• Location: Kuwait, Middle East, Hampshire
• Type: Permanent
• Job #1020

About our client:

Transformation by Design

We are a leading multidisciplinary consultancy firm based in the Middle East, providing architecture, engineering, and planning services to a wide range of public and private sector clients. As one of the region's largest privately owned design and engineering consultancies, we operate internationally and help national governments, international organizations, and private sector companies deliver successful local solutions with global expertise. From designing road, rail, energy, and water systems to creating new buildings and communities, we are united by the vision to make our world a better place.

50+ Years of Design Excellence

As one of the most trusted names in the region, our story as an international consulting firm spans fifty years and covers the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Our approach is rooted in our extensive knowledge and expertise, which have been honed over five decades. This wealth of experience enables us to identify the key objectives of any concept, whether we are starting or developing a project. The depth and diversity of our technical experience ensure that we always deliver quality to meet and exceed the expectations of our clients—on time and within budget at every stage of the process.

Multidisciplinary Team, Integrated Approach

We employ over 750 professionals across three locations (Kuwait, Bahrain, and KSA), including architects, engineers, planners, transport engineers, project and commercial managers, interior designers, quantity surveyors, and support staff. As a trusted partner, we draw together multidisciplinary teams dedicated to finding the most innovative and appropriate solutions to improve the quality of life. Our technical expertise and creative excellence combine to provide fully integrated planning, design, engineering, environment consulting, as well as cost, construction, project, and program management capabilities to a broad range of sectors.

Job Title: Director – Quantity Surveying

Location: Middle East

Summary

Lead the company's Quantity Surveying Department and all its projects from initiation to closure, ensuring adherence to deadlines, budgets, quality requirements, and contract obligations to fulfill client requirements. Responsible for evaluating existing practices and processes, advising the CEO and the Leadership Team on the development of long-term strategic objectives for the Quantity Surveying Department, and adopting appropriate measures to optimize costs, increase profitability, and advance innovation, creativity, quality, cost-effectiveness, and competitive advantages.

Responsibilities

• Support the CEO with strategic planning to ensure the firm is well-positioned for growth in the Centre of Excellence and Quantity Surveying function by providing technical advice, counsel, and decisions; analyzing information and applications.
• Support and drive forward the ‘People First’ mandate within the company's Vision and Mission.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, standards, applicable laws, and regulations; monitor department staff and ensure their compliance with the same.
• Partner with Operations Department to create and implement a flexible growth strategy that identifies current gap areas and develops plans to acquire, grow, and develop internal team talent to meet current and future needs.
• Introduce and maintain industry best practices and international professional standards, including RICS professional standards and RIBA Stages of Work.
• Ensure consistency of service delivery and production of department deliverables and outputs to RICS international standards.
• Lead a team of Quantity Surveyors and oversee all quantity surveying activities and department outputs.
• Incorporate the company’s BIM strategy into the functional capabilities of the department.
• Implement and oversee the use of Quantity Surveying technologies, including the use of CostX for 3D automated quantity take-off and 5D cost modeling.
• Responsible for the full range of pre and post contract cost management and contract administration in accordance with industry best practices and international professional standards.
• Set up and maintain a library of project benchmark data dashboards.
• Oversee the maintenance and validation of the department’s Unit Rate Database to ensure market rates are current and relevant for each market location (Kuwait, KSA, and Bahrain).
• Periodically undertake market research into new technologies and modern methods of construction.
• Understand sustainability strategies and whole life carbon assessment as applicable to Quantity Surveying.
• Understand owner/client requirements as reflected in TORs/RFPs issued by owners/clients; attend pre-tender meetings to gain clarifications on owner/client requirements.
• Provide the Proposals Department inputs (e.g., man month requirements, cost estimates) to facilitate the preparation of bids and proposals.
• Establish internal departmental timelines to meet project milestones and manage all project deliverables, ensuring that department deliverables are completed within the allocated timeframe and assigned fee budget.
• Supervise and support department staff to ensure adherence to project milestones and that deliverables are produced to the required quality and accuracy.
• Monitor and ensure that the department's staff coordinate effectively with various design team members throughout the project lifecycle to provide effective feedback and input to the design process.
• Maintain working knowledge of changes in local statutory requirements regarding relevant contractual and commercial matters.
• Provide line management, training, and mentoring of other staff.
• Work collaboratively with senior management team members to share best practices, service delivery, knowledge, and resources.
• Prepare departmental management tools such as an organogram, responsibility matrix, interdepartmental lines of reporting, and responsibility.
• Manage the recruitment, supervision, and development of staff within the Quantity Surveying Department.
• Identify staff training needs and prepare a training plan in conjunction with HR/Training.

Qualifications

• Quantity Surveying degree, commercial management degree, or similar relevant vocational pathway qualification.

Certifications

• FRICS/MRICS is essential.
• A Chartered Quantity Surveyor with a minimum of 15 years post-qualification experience in major projects.

Professional Experience

• Minimum 20 years of relevant experience in a leadership and management role.
• Consultancy background preferable.
• Multi-disciplinary experience preferable.
• Proven experience in leadership roles in large-scale projects.
• Proven management experience, including managing budgets, staffing levels, quality, and implementation metrics.
• Extensive experience with international working practices, preferably (though not necessarily) gained in the Middle East.

Functional Experience

• Working knowledge of international standard contracts, particularly the FIDIC suite of contracts.
• Excellent knowledge of relevant international best practice standards and codes.
• Excellent written and spoken English.