Job Description
Claim Dispute Manager – China Harbour Engineering Co. Ltd. (CHEC)
Responsibilities
1. Claims Prevention and Early Detection ?Monitoring Project Progress: Regularly track the progress of the project to identify potential issues that could lead to disputes or claims, such as delays, quality problems, or scope changes. ?Contract Compliance: Monitor the project to ensure that all parties are adhering to the contract terms and conditions. This includes monitoring progress, payments, timelines, and any contractual requirements. ?Preventive Measures: Develop and implement systems and procedures that prevent claims by improving communication, documentation, and issue resolution before they escalate. 2. Managing Claims ?Assessing Claims: When claims are submitted, evaluate the validity of the claim based on contract terms, project records, and performance data. This includes identifying the root cause of the claim—whether it’s related to delays, cost overruns, design changes, or other issues. ?Coordinating Claim Documentation: Collect and organize all relevant documentation, such as schedules, reports, communications, and financial records, to support or refute the claim. Ensure documentation is accurate, detailed, and aligned with contract provisions. ?Stakeholder Engagement: Engage with internal and external stakeholders (e.g., contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, clients) to understand their perspectives on the claim and to facilitate discussions that lead to resolution. 3. Negotiation and Settlement ?Negotiation?Negotiate with other parties or coordinate negotiations with external legal advisors or consultants. ?Settlement Strategies: Develop settlement strategies that are fair, reasonable, and minimize risk for the Contractor while protecting its legal and financial interests. ?Avoiding Litigation: Wherever possible, work to resolve claims without resorting to formal litigation, using alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques like mediation, conciliation, or arbitration. 4. Claims Analysis and Risk Management ?Risk Identification: Analyze the causes of claims to identify underlying risks that could affect future project performance. Assess whether there are patterns in claims that might signal broader issues in project management or execution. ?Risk Mitigation: Recommend actions to mitigate the risks of future claims, such as improving communication, revising contract terms, adjusting project plans, or improving documentation and reporting. ?Assessment: Assess and manage the claims along with expertise in proper Methodologies, risk assessment of Contract provisions related to Schedule and Cost, and challenge any claims and EOT requests, making recommendations for possible mitigation/ acceleration. 5. Contract Review and Interpretation ?Contractual Analysis: Review and interpret the contract, including terms related to claims, disputes, and entitlements. Ensure that all claims and disputes are handled in accordance with contractual provisions. ?Compliance with Claims Procedures: Monitor and guide the project team to ensure that all claims are submitted in accordance with the contract's prescribed procedures, timelines, and formats. Monitor the status of claims to ensure deadlines are met, and that proper documentation is maintained. 6. Dispute Resolution ?Dispute Management: When a claim escalates into a formal dispute, coordinate the dispute resolution process, which may involve arbitration, litigation, or other legal avenues. ?Coordination with Legal Teams: Work closely with legal counsel to prepare defenses, counterclaims, or responses to claims. Assist with the preparation of legal documentation and evidence, ensuring all relevant facts and contractual clauses are addressed. ?External Expert Coordination: Engage external experts such as forensic accountants, legal advisors, engineers, or other consultants to evaluate complex claims or disputes. 7. Reporting and Documentation ?Detailed Record Keeping: Maintain comprehensive records of all claims and disputes, including correspondence, documents, analysis reports, decisions, and outcomes. ?Claims Reports: Produce regular reports for senior management that provide an overview of claims, the status of ongoing disputes, risk factors, and recommended actions. Ensure that key stakeholders are informed of potential risks or emerging claims. ?Document Management: Monitor the project to ensure all claims-related documentation is organized, properly filed, and easily accessible in case of future review or litigation. 8. Strategic Claims Management ?Claims Strategy Development: Develop a proactive strategy for handling claims that aligns with the company’s goals, ensuring that claims are resolved efficiently while minimizing disruption to the project. ?Continuous Improvement: After resolving claims, conduct post-mortem analysis to evaluate lessons learned. Use this feedback to improve internal processes, contract management, and dispute resolution techniques on future projects. ?Dispute Avoidance: Foster an open and transparent working environment to minimize the likelihood of claims from subcontractors. Encourage collaboration and early discussion of issues before they evolve into disputes. 9. Training and Awareness ?Internal Training: Educate project team on the claim management process, including how to properly document, communicate, and escalate issues to avoid future claims. ?Claims Process Awareness: Monitor the project to ensure that the claims process and dispute resolution mechanisms are well understood across the project team.
Requirements:
?A degree in Civil/Mechanical Engineering, Quantity Survey, LLM (mandatory) ?A certificate of RICS, CICES, BIOS, CIArB, CCP, PSP (preference) ?10 + years’ experience working on building/civil construction projects in the Middle East (mandatory) ?Previous experience in Planning, Forensic Delay Analysis, Claims, Project Controls, Contract Management and Project Management (mandatory) ?Good knowledge and experience of the project lifecycle for projects in respect to planning, cost and schedule control (mandatory) ?Fluent in English with excellent communication skill. (mandatory) Salary: SAR 20,000 to 40,000 per month inclusive of fixed allowances.