Principal Electrical Engineer - Design Job Snapshot Role: Principal Electrical Engineer - Design Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates Industry: Oil and Energy Function: Electrical-Electronics Engineering Experience: 15 to 20 years Job Type: Full-time Position Overview Principal Electrical Engineer - Design in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is a senior Oil and Energy opportunity for an experienced electrical engineering specialist with strong FEED, detailed design, offshore project, procurement support, commissioning, and discipline leadership expertise. This role is suited for a highly capable engineer who can lead complex electrical design work, support Aramco and KJO project requirements, coordinate with multi-discipline teams, and ensure engineering deliverables meet project, client, safety, quality, and international standards. Job Details Country: United Arab Emirates City: Dubai Industry: Oil and Energy Function: Electrical-Electronics Engineering Salary: 55000-75000 Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer. Gender: Any Candidate Nationality: Any Job Type: Full-time Role Context The Principal Electrical Engineer - Design provides technical authority for electrical engineering activities across conceptual, FEED, detailed design, fabrication support, procurement, pre-commissioning, commissioning, and offshore hook-up phases. The position directly supports engineering integrity by ensuring electrical systems, studies, specifications, layouts, schedules, and vendor deliverables are technically sound and aligned with project execution requirements. As a lead engineer, the role also guides discipline teams, manages interfaces, supports customer communication, and helps deliver safe, reliable, and cost-conscious electrical solutions for major oil and gas projects. Key Responsibilities * Perform conceptual, FEED, and detailed electrical engineering design activities in line with design basis, project specifications, codes, standards, and approved procedures. * Prepare, review, and approve detailed electrical calculations, design analyses, design reports, procedures, philosophies, specifications, and technical deliverables. * Lead assigned electrical engineering scope within the planned schedule, budget, MDR requirements, project procedures, and professional quality standards. * Direct small or medium electrical engineering teams, assign tasks, monitor progress, and support resource forecasting when acting as Lead Engineer. * Interpret contractual requirements and translate project scope, specifications, schedules, and inter-discipline needs into disciplined engineering execution plans. * Coordinate with process, piping, structural, instrumentation, safety, fabrication, marine, procurement, planning, quality, certification, and project management teams. * Interface with all engineering disciplines to support clash-free designs, accurate deliverables, and timely design inputs. * Prepare and review electrical design basis, technical specifications, datasheets, requisitions, technical bid evaluations, bid tabulations, and purchase requisitions. * Review vendor and subcontractor documents, confirm compliance with project specifications, and provide clear technical comments. * Assist procurement teams with electrical equipment, materials, services, vendor document expediting, quotation reviews, and technical clarifications. * Prepare, review, and approve electrical system studies, single-line diagrams, schematic diagrams, interconnection drawings, troubleshooting drawings, and design verification checks. * Review and approve electrical equipment building layouts, electrical equipment lists, material lists, cable drum schedules, spare parts lists, and preservation reports. * Prepare and review lighting calculations, illumination studies, lighting layouts, hazardous area classification drawings, and electrical load lists. * Review C and E charts, ESD logic diagrams, F and G detector layouts, electrical studies, specifications, datasheets, requisitions, and key discipline deliverables. * Participate in HAZOP and SIL studies and provide electrical and instrumentation input to safety, pre-commissioning, commissioning, and offshore hook-up activities. * Support design verification through single-discipline checks and interdisciplinary checks to maintain functional integrity and design quality. * Review project schedules and fabrication schedules in relation to construction sequence, milestones, engineering scope, and electrical deliverable priorities. * Provide technical support for fabrication queries, defect identification, rectification requirements, and site-based electrical engineering issues. * Coordinate equipment inspection, FAT participation, punch list preparation, punch list resolution, and vendor follow-up for electrical equipment and skids. * Review pre-commissioning and commissioning indexes and provide technical assistance during site pre-commissioning, start-up, and hook-up activities. * Prepare and review hook-up installation procedures, special tools, commissioning requirements, and work content split between onshore fabrication and offshore installation. * Provide installation guidance for small electrical and instrumentation equipment where details are not fully shown in AFC drawings. * Raise technical queries to clarify missing information, define scope, and maintain preferred McDermott standards, procedures, specifications, and operational requirements. * Identify changes to scope early and support change notifications, variation orders, estimates, supporting documentation, and change management records. * Prepare bid proposal inputs, execution statements, man-hour estimates, technical query reviews, software requirements, project budgets, and discipline execution plans. * Monitor costs, productivity, KPI results, engineering progress, manpower requirements, and discipline performance, taking corrective action where needed. * Represent the electrical discipline in meetings with project teams, customers, certifying authorities, auditors, third parties, vendors, and subcontractors. * Document important technical communications and ensure decisions, actions, and customer comments are properly recorded and shared with discipline leadership. * Guide less experienced engineers on MDR procedures, electrical standards, worksheets, calculations, software, requisitions, technical bid evaluations, and technical queries. * Supervise senior electrical engineers and electrical engineers while coordinating with lead designers for design deliverables. * Support technical quality audits, internal reviews, customer audits, third-party reviews, design reviews, and lessons learned capture. * Assist in maintaining departmental guidelines, calculation notes, global procedures, software, and engineering standards. * Support discipline manager activities including manpower planning, quarterly forecasts, staff training, interview support, and employee performance feedback. Ideal Profile * Bachelor's degree in Engineering is required. * Master's degree in Engineering is preferred. * 15 to 20 years of oil and gas experience with major contractors or consultants, mainly in detailed electrical design. * Demonstrated leadership experience on Aramco or KJO projects. * Strong technical background in electrical engineering for offshore, onshore, fabrication, hook-up, and energy infrastructure projects. * Detailed knowledge of design techniques, analysis methods, international codes, standards, guidelines, and electrical engineering practices. * Experience preparing and reviewing electrical studies, load lists, single-line diagrams, schematics, equipment layouts, cable schedules, lighting calculations, and technical specifications. * Strong understanding of procurement support, vendor document review, FAT participation, material requisitions, technical bid evaluation, and vendor coordination. * Practical experience supporting fabrication, commissioning, pre-commissioning, offshore hook-up, and site technical queries. * Capable of leading discipline teams, assigning work, reviewing deliverables, monitoring progress, and managing engineering priorities under demanding schedules. * Strong project coordination and execution skills with the ability to manage interfaces across engineering, fabrication, marine, procurement, quality, planning, and project management teams. * Preferably a Registered Professional Engineer or member of a recognized professional engineering society. * Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to explain complex technical matters clearly to customers, project teams, and engineering stakeholders. * Able to support technical papers, engineering presentations, design solution discussions, seminars, and knowledge-sharing sessions. * Strong judgment, cost awareness, safety focus, and commitment to engineering integrity. * Able to work independently with minimal guidance while supporting team development and discipline-level performance improvement. Skills Set * Electrical engineering * Electrical detailed design * FEED engineering * Conceptual design * Oil and gas projects * Aramco projects * KJO projects * Offshore electrical systems * Electrical system studies * Single-line diagrams * Schematic diagrams * Electrical load lists * Electrical equipment lists * Cable drum schedules * Cable routing * Lighting calculations * Illumination studies * Hazardous area classification * C and E charts * ESD logic diagrams * F and G detector layout * Electrical specifications * Electrical datasheets * Material requisitions * Technical bid evaluations * Vendor document review * FAT participation * Punch list resolution * Pre-commissioning support * Commissioning support * Offshore hook-up support * Technical queries * IDC review * Design verification * Procurement coordination * Fabrication support * Electrical equipment layouts * Project execution planning * Man-hour estimation * Discipline leadership * KPI monitoring * HAZOP participation * SIL study participation * Technical quality audits * Lessons learned * Customer coordination Why Join Us This opportunity is ideal for a senior electrical engineering professional who wants to lead technically demanding Oil and Energy projects from Dubai. The role offers exposure to major offshore and onshore engineering work, Aramco and KJO project environments, advanced electrical design deliverables, vendor coordination, fabrication support, commissioning activities, and multi-discipline project execution. It gives experienced engineers the platform to influence design quality, strengthen discipline performance, mentor teams, and contribute to reliable energy infrastructure built to international standards. About the Company McDermott International, Ltd is a global engineering, procurement, construction, and installation company delivering complex energy infrastructure projects across offshore, subsea, onshore, fabrication, and energy transition markets. With more than 100 years of experience, McDermott supports major Oil and Energy developments through advanced engineering capability, integrated project delivery, fabrication expertise, marine operations, and safety-focused execution. Its Dubai operations support regional and international energy projects where electrical engineering quality, technical assurance, and disciplined execution are essential to successful delivery.