We are seeking a highly experienced Smart City Expert to lead and contribute to the planning, design, and implementation of smart city strategies and initiatives. The ideal candidate will have proven experience in developing digital transformation roadmaps for urban environments, including financial modelling, ROI analysis, and strategic leadership of multidisciplinary teams. This role requires a forward-thinking individual who can translate vision into actionable outcomes aligned with global best practices and local context.
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Key Responsibilities
- Lead the formulation of comprehensive smart city digital strategies, aligned with national and regional visions (e.g., Vision 2030), integrating urban sustainability, mobility, energy, ICT, and citizen services.
- Create detailed financial models and ROI assessments to support smart city initiatives, justifying investments and ensuring long-term value realization.
- Oversee the end-to-end lifecycle of smart city programs, from scoping and planning to execution and monitoring, ensuring quality, timeliness, and stakeholder alignment.
- Collaborate with public and private stakeholders, government entities, technology providers, and end users to ensure that smart city solutions address local needs and priorities.
- Provide guidance on establishing governance models, operating frameworks, data privacy, and cybersecurity standards for smart city operations.
- Identify, design, and prioritize impactful and scalable smart city use cases across various urban domains such as transportation, energy, environment, public safety, and digital services.
- Mentor internal teams and client personnel, fostering local knowledge retention and continuous improvement.
Qualifications
- Education: Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Smart Cities Management, Engineering, ICT, Public Policy, or a related field.
- 10+ years in digital transformation, urban innovation, or smart city projects.
- Proven track record in designing and implementing smart city strategies and digital infrastructure programs.
- Hands-on experience with financial planning, investment justification, and public-private partnership (PPP) models.
- Strong leadership capabilities with the ability to manage cross-functional teams and drive strategic vision.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience in presenting to C-level executives and government stakeholders.
- Bilingual (Arabic and English) is highly desirable.
- Familiarity with smart city platforms, IoT, data management, digital twins, AI/ML use in cities, and cloud-based services.
- Understanding of global smart city standards and frameworks (e.g., ISO 37122, ITU, UN-Habitat, etc.).
- Certification in PMP, TOGAF, or Smart Cities-related programs (e.g., from MIT, IEEE, etc.)
- Experience in change management and citizen-centric design methodologies.
- Knowledge of sustainability frameworks (e.g., ESG, LEED for Cities, etc.).
Work Conditions
Business Unit: Strategy & Transformation
Level: Senior
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
