Sr. Development Director - Hospitality

Ascentis Group; India; On-site; INR 2,500,000 - 4,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual incentive up to 30% of gross

EPF

Family accommodation

Car with driver

R&R

Job summary

ASCENTIS seeks a senior project leader to head a large hospitality program across greenfield assets. You will partner with client executives to set goals, brand alignment and performance benchmarks, while steering cross-functional teams, designers, contractors and vendors to deliver on schedule and budget.

You will oversee feasibility, concept design and procurement, ensuring adherence to operator standards and technical guidelines.

Qualifications

• 20+ years international project management experience in hospitality.
• Strong hotel development lifecycle experience from design to construction.
• Experience with operator-led design and technical standards (e.g., Marriott, IHG, Hyatt).
• Deep understanding of procurement, cost control, construction logistics, and design coordination.
• Confident communicator with executive presence and high emotional intelligence.

Responsibilities

• Lead as the primary ASCENTIS lead for a large client hospitality program (greenfield projects).
• Partner with client leadership to define development goals, brand alignment, and performance benchmarks.
• Manage internal cross-functional teams and external partners, including designers, contractors, and vendors.
• Translate client vision into actionable project and design briefs with clear brand standards and guest experience strategy.
• Lead creation of Project Execution Plans, including scheduling, budgeting, phasing, and procurement planning.
• Advise client on operator brand standards and alignment with technical guidelines.
• Drive value engineering and design optimization with in-house and external experts.
• Provide hands-on leadership during feasibility, concept design, and consultant selection stages.
• Own budgeting end-to-end from initial feasibility to final reconciliation with cost controls.
• Drive accountability on cost and schedule across consultants, contractors, and internal teams.
• Champion disciplined execution to deliver projects on time and within budgets while preserving design integrity.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Executive communication

Budgeting & cost control

Risk analysis

Project management

Mentoring

Job description

ASCENTIS is an international engineering and project management firm, founded in 2006 and operating now throughout South Asia and Africa. ASCENTIS provides engineering and project management services to the real estate sector with end-to-end solutions from feasibility to commissioning. Championing world-class professional standards, the firm has earned a reputation for high quality and uncompromising integrity.

Job Description

Strategic Leadership

• Serve as the primary Ascentis lead for a large client hospitality program (greenfield projects only).
  
• Partner directly with client leadership (CEO, CFO) todefine development goals, brand alignment, and performance benchmarks.
  
• Lead internal cross-functional teams and externalpartners, including designers, contractors, and vendors.
  
• Translate client vision into actionable project anddesign briefs, ensuring clear articulation of brand standards and guestexperience strategy.
  
• Lead preparation of Project Execution Plans,including scheduling, budgeting, phasing strategy, and procurement planning.
  
• Advise client on hotel operator brand standards andensure alignment with brand technical guidelines.
  
• Drive value engineering and design optimizationefforts in collaboration with in-house and third-party experts.
  
• Provide hands-on leadership during feasibility,concept design, and consultant selection stages.
  

Timeline and Budget Control

• Ensure tight control of project timelines throughrigorous program management, proactive risk analysis, and timelydecision-making.
  
• Own the project budgeting process end-to-end — frominitial feasibility assessments to final reconciliation — with clear costcontrol mechanisms at every phase.
  
• Drive accountability on cost and schedule acrossconsultants, contractors, and internal teams.
  
• Champion disciplined execution to deliver projects ontime and within agreed budgets, without compromising design integrity oroperational performance.
  

Delivery Oversight

• Lead project delivery from concept design throughprocurement and construction.
  
• Ensure compliance with international qualitystandards, regulatory requirements, safety standards, and sustainabilityobjectives.
  
• Lead project review meetings, site inspections, andhigh-level reporting.
  
• Steer the change management process, cost reviews, andrisk mitigation strategies.
  
• Mentor and lead a multi-disciplinary team of project managers,design managers, planners, commercial managers, and construction professionals.
  
• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, andexcellence across all levels of the project team.
  
• Ensure continuous alignment between client's expectations and internal delivery standards.
  

Requirements

• 20+years of international experience in project management, including proven trackrecord of delivering complex hospitality assets on schedule and within budget.
  
• Strong background in hotel development lifecycle: fromdesign through procurement and construction.
  
• Demonstrated experience with operator-led design andtechnical standards (e.g., Marriott, IHG, Hyatt).
  
• Deep understanding of procurement, cost control,construction logistics, and design coordination.
  
• Confident communicator with executive presence andhigh emotional intelligence.
  
• Prior experience leading multi-asset hospitalityportfolios preferred.
  
• Experience managing projects in developing countriesis preferred.
  

Job open to both expatriates and Indian nationals:

- Annual performance incentive up to 30% of gross salary

- EPF

If expatriate:

- Monthly salary, net of local income tax

- Annual performance incentive up to 30% of gross salary

- EPF
- Family accommodation
- Car with driver
- R&R