Senior Manager Cost Planning

About the Role

Qiddiya Investment Company is seeking a Senior Manager - Cost Planning to join their team in Riyadh, Riyadh Province. This full-time role involves supporting Qiddiya’s cost planning requirements within assigned business units, development projects, and governance activities. The Senior Manager will provide structured cost planning support, coordinate consultants, offer input for Stage Gate reviews, conduct benchmarking analysis, and assist with cost governance to ensure project budgets, cost plans, and design-to-budget decisions are evidence-based and aligned with Qiddiya’s standards.

Role Purpose and Context

The primary purpose of this role is to support General Business Unit Cost Planning in applying consistent cost planning standards across Qiddiya’s business units and development assets. The Senior Manager will ensure cost planning activities are well-coordinated, consultant outputs are reviewed according to agreed requirements, and Stage Gate submissions include necessary cost planning information. The role operates within the Business Unit cost planning environment, supporting the application of Qiddiya Cost Planning Technical Guidelines, asset class guidelines, processes, benchmarking requirements, and digital tools. While external consultants may prepare detailed cost plans, the Senior Manager is responsible for reviewing outputs, coordinating comments, maintaining records, and escalating key issues to leadership.

Key Accountabilities

• Coordinate cost planning activities for assigned projects, workstreams, business unit support, and development programmes.
• Support the implementation of Qiddiya Cost Planning Technical Guidelines, asset class guidelines, templates, trackers, reporting standards, and governance processes.
• Review and comment on cost consultant outputs, including cost plans, reconciliations, assumptions, risk allowances, benchmarks, cost reports, and design-to-budget recommendations.
• Maintain clear and current cost planning records for assigned projects, workstreams, or business unit support areas.
• Support Stage Gate reviews by checking cost planning readiness, completeness, compliance, and alignment with required deliverables.
• Coordinate with business units, development teams, design teams, commercial, procurement, finance, project controls, digital teams, and external consultants to support integrated cost planning outcomes.
• Support early-stage cost advice, feasibility input, benchmark checks, and pre-concept cost planning before the appointment of project cost consultants.
• Assist with the briefing, mobilisation, coordination, and performance monitoring of executive and project cost consultants.
• Track scope and cost movements across project phases and escalate material changes, risks, opportunities, and non-compliance issues.
• Apply benchmarking data, cost planning software, digital tools, and cost planning analytics to support the review and validation of cost positions.
• Support business unit cost planning capability through training, onboarding, guidance, and adoption of Qiddiya ways of working.
• Contribute to the preparation of cost planning review packs, governance papers, leadership updates, dashboards, and trackers.

Qualifications and Experience

• A minimum of 12 years of relevant experience in cost planning.
• Demonstrated capability at a working level across core managerial, stakeholder, and governance functions.
• Developing practitioner-level capability in cost planning, benchmarking, consultant coordination, Stage Gate support, and design-to-budget processes.

Required Skills and Attributes

• Reliable and delivery-focused, with strong ownership of assigned tasks.
• Professional and constructive in reviewing information, raising issues, and supporting cost planning discussions.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret cost, design, benchmark, and risk information.
• Clear communicator capable of preparing structured comments, summaries, trackers, and updates.
• Collaborative and responsive when working with internal stakeholders and external consultants.
• Adaptable, proactive, and comfortable working in a fast-moving development environment.
• Committed to continuous improvement, knowledge sharing, and strengthening Qiddiya’s cost planning capability.

Accountability in Relation to Cost Consultants

While external cost consultants may prepare detailed cost plans, estimates, and supporting analyses, Qiddiya retains accountability for the recommended cost planning position. The Senior Manager supports this by coordinating consultant deliverables, reviewing assigned outputs, recording comments and actions, and escalating key cost planning issues to business unit and cost planning leadership for review. The role ensures consultant outputs align with Qiddiya Cost Planning Technical Guidelines, reflect approved briefs and design status, include appropriate assumptions and reconciliations, identify risks and opportunities, and provide reliable support for project and governance decisions.