Director - Development

About the Role
Join our dynamic team to play a pivotal role in one of the most ambitious and game-changing development projects of our time. As the Director of Development, you will implement various development tasks within the City-wide development, which requires integration of roads, transport, dry utilities, wet utilities, district cooling, security, hydrology, environment and landscape to bring our vision to life.
You will implement and enforce the development process, aligning with the city and local regulatory frameworks. You’ll collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams, manage internal and stakeholder relationships, and ensure seamless alignment between Core Development teams, Planning & Design Teams, and serviced plots and districts. This is a high-impact role with an opportunity to shape the future of urban development in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
You will be responsible for overseeing the process, progress, budget, and program of moving the development from planning to projects up to the handover to operation stage. This includes ensuring the regional entities’ requirements are incorporated as needed without impacting the development objectives, which include utilities authorities & service providers, municipal and hydrology authorities, surveying authorities, civic services, social services, and planning authorities.
You’ll encourage your team to come up with new ideas, escalate or flag concerns to the Leadership to resolve roadblocks, and ensure clear communication to a diverse team consisting of individuals from various backgrounds, roles, levels, and geographies. You will also execute the vision of the district leadership team, aligning with various internal departments including implementation, cost planning, programming, procurement, and reporting. You'll be working on a transformative, globally significant giga project that seeks to redefine how we live, work, and most importantly, play! You will work alongside industry-leading professionals and enjoy unparalleled opportunities to showcase your professional capabilities and skills in a fast-paced environment.

Key Development Functions

• Fully comprehend the development processes, governance procedures, and procurement policies to support your day-to-day development activities.
• Extract and distill the key development parameters from strategy briefs, local laws, environmental constraints, and future proofing of the area of interest.
• Transcribe the utilities operators/local authorities’ requirements into standard development briefs in line with the approved stage gate process and standard format.
• Prepare stage gate presentations and coordinate with the internal stakeholders and interfacing departments to obtain consensus and alignment.
• Prepare key governance approval papers (presentations) to different levels of governance (PCG, N-2, N-1, and DevCom) and coordinate any BoD level slides with the commercial and reporting department.
• Prepare procurement strategies in coordination with shared services units (Planning and Design, Commercial, Projects, and any other specific units as needed) to meet the development objectives and approved budgets.
• Evaluate land use proposals to ensure alignment with the City and District policies, regulations, and guidelines.
• Evaluate proposals from Asset Teams/Planning Teams/Interfacing Business Units that would result in changes to districts’ plans and designs.
• Conduct impact assessments through internal/consultants of any proposed land use planning changes.
• Manage interfaces, updates, and refinements to the framework plan and designs alongside the internal team and utilizing consultancy expertise where required.

Stakeholder Coordination

• Act as a liaison between the district master developer, architects, engineers, government ministries and agencies, and community stakeholders.
• Coordinate regulatory approvals to ensure seamless alignment with the development build program.
• Maintain relationships with internal stakeholders to ensure that any city-level strategies are analyzed and implemented into the designs.
• Establish and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including governmental agencies, NWC, SEC, community leaders, and investors as instructed by the Development leads.
• Build strong relationships with Development leadership to facilitate the construction of the Roads and Infrastructure within the Districts in full coordination with the Districts Assets time schedule.
• Arrange visits, meetings, and coordinate site visits and inspections of Senior Management and dignitaries.

Projects Planning and Assessment

• Evaluate proposed infrastructure assets and network deployment plans to satisfy development requirements (capacity, location, and program).
• Evaluate proposed public realm requirements (grading, elements, Audio/Visual, lighting, security, and final fixes) and deployment plans to satisfy development requirements (constructability, sequencing, program) to align with opening.
• Assess proposed construction sequencing and engage with the Master Development Team to adjust the spatial planning of assets & networks (locations of cables, pipes, ICT ducts, roads, landscaping features) to best meet the overarching development requirements.
• Provide input into the procurement packaging through critical thinking and options testing to best meet development requirements.
• Provide input into the budget and cost estimation of the project and be accountable for delivering the project within the approved budget.
• Provide input into the project program and support in identifying gaps early on to ensure accountability for project delivery within the approved program.
• Participate in drafting project agreements, including any particular conditions related to project location, program, or conditions of execution.
• Review and provide comments on the project design to ensure requirements are reflected and identify any changes from allocated plots and corridors.
• Identify risks and provide mitigation plans for project delivery and execution.
• Propose the project execution organization chart and ensure a compact and efficient team structure using existing teams to maximize the efficient use of resources.
• Work with development leads to apply the required façade or theme for installed assets.

Interface with Project Teams
Project teams are essential to ensure the delivery of development vision; you will need to:

• Provide support and direction to project teams, ensuring effective coordination and communication across all phases of project delivery.
• Review and comment on project plans, including scope, schedules, budgets, and risk management strategies.
• Monitor project progress, providing regular updates to senior management and stakeholders regarding milestones, budget adherence, and potential risks.
• Conduct regular site inspections and meetings to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
• Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within project teams, promoting best practices and lessons learned.
• Manage disputes, issues, and conflicts, ensuring effective resolution and maintaining project momentum.
• Review and comment on proposed mitigation measures, proposing and reporting to Leadership mitigation measures to reduce project delays, including:
  • Alternative procurement methodologies.
  • Reprioritization of projects and programs.
  • Staff restructuring and development.
• Conduct value management exercises by strategically engaging stakeholders to maintain the agreed quality and scope as included in the project brief and ensuring a high representation of value for money.

Process Management

• Monitor the progress of approval processes and resolve delays or issues.
• Maintain accurate records of permits, interfaces register, approvals, and correspondence.
• Draft consultant instructions for master developers to issue to the consultants following the approval of changes (capacity, spatial allocation, connection points, or subdivision).
• Draft scope of works as needed for the procurement of dedicated and/or multidisciplinary consultancy expertise, ensuring compliance with all internal policies and processes.
• Conduct and manage weekly and monthly project dashboards and reporting to district leadership on all land development matters.
• Report to the Central Development Unit and Reporting and Commercial departments on project progress and budget performance, implementing any related processes.
• Prepare and deliver executive-level presentations, reporting on project progress weekly and monthly.

Policy Understanding and Advocacy

• Take the initiative and stay informed about changes in regulations, policies, and strategies at regional, national, state, and City levels.
• Advocate for master plans, designs, and project approvals by presenting data and justifications to regulatory bodies and all internal stakeholders, boards, and Senior Management.
• Enforce a culture of safety and quality throughout project execution that aligns with the aspirational vision.
• Be an advocate for the approved process and regulations, channeling any changes and contributions through approved governance processes.

Requirements

1. Educational Background:
   • Bachelor’s degree.
2. Experience:
   • Proven track record of at least 15+ years of relevant experience in development projects.
   • Proven track record of securing permits for complex, large-scale developments.
   • Experience in theming and façade installation for infrastructure is desirable.
   • In Kingdom experience and relations with suppliers and contractors are desirable for the role.
   • A minimum of 5-10 years in land use planning, permitting and compliance, development approvals, master planning, and/or land development, with at least 3 years of experience working on large-scale projects.
   • Private sector development experience would be highly desirable.
3. Technical Skills:
   • Strong understanding of master planning process, end-to-end land development, stakeholder management, and process management.
   • Familiarity with GIS tools, CAD software, and environmental impact analysis are desirable.
   • Strong knowledge of zoning laws, entitlement processes, and regulatory frameworks (ideally within GCC).
4. Soft Skills:
   • Adept at managing multiple stakeholders and navigating political landscapes.
   • Fastidious attention to detail.
   • Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and manage diverse teams.
   • Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
   • Exceptional negotiation, communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills, capable of building effective relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
   • Willingness to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and adapt to changing priorities.
   • Ability to influence decision-makers via PowerPoint presentations.