Director Design Mixed Use

About the Role

Qiddiya is seeking a Director - Public Realm to lead the planning, design governance, and delivery oversight of public realm projects across multiple districts within Qiddiya. This full-time position is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and requires a professional with over 10 years of experience in relevant fields.

Role Purpose and Context

The Director will provide strategic and technical leadership to ensure that parks, streetscapes, public open spaces, and associated public realm assets are delivered in accordance with approved masterplans, citywide standards, Stage Gate requirements, and programme objectives. This role supports the implementation of citywide initiatives, including the Public Realm Design Manual (PRDM) and People First Principles, acting as a key interface between district teams, consultants, infrastructure teams, and other business units.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead public realm planning and design management for assigned districts and strategic projects.
• Provide design governance and technical assurance across CMP, DMP, Land Servicing, and detailed design stages.
• Oversee consultant performance, design reviews, and delivery of public realm packages.
• Ensure compliance with Qiddiya Vision, City Framework Plan, PRDM, development controls, and citywide public realm standards.
• Coordinate integration of public realm with infrastructure, mobility, utilities, irrigation, sustainability, and operational requirements.
• Support Stage Gate submissions and provide executive-level recommendations on design, programme, risks, and delivery strategy.
• Manage and mentor multidisciplinary public realm teams, supporting capability development and succession planning.
• Lead stakeholder engagement with District Development Teams, Delivery Partners, consultants, and internal SMEs.
• Contribute to citywide public realm strategies, standards development, phasing plans, and operational readiness initiatives.

Accountabilities

• Delivery of high-quality, standards-compliant public realm designs.
• Timely support of district programmes and Stage Gate approvals.
• Effective management of consultant teams and design budgets.
• Successful implementation of citywide public realm standards and governance processes.
• Proactive identification and mitigation of design, programme, and delivery risks.

Qualifications and Experience

• 15+ years of experience delivering large-scale public realm, landscape, or urban development projects.
• Demonstrated leadership within complex mixed-use, city-scale, or giga-project developments.
• Strong understanding of master planning, design governance, infrastructure integration, and project delivery.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary consultant teams and stakeholder environments.

Work Type and Location

This is a full-time position located in Riyadh, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The salary for this role will be discussed during the interview process.