Design Services & Technical Oversight Lead

AtkinsRéalis•Houston, TX

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a Design Services & Technical Oversight Lead to join our team in TX, AL, VA, PA, OH, IN, and WI. Our Pharmaceutical team is growing! The Design Services & Technical Oversight Lead serves as the Owner's Representative technical authority responsible for providing independent review and oversight across all engineering and design activities supporting major pharmaceutical capital programs. This role ensures that engineering decisions align with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements, operational objectives, constructability expectations, commissioning strategies, and fast-track delivery goals. Unlike traditional engineering management roles, this position operates independently of designer and contractor delivery organizations, providing objective owner-side technical assessments and recommendations. The successful candidate will partner with client stakeholders, EPC firms, design consultants, construction teams, commissioning personnel, and operations leaders to validate technical solutions, challenge assumptions, identify risks, and improve overall project outcomes. This is a unique opportunity to help shape and lead one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturing investments in North America while working alongside industry-leading professionals on a career-defining program on a greenfield campus. We are offering a full-time position with AtkinsRéalis that provides the opportunity to lead complex, high-profile programs, collaborate with world-class delivery teams, and receive a highly competitive compensation package with robust benefits.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical discipline; advanced degree preferred.
Professional Engineer (PE) license preferred.
20+ years of experience in engineering, design management, technical program leadership, EPC project delivery, or owner-side engineering oversight.
Experience supporting major capital projects exceeding $500 million in total installed cost; experience on multi-billion-dollar programs preferred.
Pharmaceutical industry experience strongly preferred; experience in semiconductor, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, chemical, data center, or other highly regulated industrial facilities will also be considered.
Strong understanding of GMP facility design principles, regulatory requirements, quality systems, and pharmaceutical manufacturing operations.
Demonstrated expertise leading multidisciplinary engineering reviews across process, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation & controls, automation, architectural, structural, utility, and infrastructure disciplines.
Experience working with EPC delivery models and large-scale engineering organizations.
Experience evaluating design packages for constructability, operability, maintainability, reliability, and startup readiness.
Experience leading technical governance forums, design review meetings, risk assessments, and executive-level decision reviews.
Experience collaborating with executive leadership, engineering firms, contractors, vendors, regulators, and operational stakeholders.
Experience with engineering management systems, document control platforms, project management systems, and Microsoft Office tools.
Strong understanding of lifecycle project delivery, including conceptual design, detailed design, procurement, construction, commissioning, qualification, validation, and startup.
Proven ability to identify technical risks and provide practical, owner-focused recommendations.
Strong knowledge of process systems, clean utilities, facility infrastructure, manufacturing support systems, and building services commonly utilized within pharmaceutical production environments.
Exceptional communication and stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to influence outcomes across large, complex organizations.
Demonstrated ability to challenge technical assumptions objectively and make independent recommendations without delivery bias.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to evaluate competing priorities and technical alternatives.
Ability to operate effectively in fast-paced environments with multiple stakeholders and evolving program requirements.

Responsibilities

Manage and lead owner-side technical oversight activities across multiple projects, facilities, and program workstreams.
Serve as the independent technical authority responsible for design quality, technical governance, and engineering assurance across EPC design packages.
Review engineering deliverables throughout all design phases to ensure compliance with GMP requirements, operational expectations, site standards, and regulatory commitments.
Facilitate multidisciplinary design reviews involving engineering, operations, manufacturing, quality, validation, commissioning, maintenance, and construction stakeholders.
Evaluate design maturity, technical completeness, and engineering readiness in support of project gates, funding approvals, procurement activities, and construction execution.
Provide independent assessments of proposed technical solutions, identifying opportunities to improve operability, maintainability, reliability, safety, and schedule performance.
Review facility layouts, process flows, utility systems, infrastructure designs, equipment arrangements, and integrated system interfaces.
Ensure engineering decisions support commissioning, qualification, validation, startup, and long-term operational requirements.
Lead GMP-focused design reviews to confirm alignment with regulatory expectations, quality objectives, contamination control strategies, and manufacturing requirements.
Identify technical risks, design gaps, interface issues, and scope conflicts that could impact project cost, schedule, quality, safety, or startup milestones.
Support technical evaluation of contractor proposals, engineering packages, value engineering recommendations, and scope change requests.
Coordinate technical alignment between client teams, EPC contractors, specialty consultants, vendors, and operations representatives.
Review engineering execution plans, design schedules, staffing plans, and design management processes.
Assess and provide recommendations on design standardization, modularization opportunities, system integration approaches, and future expansion considerations.
Support development and implementation of technical governance processes, design assurance procedures, and engineering review standards across the program.
Collaborate with project controls, procurement, commissioning, construction, validation, and operations teams to ensure technical decisions support overall program objectives.
Mentor technical staff and assist in establishing engineering excellence, lessons learned programs, and best practices across the portfolio.
Escalate significant technical concerns and provide executive-level recommendations to support timely decision-making.