Director Place (District Placemaking & Theming)

About the Role

Qiddiya Investment Company is seeking a Director for District Placemaking & Theming. This full-time role is based in Riyadh, Riyadh Province, and involves leading the strategic direction and integration of placemaking and theming across assigned Qiddiya districts. The Director will translate city ambitions into distinctive identities, compelling experiences, and deliverable development outcomes.

Role Purpose and Scope

The Director will establish district place visions, maintain Qiddiya’s creative authorship, and lead thematic development from early planning through design and delivery. This position requires direct collaboration with executive stakeholders, district leadership, and multidisciplinary teams to align masterplans, assets, and public realm around a coherent place ambition. The role balances creative quality with commercial value, operational viability, and long-term legacy.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead place vision, narrative, positioning, and thematic strategies across assigned districts, establishing clear priorities and experience objectives.
• Direct the development of internal thematic strategies, safeguarding Qiddiya’s authorship while guiding consultant interpretation and design expression.
• Embed placemaking within Master Plans and asset designs, ensuring district identity informs spatial planning, asset relationships, public realm, and development decisions.
• Establish a coherent approach to thematic expression across district, masterplan, and asset scales, balancing citywide consistency with local distinctiveness.
• Lead the translation of approved strategies into designs, Place Books, experience frameworks, and actionable design guidance.
• Direct integration across planning, architecture, landscape, public realm, arts, culture, and infrastructure interfaces.
• Act as the senior place representative for assigned districts, engaging executive stakeholders and development leaders on strategic direction, priorities, and key decisions.
• Build alignment across district teams, asset owners, and corporate functions, resolving competing requirements and escalating material risks with clear recommendations.
• Lead placemaking contributions to the City Framework Plan, aligning district strategies with citywide ambition.
• Direct experience planning, activation, and meanwhile-use strategies with relevant teams, connecting physical design with programming, marketing, and operations.
• Lead place-related scopes, consultant appointments, and procurement inputs, defining deliverables, responsibilities, and quality expectations.
• Manage assigned budgets, resources, and forecasts, recommending proportionate in-house and consultant delivery models.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams and consultants, developing internal capability and a culture of creative ownership, collaboration, and delivery accountability.

Qualifications and Experience

• A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience is required.

Work Environment and Location

This is a full-time position based in Riyadh, within the Riyadh Province. The role involves working within a dynamic environment focused on large-scale development projects.

Application Information

Salary details for this position will be disclosed during the recruitment process.