Principal - Utilities Drainage Engineer

Description

Zutari: Co-creating an engineered impact.

Zutari is a well-established, management-owned engineering firm with over 90 years experience. As human-centred engineering consultants and advisors, we are trusted by our clients, business partners, communities and other stakeholders across the Middle East & Africa.

We co-create engineering solutions that have a positive impact and improve peoples lives. Zutari values inclusion and recognises the importance of a diverse, talented workforce, believing that people need other people to succeed

What kind of talent do we pursue?

We employ people with the right attitude and a positive mindset, who are motivated by doing the right thing, getting things done and share a sense of urgency. People who have an impact in our teams and broader community. People who think differently and connect with those around them to co-create new opportunities and leave a meaningful legacy.

Role Overview:

The role seeks a Utilities Drainage Principal Engineer to support the Utilities Infrastructure portfolio, with a primary focus on wet utilities systems, including stormwater, sewerage, water supply, and associated hydraulic interfaces. The position requires close coordination with road, bridge, and traffic disciplines to ensure integrated utility layouts, compliant hydraulic design, and effective management of interfaces across multi-disciplinary infrastructure projects.

This position will play a key role in design development, design review, authority coordination, technical assurance, and stakeholder engagement across major infrastructure projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate the design of wet utilities drainage systems, with particular emphasis on stormwater management solutions for infrastructure and development projects, including internal site drainage, road drainage interfaces, attenuation, infiltration, and controlled discharge systems.
• Prepare, review, and approve stormwater and wet utilities design reports, technical memoranda, calculations, and authority submission documentation, ensuring clarity of design intent, assumptions, and compliance with applicable standards.
• Coordinate utilities drainage design elements including kerb and gully systems, pipe networks, channels, culverts, outfalls, attenuation structures, and overland flow paths, ensuring alignment with overall utilities strategies.
• Provide specialist wet utilities input to roads, interchanges, bridges, tunnels, ROW corridors, and development infrastructure, focusing on hydraulic performance, service protection, and interface management.
• Manage and resolve interfaces between stormwater, sewer, water, fire water, and other wet utilities with road geometry, pavement design, structures, traffic systems, and landscape works.
• Undertake and support design reviews, independent checks, and technical assurance activities for wet utilities and stormwater packages across all project stages.
• Lead and manage stakeholder engagement with approving authorities, including Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Municipality, DEWA, Abu Dhabi Municipality, and other relevant entities, ensuring timely, coordinated, and effective approvals.
• Represent the Utilities Infrastructure team in authority meetings, technical workshops, utility coordination forums, and interdisciplinary coordination sessions, providing technical leadership and clear communication.
• Liaise closely with internal multidisciplinary teams to resolve design risks, constructability issues, utility clashes, and programme constraints related to wet utilities infrastructure.
• Contribute to proposals and tenders by developing wet utilities and stormwater methodologies, defining scope and deliverables, identifying authority interfaces, and supporting level-of-effort estimates.
• Provide technical leadership, guidance, and mentoring to junior and intermediate engineers within the Utilities Infrastructure unit, supporting skills development and consistent design quality.
• Ensure all wet utilities and stormwater solutions comply with project requirements, local standards, design manuals, and authority approval processes, while applying best practice engineering judgment and risk mitigation.
  
  
  

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering (Master’s advantageous).
• Professional registration with an internationally recognised institution (e.g. PE or Chartered status) is preferable.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in Utilities and infrastructure projects.
• Proven experience in Utilities drainage design and coordination.
• Demonstrated stakeholder and authority engagement experience with Dubai and Abu Dhabi clients, including RTA, ADM, DM, DEWA, and similar entities.
• Strong understanding of UAE authority standards, approval pathways, and coordination requirements.
• Experience working on major infrastructure projects within the UAE or wider Middle East.
• Ability to confidently lead discussions with clients, authorities, and internal stakeholders.
  
  
  

• Autodesk Civil 3D – advanced proficiency in wet utilities and stormwater modelling, including pipe networks, pressure networks, surface modelling, grading, profiles, and utility corridor coordination for concept through IFC stages.
• Hydraulic and Network Modelling Software – strong working knowledge of Bentley SewerGEMS, WaterGEMS, InfoWorks ICM / InfoWorks WS Pro, or equivalent platforms, applied to stormwater, sewer, potable water, fire water, and rising main analysis in accordance with UAE authority requirements.
• Stormwater and Flood Modelling Tools – experience in 1D/2D hydraulic modelling, catchment analysis, and overland flow assessment using industry-standard tools to assess flood risk, attenuation, infiltration, and system resilience.
• Drainage and Hydraulic Design Capability – proven ability to undertake and review hydraulic calculations, pipe sizing, storage assessments, pump station interfaces, and discharge controls for utilities infrastructure.
• Multidisciplinary Coordination and BIM Integration – strong capability in interpreting, coordinating, and federating multidisciplinary design information across roads, structures, landscape, and building interfaces, including utility clash resolution and spatial coordination within BIM and Common Data Environment (CDE) platforms.
• Authority-Driven Design Application – ability to apply and interpret UAE design manuals, standards, and guidelines within modelling and design outputs, ensuring compliance with local authority submission and approval processes.