ERI Project Lead

Job Description

Position: ERI Project Lead

Reports to: Project Manager

Sector: Education, Research, & Innovation (ERI)

Job Location : Sharma, NEOM

Role Purpose:

NEOM is a smart and sustainable regional development in northwest Saudi Arabia, a unique global living lab for intelligent, innovative, efficient, and effective infrastructure solutions. The vision of NEOM comprises of 14 economic sectors with each sector realized to support the future of NEOM as a global cognitive city. NEOM’s Education Research and Innovation (ERI) Higher Education Sector is comprised of 3 Pillars: NEOM U, ERI Foundation and the Talent Academy.

NEOM U will be a pre-eminent knowledge based university which fully integrates digital thinking and technology. A “university” without boundaries, combining on-site and online learning at the undergraduate and graduate level, defining new pathways to academic degrees and an integral part of a self-sustained NEOM community. ERI Foundation is comprised of international research institutes, and funds research that focuses on global and NEOM-relevant themes. The Talent Academy is a professional and vocational college that provides upskilling and lifelong learning opportunities. The Talent Academy will develop the human capital team and network to support the needs of NEOM sectors.

Reporting directly to the Project Manager, the successful candidate will work on projects to support the design and construction of assets within ERI as a member of the Asset Proponent team representing the sector. The Project Lead will coordinate with the Project Management Team, as well as other NEOM sectors and departments. The Project Lead will support all design and construction responsibilities to assigned projects. The position will lead all Project Management activities and will work adjacent to similar roles in the NEOM organization.

The role demands stakeholder management, leadership and influencing skills to ensure the project is executed within time, cost, quality, and of course safety constraints to meet NEOM’s ambition.

Key Accountabilities & Activities:

Project Management Support

• Support the Project Manager by providing project management and project planning expertise, based on previous experience of similar large scale higher education and/or research-oriented developments during the design and construction stages.
• Ensure from the outset strategic priorities and outcomes are matched to early-stage project budgets and schedules ensuring alignment with the sector and other stakeholders
• Engage Stakeholders to provide the necessary input feedback. Engage in design management to reach an assurance that early-stage concepts and plans are realistic and achievable with documented risks and mitigations.
• Provide support to ensure stage gateway reviews are completed and stage objectives are achieved.
• Develop presentations for internal projects and leadership meetings and collaborate on the development of presentations with other NEOM stakeholders and consultants

Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as the technical support between the Project Manager, Main Sector, appointed Design Consultants and Projects’ Department in regards to the delivery of ERI Core assets. 
• Coordinating through the Project Manager with the respective Regional Proponent Development Teams
• Providing input to the Planner and Document Controller, with regards to schedule and documentation. 
• Chair weekly progress and coordination meetings with various stakeholders and ensure meeting minutes are issued promptly.
• Follow up on all actions required from internal and external parties

Planning Support

• Develop a work breakdown structure and packaging/procurement strategy for the design and construction and ensure this is approved.
• Lead constructability reviews and contribute to risk/value reviews for the design.
• Prepare and gain approval for interface agreements for ERI within the broader NEOM development.
• Develop a comprehensive works information pack for each construction contract
• Act as client lead for construction procurement assisting the contracts and procurement teams.
• Ensure cost and schedule estimates contained within the business plan are updated and accurate.
• Ensure all agreed construction deliverables are approved and subject to external audit at the planning stage gateway review for each project in the program.
• Review and comment on all project schedules that are received form the various stakeholders and ensure all of the milestone dates are coordinated.
• Highlight any potential delays in advance as well as recovery plan as approved schedule dates must be achieved.

Execution

• Lead site assembly and early-stage construction activities including surveys and ground investigations.
• Develop a long lead item procurement proposal to accelerate schedule.
• Provide oversite as the client’s representative to construction team and in coordination with NEOM Projects department.
• Support Senior Project Manager in establishing governance of change and risk allocation on completion of design.
• Lead the gateway review at the end of the Execution stage for each project in the program on behalf of the Senior Project Manager .

Construction Monitoring & Control

• Lead the weekly progress reviews and change boards on behalf of the Senior Project Manager .
• Lead the construction team and actively driving progress on site
• Proactively managing suppliers and other vendor performance.
• Lead the implementation of site wide safety, construction security and quality plans.
• Implement demobilization plan and handover to operations team.
• Create functional KPIs during design and construction phases.
• Ensure all testing and commissioning of all systems is done in the highest quality and as per the approved plan

Project Closure

• Oversee the project team to actively close all liability and defects within agreed period.
• Ensure the operational teams are supported with the correct asset information in the agreed format and that systems are updated accurately and timely.
• Ensure all O&Ms manuals are submitted in a timely manner
• Ensure all financial asset information is provided in the agreed format to support capitalization of assets.

Background, Skills & Qualifications:

• Minimum of 10-12 years’ relevant development and project management experience – PMC/ Real-Estate Development Experience preferred
• Experience in multidisciplinary projects, laboratory development is preferred
• Experience with Microsoft Office – Excellent experience working with Word, PowerPoint, and excel is mandatory
• Experience in highly complex and high-rise projects
• Minimum of 3 years of higher education or research facilities experience
• Experience working in the MENA region is preferred.
• Excellent analytical and verbal reasoning skills
• Experience working in cross functional and diverse team environment.
• Strong stakeholder management skills
• Excellent written and oral communications in English.
• Proactive personality and leadership qualities
• Ability to think strategically along with creative problem-solving skills.
• Strong understanding and proactive approach to risk management principles

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master Degree in Architecture or Engineering
• Project Management Certificate is preferred.