Construction Manager (Rail), Dammam

SYSTRA is one of the world's leading engineering and consultancy groups specialising in public transport and sustainable mobility. With over 10,300 employees, SYSTRA's mission is to design safe and sustainable transport solutions to bring people together, develop social inclusion and facilitate access to employment, education and leisure throughout the world.

For 65 years, the Group has been working alongside cities and regions to contribute to their development by creating, improving and modernising their infrastructure and transport systems, throughout the life cycle of their projects. SYSTRA is involved from the earliest stages of design through to the testing, deployment and maintenance phases. The company provides all its services in over 80 countries worldwide and generates 74% of its turnover internationally. With its new services, SYSTRA supports its clients and partners in their digital, ecological and energy transition, in order to invent the mobility of tomorrow.

Context

The Construction Manager will lead on-site execution for a rail project in Saudi Arabia, leveraging a strong project management background to orchestrate planning, delivery, and stakeholder coordination. The manager will drive safety, quality, schedule, and cost performance across civil works, trackwork, structures, utilities, systems interfaces, and industrial stakeholder operations, ensuring seamless delivery in a live industrial environment with complex logistics and approvals.

Missions/Main Duties

• The manager will own end-to-end construction delivery, translating design and project plans into executable work packages with robust method statements, ITPs, and risk controls.
• Develop and manage detailed construction schedules, resource plans, and look-ahead programs; coordinate temporary works, access, and traffic management; and optimize sequencing for civil, track, structures, and systems installation while maintaining industrial city operations. The role includes constructability reviews, value engineering, and proactive mitigation of constraints such as utilities/ROW, permitting, and third-party interfaces.
• Champion zero-harm culture and enforce HSE standards consistent with KSA regulations. Responsibilities include leading toolbox talks, audits, incident investigations, and continual improvement in safety performance.
• You will coordinate closely with plant operators, utility owners, municipal authorities, and client representatives to manage access, shutdowns, and operational impacts.
• Lead interface meetings spanning track/civil, bridges, depots, signaling and communications, power supply, and SCADA, ensuring alignment on design clarifications, method statements, and testing schedules.
• Oversee contract administration: tracking progress against baselines, managing change, variations, claims, and EOTs, and ensuring timely documentation and notices. The manager will monitor cost performance, productivity, and subcontractor compliance; lead negotiations on recovery plans; and contribute to monthly reports, dashboards, and risk registers with clear forecasting of schedule and cost outcomes.
• Lead multidisciplinary site teams—construction engineers, superintendents, planners, HSE, QA/QC, and subcontractors—setting clear targets, holding daily coordination meetings, and enforcing performance standards.
• Working with the systems teams, the manager will sequence installation and pre-commissioning activities for trackwork, signaling/telecoms, traction power, and OCS/third rail (as applicable).
• Coordinate civil completion, energization readiness, and interface testing, ensuring prerequisites for dynamic testing and trial operations are met, and that handover documentation, as-builts, and O&M manuals are complete.
• Maintain disciplined reporting: daily logs, weekly progress summaries, dashboards, and monthly reports covering HSE, QA/QC, schedule, cost, and risks. They will promote digital delivery practices—BIM coordination, model-based quantity takeoff, 4D sequencing, and CDE workflows—ensuring accurate records, as-built integration, and efficient information flow between site and project controls.

Profile/Skills

• Minimum 15 years of experience in rail and infrastructure construction, with extensive Middle East or Saudi Arabia project exposure.
• Proven Tier 1 contractor background delivering complex, multi-interface projects.
• Strong project management foundation (e.g., planning, risk, cost control, contract administration), with successful on-site leadership of civil works, trackwork, and systems integration.
• Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or related field; a master’s degree or PMP is advantageous.
• Arabic fluency is required; strong English communication skills are essential.
• Expertise in rail corridor construction: earthworks, drainage, structures (bridges/viaducts), stations/depot works, trackwork, and utilities diversions/relocations.
• Familiarity with rail systems interfaces: signaling, telecoms, traction power, SCADA, and commissioning workflows.
• Strong command of HSE and QA/QC processes, method statements, ITPs, and temporary works.
• Proficiency with construction planning and controls tools (e.g., Primavera P6, MS Project), BIM/CDE platforms (e.g., Navisworks, Aconex), and standard reporting practices.
• Solid understanding of KSA regulations, authority permitting, and industrial city operational constraints.
• This role requires decisive leadership, clear communication (Arabic and English), stakeholder empathy, and disciplined execution. Candidates must be resilient under pressure, proactive in risk mitigation, collaborative across disciplines, and focused on outcomes—safety, quality, schedule, and cost.

Systra is an equal opportunities company; this position is open to all applicants.