Technical Director - Energy

Company Overview

GHD is a global multidisciplinary professional services firm with over 14,000 experts worldwide, offering engineering, design, and advisory solutions in sectors such as water, energy, resources, environment, property, and transportation.

Energy Team Context

The Middle East's energy landscape is rapidly transforming driven by strong demand, massive infrastructure investments, renewable energy scale-up, and emerging needs for storage, flexibility, and digital innovations. GHD supports utilities, governments, developers, and major energy consumers across electricity networks, renewables, utility-scale battery energy storage systems, energy strategy, regulatory advisory, due diligence, and grid integration, throughout asset lifecycles.

Role Overview

As a Technical Director – Energy, reporting to the Business Group Leader for Energy, Environment & Water, you will be a senior technical and commercial leader in GHD's Middle East Energy division. This position demands an established, recognized professional with strong regional market reputation, motivated to both secure and lead projects directly and through teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate on growth strategies and business planning for Middle East Energy, focusing on market positioning, service offerings, resourcing, and investments.
• Drive business development by leveraging market relationships to win work and lead its execution personally and via the broader team.
• Serve as technical authority and Project Director on significant regional energy assignments, accountable for technical excellence, commercial results, and client satisfaction.
• Lead bidding and pursuit activities to grow a sustainable regional pipeline and backlog, meeting sales and win rate objectives.
• Achieve strong financial outcomes on projects including revenue, margin, utilization, forecasting, and cashflow, while promoting these practices within the team.
• Manage and enhance senior client relationships across utilities, regulators, government bodies, developers, investors, and major industrial users, including CRM for key accounts.
• Lead governance and tender reviews, providing commercial and risk insights on scope, pricing, delivery, and contract terms.
• Oversee multidisciplinary technical disciplines such as electricity networks, substations, renewable energy, energy storage, grid integration, strategy, regulatory and economic advisory, due diligence, and Owner's Engineer services.
• Provide independent technical reviews and quality assurance of complex studies, designs, and advisory work ensuring compliance with international standards and local regulations.
• Attract, mentor, and develop technical talent, fostering capability growth and supporting accreditation and senior role preparation.
• Represent GHD at industry events as a thought leader to enhance reputation and market visibility.
• Leverage GHD’s global technical networks to address regional client needs and contribute to international projects where applicable.
• Ensure adherence to GHD’s governance, quality, risk management, and health and safety standards across all managed work.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Energy, Power Engineering, or related field; postgraduate qualification is a plus.
• 15+ years of relevant experience in consulting, advisory, or client-side roles with utilities, regulators, developers, investors or major energy users.
• Proven familiarity with Middle East energy markets, regulatory landscape, procurement practices, and local business norms.
• A robust network of senior stakeholders and demonstrated track record of winning business through these relationships.
• Strong motivation to simultaneously develop business and lead high-quality project delivery.
• Recognized technical expertise in core areas including electricity transmission and distribution, substations, battery energy storage systems (BESS), renewables, grid integration, network planning, energy strategy, regulatory advisory, or due diligence, with ability to lead multidiscipline teams.
• Successful history in managing major bids, from opportunity identification to proposal leadership and negotiation.
• Sound commercial understanding covering scoping, pricing, risk analysis, and project financial management.
• Experience in leading and mentoring multidisciplinary teams with dedication to capability building.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and client engagement skills, enabling influence at senior and executive levels.
• Chartered Engineer status or equivalent professional accreditation is highly preferred.
• Fluent English communication skills are mandatory, Arabic is advantageous; regional and occasional international travel expected.

Why Join

• Join a globally respected, rapidly expanding team delivering technically excellent and sustainable energy projects with commercial success.
• Lead growth within a well-funded Middle East Energy business operating in a dynamic market.
• Influence the strategic direction and expand the footprint of GHD’s Energy practice in the region.
• Benefit from access to global and regional specialists spanning networks, renewables, energy storage, advisory, and delivery.
• Participate in major infrastructure and energy programmes across the GCC with key stakeholders.
• Work in an inclusive, collaborative environment valuing technical expertise, client focus, and professional development.
• Embrace a flexible workplace culture with three days per week office attendance encouraging collaboration and connection.