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Job Description:
Principal Automation Specialist
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Parsons is seeking a Principal Automation Specialist to lead and actively contribute to the regional automation practice within Engineering Digital Transformation (EDT). In this role, you will define strategy, build high-impact automation tools, and oversee a scalable automation portfolio supporting Autodesk Revit, Civil 3D, AutoCAD, ArcGIS, and other AEC design platforms.
This position requires a deep understanding of engineering workflows, automation architecture, and digital delivery, along with the ability to translate complex roadway and infrastructure requirements into robust, maintainable automation solutions. The ideal candidate combines hands-on technical expertise, leadership, applied AI capability, and product mindset to deliver automation that improves productivity, quality, consistency, and decision-making at enterprise scale.
What You'll Be Doing:
Lead and manage the regional automation practice, including strategy, standards, governance, and portfolio planning
Provide hands-on technical leadership, contributing directly to the design and development of high-value automation tools
Lead and mentor a distributed team of automation specialists across multiple engineering centers
Serve as the primary technical interface between EDT, engineering teams, and business stakeholders Partner with engineering teams to identify, prioritize, and deliver automation opportunities aligned with measurable business value
Drive automation portfolio rationalization to ensure long-term sustainability
Define and review software requirements specifications, ensuring alignment with engineering and business needs • Own prioritization, planning, delivery, and lifecycle management of automation initiatives • Lead the development, testing, deployment, and maintenance of automation tools for Revit, Civil 3D, and related platforms
Conduct code reviews, ensuring quality, maintainability, performance, and adherence to coding and UI/UX standards • Establish and enforce automation standards (coding, documentation, UI/UX, versioning, release management, lifecycle)
Maintain and modernize existing automation tools to improve efficiency, reliability, and scalability
Support implementation of a central Git-based code repository and structured release workflows
Contribute to building an Automation Marketplace / Hub to improve tool discoverability, reuse, and trust Develop and integrate AI-enabled workflows into automation solutions (e.g., AI-assisted data extraction, design validation, classification, prediction, or summarization)
Identify and prototype practical AI/ML use cases that enhance engineering productivity and decision-making
Ensure AI workflows are governed, explainable, secure, and appropriate for production engineering environments
Evaluate, deploy, and govern AI coding assistants to improve developer productivity, code quality, and delivery speed
Generate technical reports, KPI dashboards, and automation portfolio performance metrics
Prepare and present technical updates, roadmaps, and business value reports to senior leadership
Stay current with advancements in Autodesk platforms, automation technologies, and applied AI in AE
What You'll Bring:
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline
10+ years of experience in automation, software development, or systems engineering
5+ years of experience leading or mentoring technical teams
Extensive experience developing .NET/C# automation solutions using Autodesk APIs (Revit, Civil 3D, AutoCAD)
Strong programming skills in C#, Python, AutoLISP, and scripting languages
5+ years of hands-on experience with Autodesk Revit and Civil 3D
Deep understanding of roadway, infrastructure, and multidisciplinary engineering workflows
Strong knowledge of BIM principles, data standards, and digital delivery practices
Experience working with RDBMS / MSSQL and data-driven architectures • Experience with Git-based version control, release management, and structured development workflows
Proven ability to design scalable, maintainable automation architectures • Experience applying AI/ML or intelligent automation in engineering, design, or data workflows Experience using AI coding assistants (e.g., for code generation, refactoring, documentation, or review) with appropriate governance and quality controls
Understanding of security, privacy, IP, and compliance considerations related to AI-assisted development
Strong background in system analysis, solution design, and technical documentation
Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and scale technical teams • Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills
Strong communication skills, with the ability to engage technical and non-technical stakeholders
Experience working in large AEC organizations or enterprise engineering environments preferred
PMP or equivalent certification is desirable
Parsons equally employs representation at all job levels no matter the race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information.We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY!
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