in meetings with the contractors for review of progress and technical matters.
  Support the site delivery teams in relation to their infrastructure-related authority approvals.

Required skills to be successful

Skills and competencies

• Ability to act as client-side manager, managing consultants and being a senior internal interface to other client-side stakeholders.
• Experience of authority interface and management for design approvals and standards.
• Proactive and collaborative approach, with ability to adapt to the demands and changing project targets and aspirations.
• Good understanding of wet and dry utility design.
• Preference to also have civil engineering experience of roads and Right of Way.
• Good leadership and communication skills.
• Proficient in project management.
• Good standard of AutoCAD (but not expert).
• Good ability in PowerPoint and Excel.
• Ability to balance strategic priorities with other demands.
• Team management.
• Team player.
• Fluent in English - spoken and written.

What equips you for the role

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, or a related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10+ years of experience in utility infrastructure/civil engineering, with substantial experience in client-side roles or as a consultant leading multi-disciplinary design teams.
• Proven expertise in delivering large-scale and high-value infrastructure construction projects.
• Middle East experience of large-scale projects.

About Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate

The real estate development and operations arm of Al-Futtaim, Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate is responsible for a multi-billion-dollar portfolio across MENA. With high-quality residential, business, retail, tourism, educational, and healthcare developments, the master developer caters to the diverse needs of cities and communities in the region. From origination, conception, development, sales, procurement, and construction of mega-projects and the leasing, operation, and management of these projects after completion, Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate (AFGRE) has been developing and managing owned landbanks, unlocking the economic potential of the region and contributing to future development for more than 40 years.

Our focus is to enable and invest in meaningful relationships to make our properties the best places to live and work, build additional products and services, and enable partnerships to create true value to our customers throughout their entire experience with us.

AFGRE is responsible for master planning of all projects in its portfolio, including two large scale mixed-use destinations: Dubai Festival City and Cairo Festival City.

About the Company

Established in the 1930's, the Al-Futtaim Group initially operated as a trading enterprise. Rapid development throughout the 1940's and 50's saw it establish itself regionally as an integrated commercial, industrial and services organisation, positioning itself one of the leading business houses in the lower Gulf region. Today, it operates collectively over 40 companies bearing the Al-Futtaim name, dominates many market segments in the UAE, and has expanded its sphere of operation to include Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Egypt.

The Group comprises a diverse range of strategically positioned operating subsidiaries and associate companies, structured to give the Al-Futtaim Group the flexibility and versatility to keep ahead of local competition while keeping pace with the ever-evolving global business scenario. The Groups continued investment in world-class systems technology is clear evidence of its commitment to maintain leading edge performance and service delivery.

The success of the Al-Futtaim Group can be attributed to a business approach that combines the ability to change with the traditional values of integrity, service and social responsibility that define its core business philosophy. This, linked with the Groups belief in decentralisation, gives the heads of the operating companies a high degree of functional autonomy and authority, providing the Group with essential flexibility, and individual employees a clearly defined work culture and sense of responsibility.