Project Engineer Job Description in the GCC: Roles, Requirements & Responsibilities

Project Engineer Role Overview

Project Engineers are the operational linchpin of the GCC’s extraordinary construction landscape. They bridge the gap between design intent and constructed reality, coordinating schedules, budgets, quality, and stakeholder expectations across some of the world’s largest and most complex developments. From Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion NEOM megacity and The Line to the UAE’s Etihad Rail network, Qatar’s North Field Expansion infrastructure, and Kuwait’s new airport terminal, the Gulf region offers Project Engineers career-defining opportunities found nowhere else on Earth.

The GCC construction market is valued at over $350 billion in active projects as of 2026, driven by government mega-projects and economic diversification initiatives. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 alone encompasses NEOM, The Line, Jeddah Tower, the Red Sea Project, Qiddiya, and Diriyah Gate — each requiring hundreds of Project Engineers to manage scheduling, cost control, contract administration, quality assurance, and multi-disciplinary coordination across massive project footprints.

In the UAE, ongoing developments include Dubai’s Urban Master Plan 2040, Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District, and major infrastructure upgrades including Etihad Rail, metro expansions, and new highway networks. Qatar continues post-FIFA infrastructure development with Lusail City completion and LNG expansion projects, while Oman’s Duqm Special Economic Zone and Bahrain’s urban renewal projects add further demand.

Project Engineers in the GCC work at the intersection of technical engineering, project management, and commercial administration. They must navigate international standards adapted to local conditions — extreme heat, challenging soils, aggressive timelines, and multicultural workforces spanning dozens of nationalities. Understanding these regional dynamics is what separates a GCC Project Engineer from their counterparts in temperate, less demanding markets.

Key Responsibilities

A Project Engineer working in the GCC typically handles responsibilities spanning project controls, site coordination, and stakeholder management:

Project Planning and Controls

• Develop and maintain project schedules using Primavera P6 (the GCC industry standard) or Microsoft Project. This includes creating work breakdown structures, identifying critical path activities, resource loading, progress updating, and producing look-ahead programs for construction teams.
• Manage project cost control including budget preparation, cost tracking against forecasts, earned value analysis (EVM), monthly cost reporting, and variance analysis. Project Engineers on GCC mega-projects routinely manage budgets from AED 50 million to AED 2 billion.
• Track and report project progress through S-curves, milestone tracking, KPI dashboards, and monthly progress reports for clients and senior management. Power BI and Excel-based reporting are common tools.
• Maintain project risk registers identifying, assessing, and developing mitigation strategies for schedule, cost, quality, and safety risks throughout the project lifecycle.

Contract and Commercial Administration

• Administer construction contracts under FIDIC forms (Red Book, Yellow Book, Silver Book) — the standard across GCC construction. This includes managing variation orders, processing interim payment certificates, tracking contractual obligations, and maintaining contemporaneous records.
• Manage claims and disputes by preparing time impact analyses, quantifying delay costs, documenting concurrent delays, and supporting dispute resolution proceedings.
• Coordinate procurement activities including material requisitions, vendor evaluations, purchase order tracking, and supply chain coordination. EPC projects in the GCC require extensive procurement management due to the scale of material volumes.
• Prepare and review project documentation including method statements, inspection and test plans, material submittals, RFIs, and technical correspondence through document management systems like Aconex or Procore.

Site Coordination and Quality

• Coordinate between design consultants and construction teams ensuring that design intent is translated accurately into construction activities. This includes reviewing shop drawings, resolving design conflicts, and participating in BIM coordination meetings.
• Manage subcontractor performance including mobilization, work quality, schedule compliance, and resource adequacy. GCC mega-projects routinely involve 20-50 subcontractors requiring active coordination.
• Ensure quality compliance through QA/QC processes including inspection and test plans (ITPs), non-conformance reporting (NCR), hold point inspections, and material testing coordination.
• Liaise with government authorities for permits, inspections, and compliance certificates. Key authorities include Dubai Municipality, Abu Dhabi DMT, Riyadh Municipality, and Ashghal in Qatar.

Required Qualifications

Education

A bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline from an accredited university is mandatory. The degree must be from a program accredited by a recognized body (ABET, Institution of Civil Engineers, or equivalent). For GCC practice, degrees must be attested and may require evaluation by local engineering bodies — Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE), Qatar’s MMUP, or UAE Society of Engineers.

A master’s degree in Construction Management, Project Management, or Engineering Management is preferred for senior Project Engineer and lead roles. MBA holders with engineering backgrounds are sought for client-side developer positions.

Technical Skills

• Project scheduling: Primavera P6 (mandatory for large GCC projects), Microsoft Project for smaller-scale work. Proficiency in CPM analysis, baseline management, and progress updating is expected.
• Cost control: Earned value management, budget preparation, cost forecasting, variance analysis. CostX or Bluebeam for quantity take-offs.
• Document management: Aconex, Procore, SharePoint, or Primavera Unifier for transmittal management, RFI tracking, and correspondence control.
• Design awareness: AutoCAD (reading/review), Revit awareness for BIM coordination meetings, Navisworks for clash detection reviews.
• Contract knowledge: FIDIC Red Book, Yellow Book, Silver Book. Understanding of variation procedures, claims processes, and payment certification.
• Reporting: Power BI, Excel (advanced), and presentation skills for monthly progress reporting and management dashboards.

Experience Levels and Salary Ranges

• Graduate Project Engineer (0-2 years): Assisting with scheduling, cost tracking, and documentation under senior supervision. Typical salary: AED 8,000-14,000/month.
• Project Engineer (3-5 years): Independent management of project controls, subcontractor coordination, and authority liaison. Typical salary: AED 15,000-22,000/month.
• Senior Project Engineer (6-10 years): Leading project controls teams, managing major packages, client interface, and commercial oversight. Typical salary: AED 22,000-35,000/month.
• Lead Project Engineer / Project Manager (10+ years): Overall project delivery, P&L responsibility, business development. Typical salary: AED 35,000-50,000+/month.

Preferred Qualifications

These qualifications provide a competitive edge in the GCC project engineering market:

• PMP certification: The most recognized project management credential in the GCC. Listed as required or preferred in over 70% of Project Engineer job postings.
• PRINCE2 Practitioner: Valued by UK-origin firms including Mace, Turner & Townsend, and Faithful+Gould.
• Professional registration: Chartered Engineer (CEng) from ICE, Professional Engineer (PE) from NCEES, or equivalent. SCE registration is mandatory for practice in Saudi Arabia.
• CCE (Certified Cost Engineer): Highly valued for Project Engineers focusing on cost control and earned value management.
• Arabic language skills: Valuable for government project coordination and authority submissions.
• GCC project experience: Understanding of local conditions, regional contractors, and authority approval processes significantly reduces onboarding time.
• NEBOSH International General Certificate: Increasingly mandatory for site-based Project Engineer roles.

Work Environment and Benefits

Project Engineer positions in the GCC offer attractive compensation packages reflecting the demanding nature of the work:

• Base salary plus annual performance bonus (typically 1-3 months, with project completion bonuses common for contractor-side roles)
• Housing allowance or company-provided accommodation (AED 5,000-14,000/month depending on seniority and location; free housing on remote mega-projects)
• Transportation allowance or company vehicle — critical given that most GCC construction sites are outside city centers
• Annual flight tickets for employee and family
• Health insurance covering employee and dependents
• 30 days annual leave plus public holidays
• End-of-service gratuity per local labor law
• Professional development: PMP exam sponsorship, CPD hours, conference attendance (Big 5, MEED Projects)

Project Engineers split time between office and site environments. Site-based roles require working in extreme heat during summer months, with mandatory midday break regulations providing some relief. Office-based project controls roles offer more structured hours but still require regular site visits for progress verification and inspections.

How to Stand Out as a Candidate

The GCC attracts Project Engineers from around the world. To differentiate yourself:

• Showcase mega-project experience: Highlight project scale — “Managed Primavera P6 schedule with 5,000+ activities for a $800M infrastructure project” or “Administered FIDIC contracts valued at $1.2B” demonstrates GCC-relevant scope.
• Demonstrate dual competency: Project Engineers who combine scheduling expertise with cost control and contract administration are more valuable than those with only one dimension. Show breadth across project controls disciplines.
• Obtain PMP certification: This is the single most impactful credential for GCC Project Engineer roles. It signals systematic project management capability recognized by every major employer in the region.
• Highlight FIDIC knowledge: Contract administration is a core responsibility. Demonstrating fluency in FIDIC procedures, variation management, and claims processes is a significant differentiator.
• Network through professional bodies: PMI Gulf chapters, ICE UAE, and industry conferences like the Big 5 and MEED Projects Conference provide direct access to hiring managers at major contractors and consultancies.
• Build sector specialization: Whether it is infrastructure, oil and gas EPC, real estate development, or industrial construction — deep project engineering experience in one sector is more valued than shallow experience across all.

Sample Project Engineer Job Description Template

Use this template to craft your own job description or to understand exactly what GCC employers expect when reviewing project engineering job postings:

Position: Project Engineer

Department: Project Controls / Construction Management
Reports to: Senior Project Engineer / Project Manager
Location: [City], [Country]
Employment Type: Full-time

About the Role

We are seeking a skilled Project Engineer to join our project controls team working on [describe project type — e.g., a mega-infrastructure development, EPC facility, mixed-use development]. You will be responsible for [scheduling/cost control/contract administration] across [scope description] with a total project value of [AED/USD amount].

What You Will Do

• Develop and maintain project schedules using Primavera P6
• Manage project cost control including budget tracking and earned value analysis
• Administer contracts under FIDIC forms including variation orders and payment certificates
• Coordinate between design consultants, contractors, and subcontractors
• Prepare monthly progress reports and management dashboards
• Manage project risk registers and mitigation strategies
• Ensure QA/QC compliance and document control

What We Are Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering (accredited program)
• [X]+ years of project engineering experience, preferably in the GCC
• Proficiency in Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project
• Strong knowledge of FIDIC contracts and earned value management
• Experience with document management systems (Aconex, Procore)
• Excellent communication, reporting, and stakeholder management skills

Nice to Have

• PMP or PRINCE2 certification
• Chartered Engineer (CEng) or Professional Engineer (PE) status
• CCE (Certified Cost Engineer) credential
• Arabic language proficiency
• Experience on mega-projects ($500M+)

What We Offer

• Competitive salary + project completion bonus
• Housing allowance + transportation
• Annual flight tickets
• Premium health insurance
• 30 days annual leave
• PMP certification sponsorship and CPD support

Tailoring Your Resume to Project Engineer Job Descriptions

When applying for project engineering roles in the GCC, your resume must demonstrate project controls competency and regional relevance:

1. Lead with project scale: GCC employers think in terms of scale. Always include project value, schedule complexity (number of activities), and team size in your descriptions.
2. Show Primavera P6 mastery: Mention baseline management, progress updating, earned value analysis, and delay analysis specifically. Generic “scheduling experience” is insufficient.
3. Reference FIDIC knowledge: Explicitly mention Red Book, Yellow Book, variation procedures, and claims management. Contract competency is a major differentiator.
4. Highlight authority interaction: If you have managed authority submissions, permits, or inspections in the GCC, this operational knowledge is highly valued.
5. Show progression and responsibility: Clearly delineate your growth from assistant to independent Project Engineer to team lead, showing increasing project complexity and value.