# Mechanical Project Managers MEP



## rdnicolas (Feb 22, 2011)

Hello everyone, I am a mechanical engineer with about 10 years experience in buildings engineering. I'm hoping to connect with others in Dubai within the buildings consulting industry to network and find good leads and opportunities.

About me and my family:
My wife and and I are looking to move our family to Dubai (she is a K-12 teacher). We are itching to experience the next chapter in our life. We see it as a great opportunity to save money towards our retirement as well as a great hub to travel with our kids (ages 5, 2, 6mo) to see the rest of the world.

I'm professionally licensed in both USA and Canada, LEED Accredited and hold two post secondary certificates in project management. I'm working on my PMP designation as well as my ASHRAE Healthcare Design Professional accreditation. 

I currently work as a mechanical project manager and have delivered small to large projects leading a team of 4-10 members.

Ideally I would love to find a similar role but I'm open to related positions in sales or commissioning.

I do have a few questions though that were not so clear when I searched the forums though that I'm curious about:

1. Are many of the construction projects still on hold? is there a trend of an increasing backlog of construction projects.

2. Is Dubai building any new hospitals? If so which MEP firms specialize in that.

3. What us the local news saying about Canada's and Dubai's disagreements about opening more direct flights into Canada and escalation of politics related to that. Since we are Canucks, is that likely to affect my chances of getting sponsored?

4. What is the demand for K-12 teachers?

Any insights or advice is warmly appreciated.

Regards,
Reggie


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

1. A lot of Projects have been scaled back or put on hold indefinitely. Developers are becoming more focused on market demands and trends and are subsequently tailoring their Project to current market demands. That is particularly true for Abu Dhabi with the Government-owned developers. 
Developers in Dubai are completing some of the Projects that had come to a stop but I doubt that there are that many new Projects coming online. The job market itself is a lot healthier and more secure in Abu Dhabi. The trade off is that Abu Dhabi is not a particularly exciting place to live in comparison to Dubai but you obviously have the choice to live in Dubai and commute.

2. Not that I am aware off. There is a half-finished hospital close to Dubai Marina but I doubt that this will start up again anytime soon. Dubai Construction Projects tend to be primarily hospitality, residential, commercial or mixed-use.
MEP firms would typically work as subcontractors to the major construction firms here and would work across a wide variety of Projects. There is no point in specialising in any sector here as, if you get it wrong, you are likely to make yourself completely unemployable!
There is a list of recruiters on the sticky at the top of the page. I would suggest that you start sending out your CV. You can also use google to point you in the direction of local MEP subcontractors. You should also target Lead Consultants as they would have in-house MEP designers and Project Managers.

3. No, you can still find employer sponsorship. The only difference is that you/ your employer are now required to apply for a visa prior to arriving in the UAE, which should always be the case if you are intending to work as it is illegal to work on a tourist visa. If you do enter the UAE on a tourist visa, you have to leave the country and apply for a new visa before you can come back - previously, all that was required was a visa run to the Omani border!

4. Sorry, don't know.


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## kentiwi84 (Jan 1, 2011)

There is no point in specialising in any sector here as, if you get it wrong, you are likely to make yourself completely unemployable!

sorry i dont think i understood that sentence? elaborate


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

kentiwi84 said:


> There is no point in specialising in any sector here as, if you get it wrong, you are likely to make yourself completely unemployable!
> 
> sorry i dont think i understood that sentence? elaborate


I'm taking about construction sectors!  If you can only build hospitals, then the people building hotels and apartments will not necessarily look at your CV. The UAE is marketing itself as a tourism destination and Abu Dhabi is working towards its 2030 plan, hence the vast majority of developments right now are actually hospitality, leisure and residential. The poster stated that he is looking at getting his ASHRAE Healthcare Design Professional accreditation - in the West that may give him an advantage but over here, not necessarily so! I work for a developer and hospitals is not something that we are likely to ever build - no money in it for us & there are more than enough around to serve the current population.

My specialism is residential Projects but over here, I've worked on leisure, hospitality, residential, infrastructure & commercial/ mixed use Projects. Just the nature of the job unfortunately - pays to be flexible and adaptable in this market. 

P.S Not saying that he should not get his healthcare accreditations as for long term career planning, it will most certainly come in handy. I think that he should market himself a Buildings/ MEP PM as opposed to saying that he specialises in healthcare, for which there isn't really a bit market here. His LEED accreditation though would be useful as the UAE is embracing Green Buildings of late and in Abu Dhabi all new buildings have to meet a minimum of Estidama 1 Pearl rating.


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## rdnicolas (Feb 22, 2011)

Maz25 said:


> 1. A lot of Projects have been scaled back or put on hold indefinitely. Developers are becoming more focused on market demands and trends and are subsequently tailoring their Project to current market demands. That is particularly true for Abu Dhabi with the Government-owned developers.
> Developers in Dubai are completing some of the Projects that had come to a stop but I doubt that there are that many new Projects coming online. The job market itself is a lot healthier and more secure in Abu Dhabi. The trade off is that Abu Dhabi is not a particularly exciting place to live in comparison to Dubai but you obviously have the choice to live in Dubai and commute.
> 
> 2. Not that I am aware off. There is a half-finished hospital close to Dubai Marina but I doubt that this will start up again anytime soon. Dubai Construction Projects tend to be primarily hospitality, residential, commercial or mixed-use.
> ...


Hi Max25 Thanks for the insights you've shared and your advice about specialization. As a matter of fact my experience spans several building types so I think I may have a good offering of technical aptitude and practical project experience. (from multi-use residential, institutional, commercial, recreational, data centres, laboratories, healthcare and light industrial). Healthcare projects in my area have been prioritized with 5 new hospitals built in the last 5 years and other three major ones planned to be built in the next 5 years. I've read somewhere on a Google search that Dubai was focusing on healthcare but was not clear to what that exactly meant. I guess I was hoping to be a part of any new hospital construction projects there.

My current job pays well and is quite cushy but my wife and I are growing more tired of the snow, cold weather and the near 50% taxes we pay right now. Its pretty painful how a six figure income easily gets decimated after taxes

I think I'll check out a couple recruitment firms as well as directly apply to the top Lead Consultants or MEP contractors in Dubai.. Can you suggest a couple companies to start with? 

Thanks again

Reggie


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

BK Gulf
Drake & Scull
ALEC (they have an MEP division)
BEMCO
Thermo

MEP Contractors

With regards to Consultants, try:
Whitby & Bird
Voltas
Arup, etc


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## rdnicolas (Feb 22, 2011)

Thanks again! Time to polish up the CV.

Reggie


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## stevieboy1980 (Sep 9, 2008)

i can get you a job, i keep getting offered enough of them


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## rdnicolas (Feb 22, 2011)

stevieboy1980 said:


> i can get you a job, i keep getting offered enough of them


Boy that would be outstanding. Thanks for the kind offer! 
I've updated and uploaded my CV online on the Bayt.com website at the following link:

http://people.bayt.com/reginald-nicolas/?lang=en

Kindly let me know if you have any insights on ways I can market myself more effectively. I've also sent my CV to all the companies listed previously..... 

Keeping fingers crossed. 

Best Regards,

Reggie


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## stevieboy1980 (Sep 9, 2008)

send me a private message, i will sort you out


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