Director - Architecture - Hospitality - 20013111 CM5

Qiddiya Investment Company 1; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 380,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

Qiddiya Investment Company is seeking a seasoned Design Director to lead the architectural design agenda across luxury hospitality assets in the development portfolio. You will set design principles, manage consultants, and ensure high-quality, sustainable concepts from brief through endorsed design direction.

You will oversee governance, coordinate multi-disciplinary teams, and drive performance, value engineering and stakeholder alignment to deliver exemplary guest experiences.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture or related discipline required.
• Professional membership or certification is preferred (RIBA, AIA, RICS or equivalent).
• 15+ years’ experience in architectural design with a hospitality focus.

Responsibilities

• Lead architectural definition of hotel concepts from development brief to approved design direction.
• Oversee consultants and ensure design integrity, technical compliance and performance.
• Define design principles and performance benchmarks for each hotel tier.
• Coordinate across architecture, interiors, landscape and technical disciplines.
• Provide governance and endorsement of architectural deliverables at milestones.
• Drive value engineering and design optimisation balancing concept, guest experience and asset performance.
• Champion sustainability and climate-responsive design aligned with Vision 2030.
• Mentor teams and advance design processes, standards and best practices.

Skills

Architectural design literacy

Hospitality planning knowledge

Stakeholder management

Consultant coordination

Design governance

Revit

BIM

CDE platforms

Aconex/Autodesk Construction Cloud

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Architecture

Professional membership or certification (RIBA/AIA/RICS) preferred

Tools

Revit

BIM

CDE platforms

Aconex/Autodesk Construction Cloud

Job description

At Qiddiya Investment Company, we are shaping a landmark destination redefining entertainment, culture and hospitality in the Kingdom. The Hospitality Business Unit is developing a portfolio of hotel assets central to this vision. As these assets progress, we are seeking experienced professionals to help deliver them to the highest standards of design quality, guest experience and commercial performance.

In this role, you will lead the creative architectural design agenda across the hospitality portfolio, defining design principles and shaping hotel concepts from development brief to endorsed design direction, while overseeing consultants and ensuring design integrity, technical compliance and performance are maintained through delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the architectural definition of hotel concepts from development brief to approved design direction, curating distinctive, emotive and commercially viable responses aligned with Qiddiya, district and Operator visions
• Articulate and position architectural design proposals to secure alignment and timely outcomes through key governance stages
• Define architectural design principles, typologies and performance benchmarks for each hotel tier, establishing consistent and validated design baselines across the portfolio
• Oversee consultant briefing and scope definition, validating architectural scope and specialist inputs to ensure alignment with development briefs, asset positioning, Operator requirements and governance approvals
• Oversee visualisation and design communication (including CGI strategy), ensuring concepts are clearly articulated and aligned with design narratives and stakeholder expectations
• Lead and govern architecture and specialist consultants, driving strategic approaches on appointment, scope and deliverables and overseeing performance, quality and creative alignment
• Provide functional governance to project-embedded design management teams, reviewing and endorsing architectural deliverables to ensure approved design intent is maintained through delivery
• Lead technical input to development briefs, shaping planning efficiency, gross-to-net ratios, spatial configuration and system integration for hospitality assets
• Drive integrated coordination across architecture, interiors, landscape and technical disciplines, resolving interfaces and ensuring cohesive design outcomes
• Lead structured review of design submissions across key milestones, providing clear feedback and endorsement to support design progression
• Provide creative and technical design oversight through design and construction, resolving interfaces and deviations to maintain design quality and intent
• Guide value engineering and design optimisation, balancing design intent, guest experience and asset performance
• Champion sustainability and climate-responsive design, embedding ESG and Vision 2030 priorities
• Mentor teams and drive continuous improvement of design processes, standards and best practices

Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture or related discipline

Professional Certifications

• Professional membership or recognised certification preferred (e.g. RIBA, AIA, RICS or equivalent)

Years of Experience

• 15+ years’ experience in architectural design with a strong hospitality focus across luxury and mixed-tier projects

Skills & Attributes Required

• Strong architectural design literacy, judgement and technical review capability across all project stages
• Fluent understanding of hospitality planning (areas, efficiencies etc.) and building systems (structural, MEP integration etc.)
• Ability to manage consultants and influence design outcomes
• Commercial awareness of cost and programme impacts
• Strong stakeholder management skills, articulating design intent to secure alignment and drive decision-making
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced environments, managing ambiguity and shifting priorities
• Proficiency in design management and coordination tools (e.g. Revit, BIM, CDE platforms, Aconex, Autodesk Construction Cloud etc.)

Preferred Background & Experience

• Experience in a senior design leadership role (Design Director, Principal or similar) within a major architecture practice or developer environment
• Proven track record of managing architect and multi-disciplinary consultant environments across multiple projects
• Strong experience presenting architectural concepts to senior stakeholders and Operators
• Experience working with international hotel Operators and brand standards
• Experience in KSA / GCC or similar large-scale development environments preferred