Design Director – Airport

WSP in the Middle East is currently hiring for a Design Director- Airport to join our team in Dammam, Eastern Province, KSA.

Reporting to the Project Director, the Design Director leads all airport design management activities across disciplines, ensuring technical excellence and full compliance with programme requirements. The role provides strategic oversight of design quality, innovation, design integration, and design‑related risk mitigation. The Design Director will coordinate multidisciplinary design teams, manage design progress, and ensure seamless integration of design deliverables with construction, operational, and stakeholder needs. They also serve as the primary interface for resolving complex technical issues across the project.

Design Leadership & Oversight

• Lead and manage all design activities across architectural, structural, airside, landside, MEP, and specialist disciplines.
• Drive technical excellence, consistency, and alignment with WSP design standards and aviation best practices.
Ensure design deliverables fully align with project objectives, scope, and regulatory requirements.

Multidisciplinary Design Management

• Coordinate and supervise multidisciplinary design teams, ensuring timely progress of all design packages.
• Oversee integration of design outputs with procurement, construction, commissioning, and airport operational needs.
Review and validate technical submissions, drawings, specifications, and design reports.

Stakeholder & Client Coordination

• Act as the main technical interface with the client, authorities, airport operators, and key stakeholders.
• Facilitate design workshops, technical meetings, and design reviews to resolve issues and align expectations.
• Provide clear, authoritative guidance on design matters to support informed decision ‑ making.

Quality, Safety & Compliance

• Champion design quality, innovation, sustainability, and compliance with local and international aviation codes.
• Implement quality assurance processes aligned with WSP global design standards.
Ensure design solutions meet safety, regulatory, and operational requirements throughout the project lifecycle.

Risk & Change Management

• Identify design risks early, propose mitigation strategies, and manage design ‑ related changes effectively.
• Support the Project Director in managing scope, change orders, and design ‑ related commercial impacts.

Team Leadership & Collaboration

• Mentor and guide design managers, discipline leads, and wider technical teams.
• Promote a collaborative environment across WSP offices in KSA, UAE, India, and other regions.
• Ensure resource planning and performance management support project delivery demands.

• Bachelor’s degree in architecture or engineering (Master’s degree preferred).
• 15–20+ years’ experience in airport or major infrastructure design delivery.
• Strong background leading multidisciplinary design teams in PMC or consultancy environments.
• Experience with airport terminal design, airside/landside infrastructure, or large ‑ scale aviation modernisation projects (KSA experience advantageous).

Technical Competencies

• Expert understanding of aviation design standards, ICAO codes, NFPA, and relevant regulatory frameworks.
• Strong design integration and coordination capability across disciplines.

• Skilled in design review, technical validation, and risk ‑ based decision ‑ making.
  

Behavioural Competencies

• Strong leadership presence with excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Solution ‑ driven, proactive, and resilient under pressure.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders on technical and strategic matters.