Associate / Principle Strategic Urban Planners

Overview of the Role

AtkinsRéalis is seeking an experienced Associate / Principal Strategic Urban Planner to join the Planning and Urban Development team in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This full-time position involves delivering complex strategic planning, urban development, and master planning assignments across the Middle East. The role requires strong expertise in strategic planning, spatial planning, land-use planning, development frameworks, and urban policy, with the ability to integrate economic, social, environmental, and infrastructure considerations into implementable planning strategies.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and contribute to strategic urban planning, regional planning, city planning, and master planning projects.
• Develop strategic spatial frameworks, land-use strategies, development frameworks, growth scenarios, and planning policies.
• Undertake analysis of existing urban conditions, demographics, land use, infrastructure, mobility, environmental constraints, and development opportunities.
• Prepare urban growth strategies, spatial development plans, structure plans, and strategic planning frameworks.
• Translate strategic objectives and development visions into practical spatial and land-use recommendations.
• Coordinate urban planning activities with transport, infrastructure, environmental, landscape, economic, and urban design disciplines.
• Conduct planning assessments, benchmarking studies, development capacity assessments, and planning policy reviews.
• Support the development of planning regulations, development controls, zoning strategies, planning guidelines, and implementation frameworks.
• Evaluate alternative development scenarios and provide evidence-based recommendations to clients.
• Lead or support stakeholder engagement workshops with government authorities, developers, municipalities, and other key stakeholders.
• Prepare high-quality technical reports, planning strategies, presentations, and client deliverables.
• Manage project scope, programme, resources, technical quality, and planning deliverables.
• Review work produced by planners and junior team members, ensuring technical accuracy and consistency.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior and mid-level urban planning professionals.
• Maintain an understanding of emerging trends in sustainable urban development, smart cities, transit-oriented development, climate resilience, and integrated planning.
• Contribute to proposals, bids, technical methodologies, fee estimates, and business development activities.

Candidate Requirements

• Demonstrated experience (5-10 years) working on large-scale city, regional, master planning, or strategic development projects.
• Strong understanding of land-use planning, spatial strategy, planning policy, development controls, and urban growth management.
• Ability to interpret demographic, socioeconomic, spatial, infrastructure, and environmental information to support strategic planning decisions.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary consulting teams.
• Strong report writing, presentation, communication, and stakeholder-management capabilities.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, deadlines, and multidisciplinary interfaces.
• Strong client-facing and presentation skills.
• Experience managing and mentoring planning professionals is expected for the Associate / Principal level.
• Proficiency with relevant planning and spatial analysis tools, including GIS-based applications, is advantageous.
• Previous experience delivering major planning or urban development projects in the Middle East / GCC region is highly desirable.

Work Environment

This role is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is a full-time position within a multidisciplinary consulting environment. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with various teams and stakeholders on significant urban development projects.