Senior Design & Fit-Out Program Manager (Hospitality)

Fisher; Dubai; On-site; AED 300,000 - 480,000; Full time

Job summary

Fisher is seeking a senior Design Manager in the UAE to coordinate briefs, requirements and design deliverables across disciplines for hospitality projects. Lead design programmes, stage gates, reviews and approvals while ensuring constructability and budget alignment.

You will drive interfaces between architecture, interiors, MEP, lighting, kitchen and specialist consultants, manage procurement support, and lead client reporting and risk reviews with senior stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of relevant project management and/or project delivery experience.
• Experience with a leading regional or international consultancy and/or a major regional or international fit-out or main contractor.
• Proven design management and fit-out delivery capability, including consultant coordination, tendering and site delivery.
• Demonstrable hospitality project experience involving hotels, food and beverage (F&B), guestrooms, public areas, branded residences or comparable high-quality interiors.
• Degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction or Project Management.
• Strong understanding of design coordination, fit-out delivery, construction sequencing and project controls.
• Experience managing programmes, budgets, procurement, tendering and cost-related decisions.
• Ability to coordinate multiple consultants, contractors and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Strong reporting, presentation, meeting documentation and professional written communication skills.
• Ability to identify project risks, assess options and recommend practical solutions.
• Strong MS Office skills and the ability to use scheduling and collaboration tools effectively.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Project.
• Ownership, adaptability, sound judgment and the ability to work under pressure.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Arabic is an advantage.
• Additional languages are beneficial.
• Experience with Aconex, Procore, Bluebeam Revu and AutoCAD strongly preferred.
• Experience with Primavera P6, Power BI, Autodesk Construction Cloud and BIM tools is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate project briefs, operator and client requirements and design deliverables across disciplines.
• Manage design programmes, stage gates, reviews, workshops, approvals and closure of actions.
• Review design documentation for coordination, completeness, constructability, budget alignment and operational practicality.
• Drive interfaces between architecture, interiors, MEP, lighting, kitchen, specialist consultants and fit-out contractors.
• Establish and maintain master and detailed programmes, milestones, dependencies and critical paths.
• Challenge consultant and contractor programmes, monitor progress and agree recovery actions where required.
• Lead project, design, procurement and site meetings with clear agendas and decision focus.
• Issue concise minutes of meetings, including decisions, actions, owners and deadlines, and follow through to closure.
• Prepare weekly and monthly client reports, dashboards, risk registers, executive summaries and ad‑hoc assessments.
• Support packaging and tender strategy for main works, fit‑out and specialist packages.
• Coordinate tender queries, technical clarifications, interviews and bid evaluations with cost and design teams.
• Prepare or contribute to tender analysis and recommendations, highlighting compliance, exclusions, risks and programme implications.
• Define required consultant scopes and support the preparation of requests for proposals, tender lists and procurement strategy.
• Coordinate technical and commercial submissions and comparative assessments with the relevant project team.
• Support the appointment of lead designers, interior designers, MEP consultants, cost consultants and specialist consultants as required.
• Work closely with the cost consultant to establish and monitor project budgets, forecasts and cost plans.
• Track changes, contingency, commitments and emerging cost risks, ensuring decisions are supported by cost impact assessments.
• Challenge value-engineering proposals without compromising key design, quality or operational objectives.
• Monitor construction and fit-out progress, quality, logistics, interfaces and compliance with approved design and project requirements.
• Maintain project risks, issues and decision logs, and elevate early with clear options, impacts and recommended next actions.
• Coordinate mock-ups, inspections, testing and commissioning, snagging, handover documentation and close-out activities.
• Support authority, operator, owner and stakeholder interfaces as required by the project.
• Undertake assessments, options studies and special assignments requiring rapid, practical advice beyond the standard project management scope.
• Lead multiple projects and workstreams concurrently, with clear priorities, actions and ownership.
• Represent the client professionally when dealing with consultants, contractors, operators and authorities.
• Provide concise, accurate and decision-oriented reporting suitable for senior leadership.
• Maintain project momentum, ensuring every action has a clear owner, deadline and next step.

Skills

Project management

Design coordination

Stakeholder management

Reporting & documentation

MS Office

Scheduling tools

Education

Degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction or Project Management

Tools

Aconex

Procore

Bluebeam Revu

AutoCAD

Primavera P6

Power BI

Autodesk Construction Cloud

Job description

Fisher is seeking a senior Design Manager in the UAE to coordinate briefs, requirements and design deliverables across disciplines for hospitality projects. Lead design programmes, stage gates, reviews and approvals while ensuring constructability and budget alignment.

You will drive interfaces between architecture, interiors, MEP, lighting, kitchen and specialist consultants, manage procurement support, and lead client reporting and risk reviews with senior stakeholders.