Project Manager - Urban Design and Planning

AECOM Middle East Ltd; Dubai; On-site; AED 246,000 - 357,000; Full time

Job summary

AECOM Middle East Ltd in Dubai seeks a Project Manager - Urban Design and Planning to lead delivery of urban design, planning, landscape, and concept architecture projects, coordinating design teams, clients, consultants, and contractors.

The role covers the full project lifecycle from early planning and resource allocation to execution, monitoring, and close-out, with emphasis on schedule, budget, risk, and stakeholder management.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of project management experience.
• Experience in urban design, planning, landscape, or related multidisciplinary environments.
• Architectural or engineering background preferred.
• Strong financial planning and budgeting skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage the complete lifecycle of urban design and planning projects.
• Develop detailed project execution plans with milestones and dependencies.
• Establish realistic schedules and monitor performance.
• Prepare and manage project budgets and track variances.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams and external partners.
• Provide regular progress reports to stakeholders.

Skills

Project management

Urban design projects

Urban planning

Landscape projects

Contract management

Vendor coordination

Risk management

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Contract negotiation

Client management

Project reporting

Job description

Project Manager - Urban Design and Planning

Project Manager - Urban Design and Planning Job Snapshot Role: Project Manager - Urban Design and Planning Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates Industry: Architecture and Planning Function: Project Management Experience: Minimum 5 years project management experience Job Type: Full-time Position Overview Project Manager - Urban Design and Planning in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is an Architecture and Planning opportunity with AECOM focused on the commercial, operational, and strategic delivery of urban design, planning, landscape, and concept architecture projects.

Job Details Country: United Arab Emirates City: Dubai Industry: Architecture and Planning Function: Project Management Salary: 22000-32000 Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer. Job Type: Full-time

Role Context

The Project Manager acts as the central coordination point between design teams, clients, consultants, contractors, and project stakeholders within AECOM 's Urbanism and Planning practice. The position combines project delivery discipline with commercial awareness, ensuring creative and technical work progresses within agreed scope, programme, budget, and quality expectations. The role spans the complete project lifecycle, from early planning and resource allocation through execution, monitoring, financial control, risk management, and closure. Strong performance depends on maintaining visibility of project interdependencies while resolving issues early enough to protect delivery commitments.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the complete lifecycle of urban design, planning, landscape, and concept architecture projects.


• Develop detailed project execution plans covering scope, responsibilities, milestones, deliverables, and dependencies.


• Establish realistic project schedules and monitor performance against agreed timelines.


• Prepare and manage project budgets in line with approved commercial objectives.


• Track expenditure and identify financial variances before they affect overall project performance.


• Coordinate architects, engineers, landscape designers, planners, consultants, contractors, and other specialists.


• Maintain alignment between multidisciplinary teams throughout each stage of project delivery.


• Monitor project KPIs and use performance information to identify areas requiring corrective action.


• Manage project scope carefully and assess the implications of proposed changes.


• Coordinate commercial matters including contracts, negotiations, supplier requirements, and cost controls.


• Support contract discussions and ensure commercial obligations remain visible during project execution.


• Manage vendors and specialist consultants against agreed deliverables, timelines, and commercial requirements.


• Monitor operational efficiency across projects and recommend process improvements where appropriate.


• Prepare regular progress reports for senior management, clients, and relevant stakeholders.


• Develop financial forecasts and maintain clear visibility of expected project costs and revenues.


• Prepare risk assessments covering delivery, commercial, technical, stakeholder, and programme exposure.


• Develop contingency measures for significant project risks and changing delivery conditions.


• Maintain an active project risk register and track mitigation actions through completion.


• Manage stakeholder expectations throughout the project lifecycle.


• Maintain clear and timely communication with clients regarding progress, decisions, risks, and required actions.


• Resolve competing stakeholder requirements through structured discussion and practical decision-making.


• Ensure budget allocations and expenditure remain properly controlled and documented.


• Maintain financial accountability across assigned project activities.


• Lead project team members and provide clear direction on delivery priorities.


• Support team development through mentoring, delegation, and performance guidance.


• Build a collaborative working environment where technical and design disciplines can operate effectively.


• Coordinate with external partners and authorities where project approvals or technical interfaces require engagement.


• Ensure projects comply with applicable Dubai and UAE regulations, safety standards, and organizational requirements.


• Identify operational or technical issues early and drive practical solutions before they affect milestones.


• Support project close-out, final reporting, outstanding action resolution, and formal completion activities.

Ideal Profile

Candidates should have at least 5 years of project management experience, preferably within urban design, landscape, buildings, planning, or related multidisciplinary design environments. An architectural or engineering background is required to support effective coordination with technical and design teams. The successful candidate should demonstrate experience managing complex projects involving multiple stakeholders, interdependent workstreams, and competing technical or commercial priorities. Strong financial planning capability is important, including experience with budgeting, forecasting, cost analysis, and expenditure control. Candidates should be comfortable managing project contracts, external vendors, consultants, and commercial discussions. Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills are required, together with strong attention to detail and the ability to anticipate issues before they develop into delivery risks. The role requires confident stakeholder management, structured communication, sound judgement, and the ability to maintain control over scope, schedule, budget, quality, and project relationships simultaneously.

Skills Set

• Project management


• Urban design projects


• Urban planning


• Landscape projects


• Concept architecture


• Project lifecycle management


• Project planning


• Project scheduling


• Budget management


• Financial forecasting


• Cost analysis


• Cost control


• Contract management


• Contract negotiation


• Vendor management


• Consultant coordination


• Architect coordination


• Engineering coordination


• Multidisciplinary coordination


• Stakeholder management


• Client management


• Project KPIs


• Risk management


• Risk assessments


• Contingency planning


• Resource management


• Project reporting


• Commercial management


• Operational efficiency


• Process improvement


• Project governance


• Scope management


• Change management


• Team leadership


• Project close-out


• UAE regulatory compliance


• Dubai project delivery

Why Join Us

Dubai continues to invest in large-scale urban development, public realm, landscape, mixed-use, and infrastructure programmes that require experienced project managers capable of balancing design quality with commercial and operational discipline. This role provides exposure to complex multidisciplinary assignments where urban design, architecture, landscape, engineering, and stakeholder priorities must be coordinated into a single delivery framework. The position also offers a strong pathway toward senior project management, programme management, commercial leadership, or broader Urbanism and Planning management roles through experience with strategic planning, financial control, client engagement, and multidisciplinary delivery.

About the Company

AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting and professional services organization delivering planning, design, engineering, environmental, programme, and construction management expertise. Its Urbanism and Planning teams work across complex city-shaping projects, integrating planning, landscape, architecture, infrastructure, and technical disciplines to deliver sustainable and coordinated development solutions.