Strategy & Masterplanning Director

TGP International; Dubai; Hybrid; AED 300,000 - 400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Five-Day Work Week

Hybrid Work Arrangement

Annual Leave: 22 working days

Coaching & Mentoring

Job summary

TGP International in Dubai seeks a Strategy & Masterplanning Director to lead its consulting practice and oversee strategic hospitality projects. The role involves strong leadership, analytical skills, and extensive market knowledge.

The ideal candidate will have 10+ years of hospitality consulting experience, a bachelor's degree in a related field, and a proven ability to manage client relationships effectively. This position offers a hybrid work environment and various professional development benefits.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years' experience in hospitality consulting or related fields.
• At least 2 years in a senior leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience leading strategic advisory projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of client-facing hospitality strategy projects.
• Build long-term client relationships and understand their challenges.
• Coordinate and chair project meetings, ensuring quality standards.

Skills

Strategic Planning

Client Relationship Management

Analytical Problem Solving

Innovation & Concept Development

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality Management or related field

Master's Degree (MBA or equivalent)

Tools

Financial Modelling

Market Research

Job description

Overview

TGP International is a hospitality consultancy based in London and Dubai, delivering strategy and masterplanned solutions for high-profile hospitality and retail brands.

Role

The Strategy & Masterplanning Director will lead and grow TGP's Strategy & Masterplanning practice, overseeing strategic advisory projects, driving innovation, client satisfaction, commercial performance, and team development.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the development, delivery and implementation of client-facing hospitality strategy projects, including Master Planning, Feasibility Studies, Throughput Analysis, Management Consultancy Services, Operational Consultancy Services, Brand Curation Services, Market Assessments, Concept Development, Destination Strategy, and Asset Positioning.
• Act as the senior strategic advisor on all strategy projects.
• Lead project scoping, methodology development, timelines, resource planning, and delivery frameworks.
• Provide final review and approval of all strategic outputs, recommendations, reports, and presentations.
• Drive the evolution of TGP's strategic advisory services, methodologies, tools, and intellectual property.

Client Management & Relationship Development

• Build and maintain strong, long-term client relationships founded on trust, credibility, and strategic value.
• Invest time in understanding client businesses, operational challenges, investment objectives, stakeholder priorities, and market context.
• Facilitate workshops, interviews, and stakeholder engagement sessions to identify root causes of business challenges.
• Translate client needs into tailored strategic solutions that align with commercial, operational, and brand objectives.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen relationships through cross‑selling, upselling, and introduction of wider TGP services.
• Position TGP as a strategic partner rather than a transactional consultant.

Problem Definition & Analytical Leadership

• Lead teams through structured problem‑solving methodologies to clearly define client challenges and project objectives.
• Design analytical frameworks and research methodologies that support evidence‑based decision making.
• Guide teams through large and complex data analysis exercises, including market, operational, financial, customer, and competitive data.
• Ensure insights are derived from data in a way that remains focused on solving client business problems rather than simply reporting findings.
• Challenge assumptions and identify emerging trends, opportunities, risks, and innovation opportunities.
• Drive clarity and alignment when working with ambiguous, incomplete, or conflicting information.

Insight‑Led Strategy & Innovation

• Translate analytical findings into clear, compelling, and actionable strategic recommendations.
• Develop creative and inspirational strategies that combine commercial rigor with innovative thinking.
• Ensure recommendations are grounded in insight while pushing clients towards differentiated and future‑focused solutions.
• Lead the creation of compelling strategic narratives that inspire confidence and support decision making.
• Champion innovation, thought leadership, and trend analysis to ensure TGP remains ahead of industry developments.
• Create strategic outputs that differentiate TGP from traditional consultancies through insight, creativity, practicality, and implementation focus.
• Test new methodologies, technologies, and approaches while tracking effectiveness and outcomes.
• Actively participate in TGP's 360 process from a strategic perspective.
• Attend weekly Advisory and Design meetings to update leadership on project performance, team workload, and strategic opportunities.

Finance & Profitability

• Monitor project billing, collection, and financial performance.
• Develop and contribute to territory business plans and growth strategies.
• Maximise revenue opportunities across strategy projects and wider TGP services.
• Ensure profitability targets and project margins are achieved.
• Negotiate third‑party consultant fees and supplier agreements.
• Assess project feasibility and risk prior to partner approval.
• Develop management information systems and performance reporting to support business growth and resource planning.
• Contribute to annual budgeting and forecasting processes.
• Review quarterly forecasts and identify performance variances.
• Monitor territory profit and loss performance and recommend corrective actions where required.

Project Leadership

• Coordinate and chair project meetings.
• Manage project programmes, deliverables, and stakeholder communications.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, on budget, and to TGP quality standards.
• Attend site visits, workshops, and client presentations.
• Provide strategic leadership and subject‑matter expertise throughout project delivery.
• Manage relationships with all external stakeholders.
• Obtain stakeholder feedback and approvals as required.
• Facilitate collaboration across TGP departments to ensure integrated project delivery.
• Ensure strategic recommendations remain aligned with brand, commercial, and operational objectives.
• Manage effective project handover between departments and project phases.

People Leadership

• Lead recruitment, retention, and development of the Strategy & Masterplanning team.
• Approve all strategy team recruitment decisions.
• Develop workforce planning and resource allocation strategies.
• Mentor and coach team members in consulting, analytical thinking, client management, and strategic problem solving.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Conduct monthly team meetings and regular performance reviews.
• Develop personal development plans and career pathways for team members.
• Lead intern and graduate development programmes.
• Ensure resources are effectively managed to meet client commitments.
• Communicate resource requirements and capacity challenges to the Leadership Team.

Business Development & Market Growth

• Actively build market presence through conferences, industry events, thought leadership, and networking activities.
• Identify opportunities to expand existing client relationships and generate new business opportunities.
• Lead strategic pitches, proposals, and presentations.
• Support marketing initiatives with market insights, project learnings, and thought leadership content.
• Maintain awareness of market trends, investor activity, hospitality innovation, and competitive movements.
• Drive client retention, satisfaction, and long‑term relationship growth through TGP's 5E Customer Service philosophy.
• Promote TGP's integrated 360 service offering across all client engagements.
• Contribute to positioning TGP as the leading hospitality strategy, masterplanning, and experience consultancy in the region.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality Management, Business, Economics, Real Estate, Urban Planning, Architecture, Strategy, or a related discipline.
• Master's Degree (MBA or equivalent) desirable.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years' experience in hospitality consulting, real estate advisory, strategy consulting, destination development, or management consultancy.
• Minimum 2 years in a senior leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience leading large‑scale strategic advisory projects.
• Strong understanding of GCC hospitality, tourism, mixed‑use, and destination development sectors.
• Experience managing senior client relationships and executive stakeholders.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams through complex analytical and strategic challenges.

Technical Skills & Knowledge

• Strategic Planning & Business Transformation
• Hospitality & Destination Strategy
• Masterplanning & Feasibility Analysis
• Financial Modelling & Commercial Analytics
• Market Research & Data Analysis
• Client Relationship Management
• Facilitation & Stakeholder Engagement
• Innovation & Concept Development
• Business Development & Proposal Writing
• GCC Market Knowledge
• Presentation & Storytelling Skills
• Leadership & Team Development

Key Competencies

• Strategic Thinking
• Commercial Acumen
• Client Centricity
• Analytical Problem Solving
• Creativity & Innovation
• Executive Presence
• Influencing & Negotiation
• Communication & Storytelling
• Leadership & Coaching
• Collaboration & Team Building
• Results Orientation

Benefits

• Five‑Day Work Week: Standard Monday to Friday schedule.
• Hybrid Work Arrangement: Three days in the office and two days working remotely.
• Incentive Plan: Company incentive scheme offering up to 10%—5% for introductions and 5% for successful closures.
• Annual Leave: 22 working days of paid annual leave, excluding weekends.
• Remote Work Flexibility: One additional week per year to work remotely from your home country, which can be combined with up to two consecutive weeks of annual leave.
• Coaching & Mentoring: Structured professional development through a dedicated coaching and mentoring program.
• Annual Company Gathering: A global team event bringing together employees from all offices.
• Employee Recognition Program: Regular recognition initiatives celebrating outstanding performance and contributions.