Senior Director Commercial Director SDU📣 إعلان

About the Role

Qiddiya | القدية is seeking a Senior Director - Commercial Director - SDU to join our team in Riyadh, Riyadh Province. This full-time strategic leadership position is responsible for overseeing all commercial activities within the Strategic Development Unit (SDU). The role is critical in embedding strategic commerciality and safety into every decision related to procurement and contract administration.

Strategic Focus and Core Objectives

The Senior Director will establish and execute commercial strategies from the outset, utilizing specific Project Management/Construction Management (PM/CM) processes and procedures. A primary objective is to ensure full compliance with internal governance and Delegation of Authority. This role is instrumental in driving outturn costs within agreed business and cost plans, while also providing commercial lessons learned and feedback for future cost planning initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish, implement, and maintain the commercial management framework for the Construction Management vertical, encompassing procurement commercial strategy, contract administration, cost control, and commercial assurance.
• Define and embed commercial policies, processes, procedures, manuals, and templates tailored to PM/CM delivery models, ensuring alignment with QDC governance and Delegation of Authority.
• Drive strategic commercial decision-making across procurement and contract administration, focusing on value for money, appropriate risk allocation, and integration of safety considerations.
• Lead the development of commercial strategies at project and programme levels, aligned with approved business plans, cost plans, and delivery strategies.
• Provide functional oversight and governance for procurement commercial inputs, including contract strategies, commercial terms, payment mechanisms, incentives, and risk provisions.
• Lead and oversee contract administration frameworks, including change control, payment certification, claims management, EOT assessments, dispute avoidance, and close-out.
• Ensure robust cost management, forecasting, and reporting throughout the project lifecycle, aiming for final outturn costs within approved budgets.
• Monitor commercial performance, risks, and exposures, implementing mitigation strategies in coordination with Delivery, Procurement, Finance, and Risk functions.
• Act as the commercial authority within the Construction Management vertical, offering guidance, challenge, and escalation support to project teams.
• Establish and maintain clear commercial governance checkpoints aligned with stage-gate approvals and executive decision forums.
• Support the preparation and review of commercial inputs for Board and N-1 papers, including cost summaries, risk positions, commercial strategies, and recommendations.
• Ensure alignment between cost planning, commercial execution, and outturn performance, providing structured feedback to cost planning teams.
• Capture, analyse, and disseminate commercial lessons learned, benchmarks, and best practices across the Construction Management vertical and wider QDC organisation.
• Support the build-up and capability development of the Construction Management commercial function, including mentoring and skills development.
• Coordinate closely with Project Director Design, Project Director Delivery, Project Director Procurement, and Finance functions for integrated commercial control.
• Represent the Construction Management vertical in senior internal and external forums on commercial, contractual, and cost matters.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Quantity Surveying, Engineering, Construction Management, Commercial Management, or a related discipline is required. A Master’s Degree in a related field is preferred.
• Experience: 15–20 years of relevant experience in senior commercial leadership roles within large programmes, mega or giga-projects, or complex construction environments. Experience within the GCC region is highly desirable.

Essential Skills and Attributes

• Strong experience in commercial management of large-scale construction and infrastructure projects, preferably within CM or self-delivery models.
• Deep understanding of procurement commercial strategies and contract administration across multiple delivery models.
• Proven ability to establish and operate commercial governance frameworks, controls, and assurance mechanisms.
• Strong knowledge of cost planning, budgeting, forecasting, and outturn cost management.
• Experience operating within strict governance and Delegation of Authority environments, ideally within giga-projects.
• Ability to embed safety, risk, and compliance considerations into commercial decision-making.
• Strong leadership, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including executive-level reporting.
• High level of professionalism, judgment, and commercial acumen.

Work Environment

This is a full-time position based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, offering an opportunity to contribute to a significant development within a dynamic environment. The role requires a leader capable of operating effectively within a matrix organizational structure and collaborating across various functions.