Job ID
46578
Job Title
Design Lead
To work for
Aga Khan Foundation
Country
Syria
City
Hamah
Field of Work
Architecture/Interior design - Engineering
Job Type
Full time
Minimum Education Level
Bachelor/ License Degree
Responsibilities
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a group of development agencies with mandates that include the environment, health, education, architecture, culture, microfinance, rural development, disaster reduction, and the promotion of private-sector enterprise and the revitalization of historic cities. AKDN agencies conduct their programmes without regard to faith, origin, or gender.
The Aga Khan Foundation (Syria) seeks to employ a Design Lead for the Built Environment Program at its office in Salamieh.
JOB NUMBER: BM/ 01
JOB SUMMARY:
The Design Lead provides strategic, technical, and managerial leadership for the design, review, and quality assurance of Built Environment (BE) infrastructure projects. Reporting to the BE Programme Manager, the Design Lead works closely with the Construction Lead, WASH Lead, Planning & Scheduling Engineer, Renewable Energy Lead, and other programme teams to ensure designs are technically sound, context appropriate, cost-effective, climate and hazard resilient, gender responsive, and fully compliant with AKDN Construction Standards, national regulations, and donor requirements.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
* Programme and Project Design Development
- Lead the development and coordination of conceptual, preliminary, and detailed designs for BE infrastructure projects.
- Lead or support site assessments, feasibility studies, and design option analyses, including constructability and lifecycle considerations.
- Ensure that designs integrate gender equality, accessibility/universal design, safeguarding, environmental sustainability, and climate and hazard resilience principles.
- Promote Human Centered Design and participatory approaches to ensure responsiveness to community needs and operational realities.
- Coordinate with relevant authorities to ensure designs comply with national codes, standards, permitting, and approval requirements.
- Identify and mitigate design-related technical, safety, and environmental risks at early stages, applying risk-informed and safety-by-design principles across new construction, rehabilitation, and reconstruction works.
* Design Management and Quality Assurance
- Establish and enforce design quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures, including internal design reviews and validation processes.
- Review and approve design drawings, technical specifications, Bills of Quantities (BoQs), and design reports prior to procurement and construction.
- Ensure alignment between architectural, structural, civil, electrical, mechanical, WASH, and renewable energy design components.
- Coordinate closely with the Construction Lead to ensure design constructability, sequencing feasibility, and value for money considerations.
- Support the resolution of design related issues, changes, and clarifications during construction, including review of shop drawings and technical submissions.
- Ensure that design changes are properly documented and aligned with approved change control processes.
- Ensure design solutions are cost effective and aligned with approved budgets through value engineering, optimization of materials and systems, and close coordination with cost estimates and BoQs.
- Ensure designs adequately consider operation and maintenance (O&M) requirements, durability, and long term asset sustainability, including ease of maintenance and availability of spare parts.
* Coordination and Integration
- Coordinate closely with the Planning & Scheduling Engineer to ensure design deliverables are aligned with project schedules, procurement timelines, and implementation milestones.
- Collaborate with the WASH and Renewable Energy Leads to ensure integrated, multi disciplinary design solutions.
- Support Construction and WASH Leads by providing timely technical clarifications and design inputs during implementation.
- Participate in design coordination meetings, technical workshops, and site visits as required.
- Support procurement and tendering processes by providing technical clarifications, responding to bidders’ queries, and contributing to the technical evaluation of design related aspects of bids.
* Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL)
- Contribute to post occupancy evaluations and technical reviews, incorporating lessons learned into future designs.
- Support documentation of good practices, innovations, and technical lessons learned for internal learning and knowledge sharing.
- Ensure design documentation and records are complete, accurate, and auditable.
* Reporting, Communication, and Representation
- Prepare technical design inputs for donor and internal reports, including design narratives, drawings, and justifications.
- Represent AKF in design related technical forums, coordination platforms, and working groups as required.
- Provide regular design progress updates and technical advice to the BE Programme Manager.
* Team Management and Capacity Development
- Provide line management, coaching, and performance management to design staff, consultants, and service providers.
- Support recruitment and management of design consultants by preparing TORs and participating in selection process.
- Build capacity of BE technical teams through on the job support, guidance, and knowledge sharing on design standards and practices.
* Compliance, Gender, and Safeguarding
- Ensure all designs comply with AKDN Construction Standards, AKF policies, donor requirements, and national regulations.
- Promote gender responsive, inclusive, and safe by design infrastructure solutions.
- Foster a diverse and inclusive work environment that welcomes individuals of all genders
- Ensure compliance with the AKF Code of Conduct, safeguarding policies, anti fraud/anti corruption measures, and applicable legal and donor requirements.
The Aga Khan Foundation (Syria) seeks to employ a Design Lead for the Built Environment Program at its office in Salamieh.
JOB NUMBER: BM/ 01
JOB SUMMARY:
The Design Lead provides strategic, technical, and managerial leadership for the design, review, and quality assurance of Built Environment (BE) infrastructure projects. Reporting to the BE Programme Manager, the Design Lead works closely with the Construction Lead, WASH Lead, Planning & Scheduling Engineer, Renewable Energy Lead, and other programme teams to ensure designs are technically sound, context appropriate, cost-effective, climate and hazard resilient, gender responsive, and fully compliant with AKDN Construction Standards, national regulations, and donor requirements.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
* Programme and Project Design Development
- Lead the development and coordination of conceptual, preliminary, and detailed designs for BE infrastructure projects.
- Lead or support site assessments, feasibility studies, and design option analyses, including constructability and lifecycle considerations.
- Ensure that designs integrate gender equality, accessibility/universal design, safeguarding, environmental sustainability, and climate and hazard resilience principles.
- Promote Human Centered Design and participatory approaches to ensure responsiveness to community needs and operational realities.
- Coordinate with relevant authorities to ensure designs comply with national codes, standards, permitting, and approval requirements.
- Identify and mitigate design-related technical, safety, and environmental risks at early stages, applying risk-informed and safety-by-design principles across new construction, rehabilitation, and reconstruction works.
* Design Management and Quality Assurance
- Establish and enforce design quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures, including internal design reviews and validation processes.
- Review and approve design drawings, technical specifications, Bills of Quantities (BoQs), and design reports prior to procurement and construction.
- Ensure alignment between architectural, structural, civil, electrical, mechanical, WASH, and renewable energy design components.
- Coordinate closely with the Construction Lead to ensure design constructability, sequencing feasibility, and value for money considerations.
- Support the resolution of design related issues, changes, and clarifications during construction, including review of shop drawings and technical submissions.
- Ensure that design changes are properly documented and aligned with approved change control processes.
- Ensure design solutions are cost effective and aligned with approved budgets through value engineering, optimization of materials and systems, and close coordination with cost estimates and BoQs.
- Ensure designs adequately consider operation and maintenance (O&M) requirements, durability, and long term asset sustainability, including ease of maintenance and availability of spare parts.
* Coordination and Integration
- Coordinate closely with the Planning & Scheduling Engineer to ensure design deliverables are aligned with project schedules, procurement timelines, and implementation milestones.
- Collaborate with the WASH and Renewable Energy Leads to ensure integrated, multi disciplinary design solutions.
- Support Construction and WASH Leads by providing timely technical clarifications and design inputs during implementation.
- Participate in design coordination meetings, technical workshops, and site visits as required.
- Support procurement and tendering processes by providing technical clarifications, responding to bidders’ queries, and contributing to the technical evaluation of design related aspects of bids.
* Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL)
- Contribute to post occupancy evaluations and technical reviews, incorporating lessons learned into future designs.
- Support documentation of good practices, innovations, and technical lessons learned for internal learning and knowledge sharing.
- Ensure design documentation and records are complete, accurate, and auditable.
* Reporting, Communication, and Representation
- Prepare technical design inputs for donor and internal reports, including design narratives, drawings, and justifications.
- Represent AKF in design related technical forums, coordination platforms, and working groups as required.
- Provide regular design progress updates and technical advice to the BE Programme Manager.
* Team Management and Capacity Development
- Provide line management, coaching, and performance management to design staff, consultants, and service providers.
- Support recruitment and management of design consultants by preparing TORs and participating in selection process.
- Build capacity of BE technical teams through on the job support, guidance, and knowledge sharing on design standards and practices.
* Compliance, Gender, and Safeguarding
- Ensure all designs comply with AKDN Construction Standards, AKF policies, donor requirements, and national regulations.
- Promote gender responsive, inclusive, and safe by design infrastructure solutions.
- Foster a diverse and inclusive work environment that welcomes individuals of all genders
- Ensure compliance with the AKF Code of Conduct, safeguarding policies, anti fraud/anti corruption measures, and applicable legal and donor requirements.
Qualifications
- The applicant must have a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Civil Engineering, Urban Design, or a related discipline; a postgraduate qualification is an asset
- Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in infrastructure design and design management.
- Demonstrated experience in designing education, health, WASH, public, and livelihood supporting infrastructure.
- Demonstrated proficiency in the use of relevant architectural and engineering design software (e.g., AutoCAD, Revit, Civil 3D, ETABS, SAFE, SAP2000, or equivalent), including experience reviewing, coordinating, and validating multidisciplinary design outputs.
- Strong knowledge of design standards, construction practices, and national building codes.
- Experience working in donor-funded, humanitarian, recovery, or development programmes is an asset.
- Ability to coordinate multidisciplinary design teams and manage external consultants.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and design review skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Arabic.
- Familiarity with climate-resilient and risk-informed design in fragile or conflict-affected contexts, particularly Syria, is highly desirable.
- Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in infrastructure design and design management.
- Demonstrated experience in designing education, health, WASH, public, and livelihood supporting infrastructure.
- Demonstrated proficiency in the use of relevant architectural and engineering design software (e.g., AutoCAD, Revit, Civil 3D, ETABS, SAFE, SAP2000, or equivalent), including experience reviewing, coordinating, and validating multidisciplinary design outputs.
- Strong knowledge of design standards, construction practices, and national building codes.
- Experience working in donor-funded, humanitarian, recovery, or development programmes is an asset.
- Ability to coordinate multidisciplinary design teams and manage external consultants.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and design review skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Arabic.
- Familiarity with climate-resilient and risk-informed design in fragile or conflict-affected contexts, particularly Syria, is highly desirable.
Specific Vacancy Requirements
Deadline for application submission is Tuesday February 10th 2026.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Salary and Benefits
As per AKF Salary Scale.
Heath and Life insurance.
Heath and Life insurance.
About us
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a group of development agencies with mandates that include the environment, health, education, architecture, culture, microfinance, rural development, disaster reduction, and the promotion of private-sector enterprise and the revitalization of historic cities. AKDN agencies conduct their programmes without regard to faith, origin or gender.
Safeguarding Commitments:
AKF is committed to maintaining the highest standard of ethical behaviour among its staff, representatives, and partners to make sure of do no harm of the beneficiaries and whom they deal with. In line with this commitment; the selected incumbent must adhere to the AKF Code of Conduct and the relevant Safeguarding policies
Safeguarding Commitments:
AKF is committed to maintaining the highest standard of ethical behaviour among its staff, representatives, and partners to make sure of do no harm of the beneficiaries and whom they deal with. In line with this commitment; the selected incumbent must adhere to the AKF Code of Conduct and the relevant Safeguarding policies
Required employees number
1
Posted On
Jan 27, 2026
Expiry Date
Feb 26, 2026
CV Language
English