Executive Director - Clients & Growth (UAE/KSA)

The Executive Director – Clients & Growth will provide senior leadership for WSP’s client agenda across the Middle East (ME), with a clear focus on deepening client relationships, strengthening client engagement, and improving the way we bring the best of WSP to our clients.

This role will help develop a Strategic Pursuit team identifying and positioning WSP for success in winning major projects & programmes as well as ensuring our prospects follow the ME governance and sign off process.
Working closely with the Regional Leadership Team, Business Unit Leaders, Client Experience, Operations, Finance, Commercial, and global colleagues, the role will connect teams across our business units and geographies to develop integrated client solutions, improve opportunity conversion, and strengthen long-term client value.

Your New Role, What’s Involved?

Client & Key Account Leadership

• Lead senior Client engagement across priority accounts, ensuring clear relationship ownership, proactive engagement plans, and consistent executive-level connectivity.
• Act as executive sponsor for select priority Clients, supporting long-term relationship development, client satisfaction, and account growth.
• Translate Board, regional, and global strategic priorities into actionable growth strategies and measurable business outcomes.
• Be the primary point of contact for the Global Client Programme (GCP), leveraging the best that WSP has to offer Globally to the ME region.
• Identify emerging market trends, client needs, sector developments and opportunities to strengthen WSP’s market position. Champion a client-centric approach that enhances client value, market influence, and long-term profitable growth.
  

Client Engagement & Opportunity Development

• Provide regular updates to regional leadership on growth performance, market positioning, key opportunities, client priorities, and potential risks.
• Support senior decision-making on market opportunities, strategic partnerships, major pursuits, client investment and portfolio growth.
• Represent the region in senior leadership discussions, strategic reviews, client meetings and key market engagements.
• Ensure growth plans are aligned with WSP’s governance requirements, commercial priorities, risk considerations and long-term business objectives.
  

Project & Technical Connectivity

• Partner with technical and project leaders to ensure client commitments are supported by robust delivery, capability, quality, safety, and commercial discipline.
• Help teams across all business units translate client priorities into clear scopes, responsive solutions, and practical delivery approaches.
  

P&L, Operations & Governance

• Drive sustainable revenue growth and profitable business performance through disciplined client growth and opportunity management.
• Support pipeline management, forecasting, pursuit prioritisation, and performance tracking against strategic growth objectives.
• Establish clear performance measures for client growth, key accounts, opportunity conversion, market development, and revenue growth.
• Ensure growth opportunities are commercially sound, deliverable, and aligned with WSP’s risk appetite and strategic priorities.
• Work closely with Finance, Commercial, and Business Unit leadership to monitor pipeline strength, revenue outlook, profitability, and strategic risk.
• Provide leadership during complex negotiations, sensitive client situations, and high-value strategic pursuits.
  

Organisation, People and Culture

• Provide inspirational leadership to diverse and multidisciplinary teams, fostering a high-performing, client-focused, and growth-oriented culture.
• Build leadership capability through talent development, succession planning, coaching, and employee engagement.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, inclusion, technical excellence, integrity, safety, and high ethical standards across teams.
• Encourage teams to work across business lines, sectors, and geographies to bring the best of WSP to clients.
• Champion WSP’s values, ways of working, and commitment to responsible, ethical, and inclusive leadership.

• A degree in Business, Engineering, Architecture, Planning, Marketing, or a related discipline. A postgraduate qualification, such as an MBA or equivalent would be preferred.
• 15+ years of senior leadership experience in client leadership, client engagement, business development, market leadership, executive account management, or commercial leadership within the professional services, consulting, engineering, infrastructure, construction, advisory, or related industries.
• Proven experience operating at Executive Director, regional leadership, or senior enterprise leadership level within a complex regional or global organisation.
• A strong track record of delivering sustainable revenue growth, expanding market presence, and developing strategic client relationships.
• Experience developing and executing growth strategies, strategic account programmes, market expansion initiatives, and major pursuit strategies.
• Deep understanding of the Middle East market, including major public and private sector clients, government entities, priority sectors, procurement models, and market dynamics.
• Proven success leading executive-level client engagement, complex pursuits, high-value business opportunities, and strategic negotiations.
• Strong commercial acumen, with experience managing growth pipelines, forecasting, opportunity prioritisation, and performance against strategic objectives.
• Experience contributing to P&L outcomes, profitable growth, business planning, and commercially disciplined decision-making.
• Experience supporting Executive Committee or Board-level reporting, strategic reviews, investment recommendations, or senior governance forums would be advantageous.
• Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to build trusted relationships and influence at C-suite, senior executive, government, and client leadership levels.
• Experience supporting Executive Committee or Board-level reporting, strategic reviews, investment recommendations, or senior governance forums would be advantageous.
• Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong understanding of governance, risk management, quality, operational delivery, and commercial decision-making in a complex regional environment.
• A strong commitment to ethical leadership, inclusion, safety, quality, client service, and responsible business growth.

Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all.

Join our close-knit community of talented individuals who share your passion for making a positive impact. Our global team includes more than 69,000 employees, working together to make a difference in communities both close to home and around the world.

With us, you can. Apply today.