Estate Vesting & Design Director

About the Role: Estate Vesting & Design Director

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. is seeking an Estate Vesting & Design Director for a full-time position in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This role is integral to one of Saudi Arabia’s flagship giga projects, a central pillar of Vision 2030, located approximately 45 km southwest of Riyadh. The project aims to establish the Kingdom’s future capital of entertainment, sports, and culture, diversifying the economy and enhancing quality of life through world-class attractions, residential communities, and natural landscapes.

Role Overview and Context

The Design Director provides operational design leadership and assurance across city and district developments. This position represents the future operator, maintainer, and asset owner throughout planning, design development, design reviews, and asset delivery activities. The role ensures that operational requirements, maintainability considerations, logistical needs, support facilities, and service delivery requirements are appropriately integrated into asset designs and associated development proposals. As the Estate Management design authority for operability and maintainability, the Director provides independent review, challenge, assurance, and recommendations for all assets requiring future operations, maintenance, management, or service delivery. The position coordinates operational aspects of asset handover activities with City Asset Management to facilitate a smooth transition from development into operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead operational design reviews to ensure assets are operable, maintainable, functional, and sustainable throughout their lifecycle.
• Assess designs across all project stages, identifying operational risks, maintenance constraints, and service delivery challenges.
• Provide recommendations to improve asset performance, accessibility, safety, and long-term operational efficiency.
• Develop and maintain operational design standards, requirements, review frameworks, and assurance processes.
• Ensure operational, maintenance, and service delivery requirements are embedded within development and governance processes.
• Review and validate the planning, sizing, location, and functionality of operational support facilities and infrastructure.
• Assess logistics, access, servicing, maintenance, and emergency arrangements to optimize operational effectiveness and resilience.
• Provide operational design expertise, facilitate stakeholder collaboration, and align development, delivery, and asset management objectives.
• Manage consultants and technical advisors, ensuring deliverables meet operational requirements and support sustainable outcomes.
• Support design governance, asset handovers, continuous improvement initiatives, lessons learned, reporting, and operational readiness assurance.

Qualifications and Experience

• A minimum of 15 years of experience in a relevant field.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain operational design requirements.
• Experience coordinating stakeholder alignment and supporting district and development teams.
• Proven capability in managing specialist consultant activities related to operational design assurance.
• Strong understanding of designing assets for safe, efficient, and sustainable operation throughout their lifecycle.

Work Environment

This is a full-time position based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, requiring onsite attendance at a Jacobs Workplace. The role involves close collaboration with Development, Delivery, City Operations, Community Management, Asset Management, Utilities, Mobility, Security, Digital, and other operational stakeholders.

About Jacobs

Jacobs is committed to solving critical global problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery, and cutting-edge manufacturing. The company focuses on turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. Jacobs fosters a culture of caring, connecting employees locally and globally, and leveraging diverse perspectives and backgrounds. The company prioritizes safety and flexibility, offering support and space for employees to maximize their potential.