Development Director

Dokainish & Company; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A global consultancy firm is seeking an experienced Development Director based in Dubai to lead the delivery of a high-end luxury residential project. You will develop comprehensive business plans, manage consultant teams, ensure project success while meeting financial KPIs, and navigate authority approvals. The ideal candidate has over 12 years in luxury residential development, strong technical acumen, and a degree in a relevant field, with experience in the Dubai/GCC market being essential.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in luxury residential development with 5+ years in leadership roles.
• Proven delivery of ultra-luxury residential projects (AED 10M+ per unit pricing).
• Strong technical acumen across architecture, engineering, construction, and finishing standards.

Responsibilities

• Develop comprehensive business plans for luxury residential development.
• Lead design coordination ensuring specifications justify premium pricing.
• Manage consultant teams and contractor interfaces.

Skills

Luxury residential development

Financial modeling

Project management

Technical acumen in engineering

Education

Degree in Architecture, Engineering, or Construction Management

MBA preferred

Job description

About us: Dokainish& Company is a global organization that has been providing world class professional consultancy services since 2011. We have recently launched our MENA operations, headquartered in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. This expansion supports our strategy to serve government and private sector clients in capital projects across construction, infrastructure, energy, and commercial developments.

Overview

Dokainish& Company is seeking an experienced Development Director to lead the delivery of a high-end luxury residential project in downtown Dubai. From owning the business plan, asset brief, and end-to-end delivery, from concept refinement through handover. We need someone experienced with technical excellence, financial discipline, and market-leading product positioning. This is a full-time position, and the selected candidate must be based in Dubai, or in the UAE, willing to independently relocate to Dubai.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver comprehensive business plans and asset briefs for ultra-luxury residential development.
• Establish financial KPIs and cost estimation frameworks; track development budgets against targets.
• Lead design coordination ensuring specifications justify premium pricing and competitive differentiation.
• Manage consultant teams (architects, engineers, specialists) and contractor interfaces.
• Define unit mix, specification standards, and amenity programs aligned to target customer profiles.
• Drive value engineering without compromising luxury positioning or design intent.
• Coordinate with sales/marketing on product positioning, pricing strategy, and launch sequencing.
• Ensure delivery timelines support go-to-market strategy and absorption targets.
• Navigate authority approvals, permitting, and compliance requirements.
• Monitor market trends and competitive landscape; recommend product adjustments.

Background & Requirements

• 12+ years in luxury residential development with 5+ years in leadership roles.
• Proven delivery of ultra-luxury residential projects (AED 10M+ per unit pricing).
• Strong technical acumen across architecture, engineering, construction, and finishing standards.
• Demonstrated ability to develop business cases, financial models, and cost estimation frameworks.
• Deep understanding of luxury residential market dynamics, customer expectations, and competitive positioning.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary consultant teams and contractor relationships.
• Track record balancing design ambition with budget discipline and schedule commitments.
• Degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, or related field; MBA preferred.
• US, Canada, UK, or Australian education preferred.
• Dubai/GCC market experience essential.

What Success Looks Like

• Business plan and asset brief delivered on time with clear financial and technical parameters.
• Project delivered on budget with robust cost control and value engineering discipline.
• Product achieves target pricing with strong market absorption.
• Design quality and specification standards set new luxury benchmarks.
• Seamless handover to operations with zero defects and exceptional customer satisfaction.