Director of Design

Key responsibilities:

The director - design will lead the design management discipline for Qiddiya's commercial office development portfolio, a core component of the wider giga-project masterplan. The role is accountable for translating Qiddiya's design vision into deliverable, investment-grade office assets — from concept and masterplan integration through to design development, authority approvals, and construction-ready documentation — while managing a network of international architecture and multidiscipline engineering consultants.

• Lead design competitions, consultant selection, and novation of architectural firms and lead design consultants for individual office assets and mixed-use commercial parcels.
• Manage a team of specialist design managers to direct the concept design, schematic design, detailed design development, and construction documentation stages, ensuring design intent is preserved through to delivery.
• Interface with masterplanning, infrastructure, landscape, and sustainability teams to ensure fully coordinated design outcomes.
• Manage design consultant performance against scope, program, and fee, including chairing design review boards and technical workshops.
• Manage the development of consultant performance KPIs to measure performance across all design phases, collate KPIs and share with central QIC procurement function.
• Ensure compliance with Saudi Building Code, Mostadam/LEED sustainability targets, civil defense requirements, Qiddiya design guidelines and COBU design, technical, smart, and sustainability guidelines.
• Lead value engineering exercises without compromising design quality or investment value of commercial office assets.
• Present design proposals and progress to executive leadership, investment committees, and government stakeholders.
• Support leasing and investment teams by translating market and tenant requirements into design briefs for office product.
• Mentor and build out an in-house design team as the commercial office development pipeline scales.
• Review and address COBU design, technical, smart, and sustainability guidelines and update with annual continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, architecture or construction management, project management or relevant field of study.
• Professional registration in the respective discipline (or similar – i.e. Chartered Engineer) would be an advantage.
• Registration as a Project Management Professional (PMP) would be an advantage.
• At least 12 years of design management experience, including senior design leadership on large-scale commercial office or mixed-use developments.
• Experience in leading a design team to deliver to program, balancing competing requirements on project to deliver design outcome (e.g. cost vs. time vs. quality).
• Expert knowledge of local and international design standards, codes and regulations.
• Previous KSA/Middle East experience preferred.
• Track record delivering BCO Grade A / investment-grade office towers or business park product from concept through to handover.
• Strong command of design review processes, authority approval pathways and international best practice in commercial office design.
• Experience managing multi-disciplinary international consultant teams (architecture, structure, MEP, facade, sustainability).
• Excellent stakeholder management and executive presentation skills; comfortable operating in a fast-paced, giga-project delivery environment.
• Major program experience – managing multiple projects, conflicting priorities, and stakeholders.
• Supports team through periods of business change.
• Provides strategic oversight and guidance in managing and prioritizing the workload, deadline-driven and ability to optimize workload.
• Leverage exceptional written and verbal skills in English – articulate ideas, strategies, and project performance to a range of audiences and to influence at senior levels.
• Leverage in-depth knowledge of enterprise-level digital design solutions and applications.
• Strong leadership skills to inspire large, diverse teams and deliver results.
• Strategic thinker with excellent leadership skills and the ability to lead the function's direction, specifically endorsing or opposing practices as needed.