Director - Development (Retail)(SPA4-50008101)

Qiddiya; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 360,000 - 720,000; Full time

Job summary

Qiddiya in Riyadh region seeks an senior development leader to manage Resort Core retail planning, tenant mix, and activation readiness, coordinating across planning, design, commercial, delivery, and operations to deliver integrated outcomes.

The role requires extensive experience in retail/mixed-use development, strong stakeholder management, and a track record of delivering complex destination projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Real Estate Development or related field.
• Master’s degree preferred in Real Estate Development, Property Development, Urban Planning, or related field.
• Fluency in written and verbal English; Arabic preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop go-to-market requirements, leasing readiness, and activation approaches for Resort Core developments.
• Coordinate with leasing, tenancy delivery, asset management, host teams, and stakeholders to enable activation and operational readiness.
• Review tenant requirements, activation plans, and delivery activities to ensure readiness before opening.
• Ensure retail developments meet timelines, objectives, and customer experience requirements.
• Oversee integrated development coordination across planning, design, commercial, delivery and operations for aligned outcomes.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Real Estate Development

Master’s degree in Real Estate Development / related field preferred

Job description

Core Responsibilities

• Development Planning and Execution
  • Develop implementation approaches, delivery schedules, and execution activities for assigned developments in alignment with approved business objectives, development requirements, and asset positioning to achieve coordinated delivery and approved development outcomes.
• Manage development sequencing, integration activities, and delivery planning across assigned developments to maintain implementation timelines and achievement of approved development objectives.
• Present development and commercial input related to market requirements, demand considerations, and asset positioning to inform commercially viable and operationally sustainable development outcomes.

Development Lifecycle Management

• Manage end-to-end development delivery for assigned developments spanning concept development, delivery coordination, handover, and operational readiness to achieve approved objectives, operational requirements, and opening milestones.
• Monitor development delivery performance for assigned developments to ensure delivery of approved quality, schedule, cost, and operational readiness targets.
• Ensure continuity and integration between development phases and delivery milestones to promote effective execution and consistent delivery outcomes.

Financial Management and Value Optimization

• Evaluate feasibility assessments, financial evaluations, and business case inputs for assigned developments to inform investment evaluations, development decision-making, and commercial alignment requirements.
• Contribute to value optimization initiatives through scope alignment, commercial enhancement opportunities, lifecycle considerations, and delivery efficiencies to enhance long-term asset performance and development value realization.
• Ensure adherence to approved financial parameters, commercial controls, and investment requirements to maintain disciplined expenditure management and alignment with approved development objectives.

Development Governance and Assurance

• Ensure compliance with organizational standards, governance requirements, development policies, and regulatory obligations to enable compliant development execution and effective risk management across assigned developments.
• Review governance submissions, approval requirements, and stage-gate activities for assigned developments to ensure adherence to approved priorities, development requirements, and organizational controls.
• Monitor governance compliance, reporting requirements, and development assurance activities to enable transparent decision-making, governance oversight, and timely escalation of development risks and issues.

Integrated Development Coordination

• Manage coordination among planning, design, commercial, delivery, and operational workstreams for assigned developments to achieve integrated execution and effective management of development activities.
• Ensure effective collaboration among business units, central functions, consultants, contractors, operators, and delivery stakeholders to maintain alignment with development priorities and delivery requirements.
• Monitor development interdependencies, stakeholder interfaces, and sequencing requirements for assigned developments to enable integrated delivery, operational readiness, and effective execution.

Partner and Operational Integration

• Manage engagement with tenants, operators, partners, brands, service providers, and internal stakeholders to achieve operational integration, tenant readiness, and activation readiness across assigned developments.
• Contribute development input to operational readiness, activation planning, and integration activities to maintain asset functionality, delivery alignment, and long-term operational requirements.
• Ensure operator, partner, brand, and service provider requirements are incorporated into development planning, design, and delivery activities to achieve asset functionality, activation readiness, and operational success.

Development Performance and Risk Management

• Monitor development performance, delivery progress, and execution outcomes across assigned developments to promote achievement of approved development objectives, operational readiness, and delivery performance requirements.
• Manage development risks, mitigation actions, issue resolution activities, and recovery measures for assigned developments to minimize disruption and maintain delivery outcomes.
• Consolidate development reporting, performance monitoring information, and governance tracking activities for assigned developments to enable informed decision-making, performance oversight, and timely management intervention.
• Specific Responsibilities:
  • Resort Core Retail Planning and Commercial Positioning
    • Develop retail planning approaches, commercial positioning recommendations, tenant mix recommendations, and development inputs for Resort Core developments to achieve approved retail strategies, customer experience objectives, and long-term commercial performance.
    • Evaluate customer demand, market trends, retail categories, commercial opportunities, development requirements, and customer experience considerations to optimize retail offerings, tenant mix composition, and commercial sustainability for Resort Core developments.
    • Present retail planning and commercial recommendations during development brief, master planning, and precinct planning activities to influence retail outcomes, customer experience objectives, and commercial viability.
    • Ensure tenant mix recommendations, retail categories, and commercial positioning approaches contribute to a complementary retail ecosystem, destination objectives, customer experience expectations, and sustainable commercial performance.
  • Resort Core Development Management
    • Manage retail development activities across Resort Core developments from strategy and development brief stages through design, delivery coordination, activation, and handover activities to achieve integrated development outcomes and operational readiness.
    • Ensure alignment with host development teams regarding retail requirements, development activities, customer experience objectives, and commercial priorities throughout the development lifecycle to enable integrated development delivery.
    • Review development briefs, design proposals, retail layouts, and development submissions to confirm retail requirements are incorporated into development planning and design activities.
    • Monitor retail development activities against approved commercial objectives, retail market requirements, and customer experience expectations to promote long‑term retail viability and destination success.
  • Manage integration of retail requirements across hotels, attractions, public realm, transport, residential, and mixed‑use developments within Resort Core to ensure incorporation into development planning and delivery.
  • Evaluate asset relationships, development interfaces, visitor movement patterns, and precinct requirements to inform retail location planning, connectivity, and customer journey considerations across Resort Core developments.
  • Present retail recommendations for adjacent developments, asset interfaces, and precinct environments to achieve complementary retail positioning, integrated tenant offerings, and destination‑wide commercial performance.
  • Contribute retail requirements and customer experience considerations to precinct planning and asset integration activities to achieve cohesive destination experiences and complementary asset offerings.
  • Ensure retail offerings, development requirements, and customer experience objectives remain aligned across adjacent developments to maintain a cohesive destination proposition and integrated customer experience.

Market Activation and Leasing Readiness

• Develop go‑to‑market requirements, leasing readiness plans, tenancy delivery requirements, and activation approaches for Resort Core developments to achieve successful commercial activation and operational commencement.
• Manage coordination with leasing, tenancy delivery, asset management, host development teams, and development stakeholders to enable successful activation and operational readiness of retail developments.
• Review tenant requirements, activation plans, tenancy delivery activities, and operational readiness considerations to ensure readiness requirements are addressed prior to activation and opening.
• Ensure retail developments are prepared for leasing, tenant fit‑out, activation, and operational commencement in accordance with approved timelines, commercial objectives, and customer experience requirements.
• Preferred: Master’s degree in Real Estate Development, Property Development, Retail Development, Urban Development, Business Administration (MBA), or a related field.
• Required: Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate Development, Property Development, Urban Planning, Architecture, Construction Management, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.
  • Professional certifications or memberships with recognized real estate, retail, development, construction, or project management institutes (e.g., RICS, ULI, PMI, CIOB, ICSC) are preferred.
  • Demonstrates fluency in written and verbal English, with proficiency in Arabic preferred.
  • Analyzes operational data and information to support decision‑making, identify issues, and contribute to improving processes and outcomes.
  • Coordinates with internal stakeholders to support the effective execution of activities and ensure alignment across teams.
  • Manages team activities and ensures accuracy, attention to detail, and quality in deliverables and operational outputs.
  • Capable of managing retail development activities across Resort Core developments, including retail planning, commercial positioning, tenant mix integration, and customer experience considerations within mixed‑use and destination development environments.
  • In‑depth knowledge of aligning retail development requirements with commercial objectives, market demand considerations, customer experience expectations, and long‑term retail asset performance across integrated destination developments.
  • Expertise in coordinating complex stakeholder environments and collaborating with host development teams, leasing and tenancy delivery functions, consultants, operators, commercial teams, and development partners.
  • A minimum of 14 years of experience in retail development, mixed‑use development, commercial real estate development, destination development, or integrated development environments, with relevant exposure in development management or development coordination roles, including relevant years in a managerial role.
  • Demonstrated experience leading retail development initiatives, including retail planning, commercial positioning, tenant mix development, development integration, and leasing readiness across complex mixed‑use, hospitality, entertainment, or destination development environments.