Job Description:

The Senior Manager: Technical – Geotechnical role is client‑facing role within a transportation‑focused PMC contract, with a heavy emphasis on rail (heavy rail, metro, light rail, high‑speed). This is a non‑operational position responsible for managing and assuring all geotechnical and ground engineering aspects across the design and build lifecycle, on behalf of the client.

Sitting within the Engineering & Safety function, the role provides technical leadership, governance, and risk management for ground investigation, geotechnical design, and construction support. It ensures that consultants and contractors deliver safe, compliant, and constructible solutions that meet the employer’s requirements, rail standards, and regulatory expectations.

Key Responsibilities

1. Client Representation & Governance

• Act as the primary focal point for all geotechnical and ground engineering matters across the transportation/rail program.
• Represent the client in technical, design, and risk workshops with consultants, contractors, independent reviewers, and authorities.
• Interpret and communicate client requirements, design criteria, and geotechnical standards; ensure they are embedded in all relevant contracts and deliverables.
• Provide independent, objective advice and recommendations to client leadership on geotechnical issues, risks, and impacts on scope, time, cost, and safety.

2. Ground Investigation Strategy & Management

• Lead development and review of project‑wide ground investigation strategies tailored to rail and transportation infrastructure.
• Review scopes for site investigations, including borehole locations, in‑situ testing, sampling, laboratory testing, and monitoring requirements.
• Oversee execution and reporting of investigations by consultants and contractors; ensure data quality, coverage, and relevance to design and risk assessment.
• Maintain an up‑to‑date understanding and documentation of baseline ground conditions, uncertainties, and allowances for unforeseen conditions.

3. Geotechnical Design Management & Technical Assurance

• Manage and oversee geotechnical design across all stages for assets such as:
  • Rail embankments, cuttings, formation and subgrade
  • Foundations for bridges, viaducts, stations, depots, masts, and noise barriers
  • Tunnels, shafts, cut‑and‑cover structures, deep excavations, retaining walls
  • Ground improvement works, slope stabilization, and ground‑structure interaction
• Review and challenge geotechnical design reports, analyses, models, calculations, and drawings for compliance with:
  • Employer’s requirements and project design criteria
  • Local codes, rail requirements, and authority regulations
  • Relevant international standards
• Chair or participate in geotechnical design reviews, peer reviews, and value engineering workshops, promoting safe, robust, and cost‑effective solutions.
• Ensure requirements management and traceability for geotechnical and earthworks requirements from capture through verification and close‑out.
• Oversee implementation of technical assurance processes for geotechnical deliverables, including independent checkers and verification activities.

4. Interfaces with Civil, Structural, Track & Systems

• Coordinate geotechnical interfaces with:
  • Civil and structural design (foundations, abutments, retaining structures, tunnels)
  • Track design (alignment, formation level, trackbed design, track–ground interaction, settlement criteria)
  • Stations, depots, buildings, and ancillary structures
  • Drainage, utilities, highways, and adjacent developments
• Maintain and manage interface registers for geotechnical‑related issues, ensuring early identification and resolution.
• Support integrated multi‑discipline coordination to ensure that geotechnical constraints and risks are fully accounted for in broader engineering decisions.

5. Safety, Risk & Engineering Assurance (Non‑Operational)

• Embed safety by design principles in all geotechnical solutions, covering both temporary (construction) and permanent conditions.
• Review and monitor geotechnical contributions to RAMS, hazard identification, risk assessments, and mitigation measures (slope instability, settlement, groundwater, seismic effects, ground collapse).
• Coordinate with safety, risk, and assurance teams, as well as independent safety assessors (ISA) where geotechnical risks influence railway safety or regulatory approvals.
• Ensure geotechnical risks are captured in project risk registers with clear ownership, mitigation plans, and monitoring strategies.

6. Construction Support & Design–Build Coordination

• From a PMC perspective, oversee how geotechnical designs are translated into construction methodologies and sequencing; identify constructability issues early.
• Review and comment on contractors’ temporary works designs, excavation support, dewatering, and ground improvement methods with respect to safety, ground movements, and impact on third‑party assets.
• Support the client in assessing and agreeing geotechnical design changes, technical deviations, and value engineering proposals.
• Provide senior geotechnical input on RFIs, non‑conformance reports, and unexpected ground conditions; drive timely and safe resolutions that protect client interests.
• Monitor performance of critical geotechnical works through review of monitoring data (e.g., settlement markers, inclinometers, piezometers) and contractors’ reports.

7. Program, Cost & Geotechnical Risk Management

• Monitor progress of ground investigations, geotechnical design, and key geotechnical construction activities against the integrated master schedule.
• Identify schedule‑critical geotechnical activities and dependencies (e.g., investigations for tunnels, major foundations, or critical rail sections).
• Support project controls and commercial teams with technical assessment of claims and variations related to ground conditions and geotechnical scope.
• Maintain and update geotechnical risk registers, quantifying potential impacts on time and cost and tracking mitigation effectiveness.
• Prepare regular technical, risk, and progress reports and presentations for client governance forums.

8. Stakeholder, Authority & Third‑Party Coordination

• Coordinate with internal client stakeholders (Engineering, Safety, Operations, Maintenance, Environmental, Legal, Commercial) on geotechnical implications for asset performance and maintainability.
• Interface with regulators, building and rail authorities, utility owners, highway agencies, and adjacent property owners where ground movements or geotechnical works may affect third‑party assets.
• Support communication and engagement activities where geotechnical risks, construction methods, or monitoring may be of public or stakeholder concern.

9. Leadership, Team & Quality Management

• Lead and mentor geotechnical engineers and related specialists within the PMC; provide technical guidance to broader engineering teams.
• Promote a culture of safety, technical excellence, and proactive risk management in all geotechnical activities.
• Ensure robust QA/QC processes are applied to investigations, laboratory testing, geotechnical analyses, and reporting.
• Capture, document, and disseminate lessons learned on ground investigation, design, and construction performance for continuous improvement across the program.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering, Civil Engineering (with geotechnical specialization), or closely related discipline.
• Master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering, Soil Mechanics, Rock Mechanics, or related field is strongly preferred.
• Professional registration/chartership (CEng, PE, P.Eng., equivalent) is highly desirable.
• Project management certification (PMP, PRINCE2) is an advantage.

Experience

• Minimum 15 years of geotechnical engineering experience on major transportation and rail projects (heavy rail, metro, light rail, high‑speed, or similar).
• Significant experience in a PMC, client, or major consultancy environment managing geotechnical elements of design and build contracts.
• Proven track record leading ground investigations and design for tunnels, deep excavations, bridges/viaducts, embankments, cuttings, and complex foundations.
• Demonstrable experience in geotechnical risk management, safety by design, and working with rail or transport regulators/authorities.
• Experience in challenging ground conditions (e.g., soft soils, karst, high groundwater, seismic environments, brownfield/contaminated sites) is highly advantageous.

Skills & Competencies

• Deep technical knowledge of soil and rock mechanics, ground investigation techniques, geotechnical analysis and design, and rail‑specific geotechnical criteria (settlement, track formation, slope stability).
• Strong understanding of engineering governance, risk management, and safety.
• Excellent project management, planning, and coordination skills in multi‑discipline, multi‑contractor environments.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with the ability to identify, quantify, and mitigate geotechnical risks.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills; able to explain complex geotechnical issues to non‑technical stakeholders and senior management.
• High level of professionalism, integrity, and client‑service orientation.
• Proficiency with geotechnical and numerical analysis tools and familiarity with BIM/CDE and document control systems.
• Fluency in English (written and spoken); Arabic preferred

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