Chief Development Officer

Client of Ladwig Consulting; Dubai; On-site; AED 800,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Our client, a luxury real estate developer in Dubai, is seeking a Chief Development Officer to lead development strategy, portfolio leadership, and governance across design, construction, and product.

The role requires 15 years in large-scale real estate with full lifecycle oversight and executive stakeholder engagement, delivering value through disciplined governance and strong leadership.

Qualifications

• 15 years in large-scale real estate development with full lifecycle oversight.
• Strong strategic, commercial and financial acumen including feasibility and portfolio prioritization.
• Executive-level stakeholder, investor and board engagement experience with clear communication.
• Proven leadership across product strategy, design management, construction delivery and value engineering.

Responsibilities

• Oversee development strategy and portfolio prioritization to align with growth and market opportunities.
• Govern product strategy, roadmaps, standards and KPIs across projects.
• Provide executive oversight of the complete design and construction lifecycle with governance.
• Lead commercial strategy, procurement plans, and project cashflow forecasting.
• Ensure regulatory approvals and land-use compliance; govern risk and budgeting.
• Engage with authorities, investors and project partners at senior levels.
• Mentor senior leaders; build a high-performance development organization.
• Oversee handover, commissioning and post-completion activities with lessons learned.

Skills

Development strategy

Portfolio leadership

Product governance

Design & construction oversight

Commercial strategy

Financial control

Governance & risk

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Regulatory approvals

Job description

Job DescriptionOur client a luxury real estate developer are looking for the Chief Development Officer to join their team

Responsibilities

1 Development Strategy amp Portfolio Leadership

Jointly with CEO

Define and lead the company s development strategy ensuring alignment with corporate growth objectives and market opportunities

Oversee the entire development portfolio and prioritize projects based on commercial financial and strategic value

Approve concept strategies feasibility outcomes product propositions and project positioning Ensure cross-functional cohesion between product commercial design construction and project management

2 Product amp Concept Governance

Oversee the creation and evolution of product strategy product matrix standards and product-related KPIs

Ensure product concepts are viable competitive and aligned with customer insights market research and financial models

Approve product roadmaps technical standards and major design or product changes across all stages

Champion innovation in architecture materials design sustainability and smart-building technologies

3 Design amp Construction Oversight

Provide executive oversight to the complete design and construction lifecycle

Approve design briefs technical specifications engineering strategies and value-engineering decisions

Ensure all pre-design design and construction stages meet regulatory requirements and land-use conditions

Oversee tendering strategies contractor and consultant selection and contractual frameworks

Ensure construction progress quality cost and schedule adherence through effective governance practices

Lead high-level stakeholder engagement with authorities and regulatory bodies for approvals and compliance

4 Commercial Strategy amp Financial Control

Oversee commercial strategy development ensuring integration with design product and sales positioning

Approve commercial frameworks procurement plans contracting strategies and project cashflow forecasting

Ensure pre-contract cost control is aligned with business case assumptions and feasibility outcomes

Validate financial models development budgets and project profitability projections

Drive value engineering cost optimization and ROI enhancement initiatives across the project portfolio

5 Project Governance amp Execution Excellence

Establish project delivery frameworks governance structures reporting systems and performance metrics

Oversee project planning scheduling risk assessments and mitigation strategies across all projects

Ensure PMs deliver projects according to scope quality standards budget and timelines

Resolve escalated project issues interdependencies and critical path challenges

Lead gate reviews and ensure clarity of deliverables for every development stage

6 Stakeholder amp Investor Engagement

Serve as the executive representative to master developers and major project partners

Provide senior updates to investors shareholders and the Board on project performance and development strategy

Support marketing and sales teams with technical product and development insights during launches and campaigns

7 Leadership of Development Divisions

Lead mentor and develop senior leaders across commercial design amp construction product and project management teams

Build a high-performance culture emphasizing accountability innovation collaboration and excellence

Ensure departmental KPIs cascade from company-level development objectives

Approve resourcing strategies organizational structures and capability development plans

8 Handover Commissioning amp Post-Completion Activities

Oversee final testing commissioning quality checks and authority sign-offs

Ensure smooth transition of completed assets to operations owners associations or facility management teams

Conduct post-completion reviews and integrate lessons learned into future development practices

RequirementsSkills amp Experience

15 years in large-scale real estate or mixed-use development with full lifecycle oversight Strong strategic commercial and financial acumen including feasibility review and portfolio prioritization Proven leadership across product strategy design management construction delivery and value engineering Expertise in project governance risk management contracting and regulatory authority approvals Executive-level stakeholder investor and board engagement experience with excellent communication skills Strong people leader with a track record of building high-performance cross-functional development teams