Facade Leader

GHD • Full-time • أبو ظبي, AE • 3w ago

Job Description

With more than 14000 people around the globe, GHD is one of the world’s leading professional services companies operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. Serving clients across five continents and the Pacific region, GHD people share a passion for exceeding the expectations of our clients and contributing to their success.

Role Purpose

Provide technical and practice leadership for façade engineering, acting as the technical authority while uplifting delivery quality, team capability, and commercial outcomes across the UAE, GCC, and global projects.

As Team Leader / Technical Director – Façades, you will lead the delivery, development, and growth of façade engineering services across the UAE and wider GCC, while providing technical leadership and specialist support to GHD offices globally.
You will act as the technical authority for façade engineering, overseeing the full lifecycle of façade projects – from concept design and technical verification through to construction support and performance validation. The role combines hands-on technical leadership with strategic oversight, ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality façade solutions.
A core aspect of the role is to build, mentor, and lead a high-performing façade engineering team across the UAE and Philippines, fostering a culture of design excellence, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. You will champion digital enablement, best practice methodologies, and technical governance, while supporting commercial performance and sustainable business growth.
You will deliver façade engineering services on discipline-specific projects within the UAE and GCC and contribute as part of multi-disciplinary project teams across the broader GHD network. Working closely with the Senior Technical Director – Specialist Services, and discipline leaders across Architecture, Structures, MEP, Fire & Life Safety, Acoustics, and Project Management, you will help deliver coordinated solutions across new-build, refurbishment, and specialist façade advisory commissions.
The role balances technical excellence, project governance, client engagement, and people leadership, ensuring that façade engineering services are delivered in alignment with GHD’s global standards and strategic objectives.

Key Duties

Lead façade design and specification development, technical governance, project delivery, people development, client engagement, and commercial performance to ensure consistent, compliant, and high-quality façade outcomes.

Technical Leadership & Assurance

Act as the Technical Authority for façade engineering, providing leadership across façade design, analysis, specifications, and verification, including glass and aluminum systems, structural performance, thermal and condensation control, acoustics, fire performance, watertightness/airtightness, movement, tolerances, fixings, corrosion protection, durability, and maintainability.
Define, implement, and champion façade design standards, technical templates, and QA/QC procedures, and lead technical reviews, and independent checks.
Act as the technical authority for the development of robust façade performance specifications, defining performance intent, measurable criteria, tolerances, and compliance pathways to support design, procurement, and construction delivery. Ensure specifications are clear, coordinated, and aligned with recognized international standards and client requirements.
Resolve complex façade technical challenges and develop value engineering and optimisation solutions that maintain performance, safety, buildability, and architectural intent.

Project Delivery & Governance

Act as Design Lead / Technical Director on all façade projects, setting the overall delivery strategy, technical governance framework, programme inputs, and project risk registers.
Provide senior oversight of multi-disciplinary coordination, ensuring façade design intent and performance requirements are fully integrated with all relevant disciplines.
Review, challenge, and approve key technical deliverables, including façade design reports, drawings, BIM models, calculations, contractor submittals, shop drawings, material proposals, method statements, and RFI responses.
Lead façade construction phase governance, providing site leadership through inspections and technical reporting, resolving non-conformances and interface risks, and ensuring technical close-out.
Own project commercial performance within the façade portfolio including profit margins, variations and change control.
Ensure compliance with regional codes/standards (e.g., UAE Fire & Life Safety Code, IBC/ASCE/EN/BS/ISO/CWCT as applicable) and client requirements.

People Leadership & Capability Development

Recruit, lead, and develop façade engineers and technicians in the UAE and Philippines, establishing clear career pathways, competency frameworks, training matrices, and succession plans aligned with current and future business needs.
Take accountability for resource planning, utilization, and performance, balancing workloads across bids and live projects to maximize efficiency, delivery quality, and team sustainability.
Develop a high-performance culture grounded in technical excellence, collaboration, accountability, and psychological safety, while developing the team’s client-facing capability, commercial acumen, and professional credibility.

Clients, Markets & Work Winning

Own senior client relationships for the façade engineering practice, shaping and delivering account plans in collaboration with Business Group Leaders and Market Leaders to drive sustained revenue and repeat work.
Lead discipline specific work winning activities, including new client development, proposal writing, fee structures, risk assessments, and commercial terms alongside Project Directors.

Digital, R&D and continuous improvement

Own the performance and scalability of façade engineering delivery at GHD, leveraging BIM workflows (Revit), computational design (Rhino/Grasshopper), advanced analysis tools (FEA, thermal/condensation, daylight/glare), automation tools and AI integration to improve design quality, efficiency, and risk control.
Lead and govern targeted R&D and innovation initiatives – including parametric optimisation, generative detailing, and AI driven QA – ensuring adoption delivers measurable improvements in productivity, consistency, and margin.
Maintain a practice-wide façade knowledge system, including performance specifications, standard details, benchmarks, and lessons learned, to drive repeatability, reduce rework, and support predictable delivery outcomes.
Drive technical thought leadership and external credibility through internal CPDs, technical publications, and engagement in conferences, reinforcing the firm’s position as a market-leading façade consultancy.

Experience And Knowledge

Senior façade engineering professional with design expertise, strong commercial and delivery experience, and the ability to lead a technical team.

Experience & Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in civil/Structural/Mechanical/Architectural Engineering or related (Master’s in Façade Engineering or related an advantage).
Team Leader: 12+ years’ experience in façade engineering with a mix of consultancy and contracting experience.
Technical Director: 18+ years with recognized subject matter authority and major project leadership across concept to handover across contracting and consultancy.
Proven experience acting as a technical authority or design lead for façade systems for major, including development of façade performance specifications.
Demonstrated commercial and project delivery experience, including fee development, scope definition, risk positioning, and change control.
Strong experience working within multi-disciplinary teams and on design-and-build or contractor-led projects.
Solid understanding of regional and international façade-related codes and standards, including UAE Fire & Life Safety Code.
Experience leading or mentoring an established technical team and engaging with clients at senior level.

Take on some of the world's toughest challenges- with everyone at GHD backing you every step of the way.

At GHD, we celebrate the power of a multicultural workforce and champion individual achievement. As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to providing fair and inclusive employment opportunities to all qualified candidates and employees—regardless of background, identity, or experience. We believe that diversity drives innovation, and we welcome the unique perspectives that each team member brings to our organization.