Arada Design Director

About Arada

Arada develops communities designed to inspire healthier, happier, and more meaningful lives. The company focuses on innovative developments, customer experiences, and a commitment to sustainability, aiming to create environments where individuals can live, work, and thrive. Joining Arada means becoming part of a collaborative and ambitious team dedicated to delivering excellence across all business aspects.

Role Overview

Arada is seeking a Design Director to lead and manage the complete design process for multiple developments in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This full-time role involves overseeing projects from feasibility and concept through detailed design, authority approvals, and construction support. The Design Director will coordinate multidisciplinary consultants, ensure design excellence, meet programmed commitments, and deliver commercially viable solutions aligned with Arada's development vision and brand standards. The Director will report within the Design function and collaborate closely with Development, Project Controls, Commercial, and Delivery teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of large-scale residential, hospitality, retail, commercial, mixed-use, and master-planned developments across Saudi Arabia.
• Oversee the full project lifecycle, from feasibility and concept design through detailed design, construction support, and project completion.
• Drive design excellence, innovation, sustainability, and ESG initiatives while ensuring commercial viability and operational success.
• Manage and coordinate architectural, engineering, landscape, infrastructure, and specialist consultants across multiple projects.
• Partner with Development, Commercial, Procurement, Legal, Infrastructure, and Sales & Marketing teams to align design solutions with business objectives.
• Establish and maintain design governance, quality assurance, value engineering, and technical compliance processes.
• Ensure projects comply with Saudi regulations, authority requirements, and international best practices.
• Lead design reviews, stakeholder presentations, authority approvals, and multidisciplinary coordination workshops.
• Support project procurement, tendering, contractor selection, and construction delivery through technical leadership and guidance.
• Mentor and develop Design Managers and Architects, championing collaboration, innovation, and Arada’s design vision across the KSA portfolio.

Qualifications and Experience

• A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in design leadership roles.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex design processes across multiple large-scale developments.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary consultants and ensuring design excellence.
• Strong understanding of commercial viability and operational success in development projects.

Work Environment and Schedule

This is a full-time position based in Riyadh, requiring a commitment of 40 hours per week. The role involves close collaboration with various internal teams and external consultants to successfully execute projects across Saudi Arabia.