Principal Highway Design Engineer

About the role

The Principal Highway Design Engineer will lead the planning, design and delivery of major highway and road projects for AECOM’s Dubai Highway Team. Based in Dubai, you will provide technical leadership across expressways, urban roads, interchanges and active mobility corridors throughout the UAE and the wider Middle East.

Key responsibilities

• Lead design and delivery of highway infrastructure including expressways, urban roads, interchanges, junction improvements and active mobility corridors.
• Provide technical oversight for geometric design, horizontal and vertical alignments, cross‑sections and related highway elements in line with UAE and international standards (AASHTO, DM, RTA, AASHTO Green Book).
• Coordinate and integrate designs with structures, drainage, utilities, traffic and environmental disciplines.
• Act as technical authority for complex engineering challenges, ensuring safety, sustainability and constructability.
• Prepare and review technical reports, feasibility studies, design documents, specifications and tender packages.
• Engage with clients such as RTA and ADM, attend project meetings and deliver expert technical input.
• Support business development through proposal preparation, presentations and client relationship management.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering (Master’s preferred) and Chartered/Professional Engineer status (CEng, PE or equivalent) strongly preferred.
• 15+ years of highway engineering experience, preferably on major UAE or GCC projects.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and deliver large‑scale road projects.
• In‑depth knowledge of regional authority standards (RTA, DM, ADM) and international codes (AASHTO, DMRB).
• Strong understanding of road safety engineering, sustainable transport solutions and digital delivery tools.

Required skills

• OpenRoads, Civil 3D and Infraworks for digital design and delivery.
• Geometric design, alignment and cross‑section modelling.
• Application of AASHTO, DMRB and local UAE standards.
• Road safety engineering and sustainable transport methodologies.