Director Irrigation

About the Role

Qiddiya is seeking a Director of Irrigation to lead the irrigation planning, design strategy, standards, and technical assurance framework for its landscape and public realm portfolio. This full-time role is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and requires over 10 years of experience. The Director will ensure irrigation requirements are integrated from master planning through design development, procurement support, Stage Gate review, and handover readiness, aligning with Qiddiya's City Framework Plan, sustainability commitments, and water stewardship objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic direction for irrigation planning and design across Qiddiya's landscape and public realm portfolio, ensuring alignment with master development objectives, district strategies, water availability, and sustainability requirements.
• Own and maintain Qiddiya-wide irrigation policies, standards, planning frameworks, design criteria, water budgets, hydro-zoning principles, technical guidelines, and compliance processes.
• Provide strategic direction on irrigation demand planning, Treated Sewage Effluent (TSE) use, water quality, salinity risk, leaching requirements, drainage interfaces, water allocation, resilience assumptions, and smart irrigation strategy.
• Lead the development, review, governance, and continuous improvement of irrigation design guidelines, specifications, calculation methodologies, assurance processes, and technical review protocols.
• Act as the technical authority for irrigation design submissions, assessing them against approved standards, water demand targets, operability requirements, and Qiddiya design expectations.
• Provide senior oversight of the irrigation planning and design portfolio to ensure projects align with approved strategies, standards, budgets, programmes, quality expectations, and sustainability objectives.
• Lead irrigation input into procurement strategies, scopes of work, consultant briefs, tender documentation, technical evaluation criteria, design deliverables, cost plans, and programme requirements.
• Establish design performance metrics, water demand benchmarks, hydro-zoning checks, efficiency targets, and assurance dashboards for consultant submissions and district-level planning decisions.
• Champion digital design integration, including BIM/GIS coordination, central control narratives, sensor and metering strategies, asset data requirements, and smart city interfaces.
• Represent Public Realm and Master Development as the senior irrigation planning and design lead in strategic discussions, governance forums, design reviews, and cross-functional coordination meetings.
• Lead, develop, and manage irrigation planning and design team members and specialist resources, setting clear priorities, accountabilities, and performance expectations.

Strategic Planning and Policy Development

The Director will be responsible for defining the strategic direction for irrigation planning and design, ensuring alignment with Qiddiya's master development objectives and sustainability goals. This includes maintaining Qiddiya-wide irrigation policies, standards, and technical guidelines, as well as monitoring applicable regulations and international best practices.

Design Governance and Technical Authority

This role involves leading the development and governance of irrigation design guidelines and acting as the technical authority for all irrigation design submissions. The Director will establish approval and assurance processes for design decisions, ensuring integration with planting, soils, utility infrastructure, and long-term asset performance.

Stakeholder Leadership and Integration

The Director will represent Public Realm and Master Development in strategic discussions and coordinate with various teams including landscape architecture, horticulture, infrastructure, and sustainability. This involves leading stakeholder discussions on irrigation strategy, design standards, and technical compliance, as well as engaging consultants, contractors, and authorities.

Qualifications and Experience

• Over 10 years of relevant experience in irrigation planning and design.
• Demonstrated ability to lead strategic planning and policy development for large-scale landscape and public realm projects.
• Strong understanding of water conservation, sustainability, and smart city integration principles.
• Experience in design governance, technical review, and assurance processes.
• Proficiency in digital design integration, including BIM/GIS coordination and central control systems.
• Proven leadership skills in managing teams and specialist resources.