Director - Urban Realm and Landscape - Hospitality

Qiddiya Investment Company; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 300,000 - 400,000; Full time

Job summary

Qiddiya Investment Company in Riyadh is searching for a senior landscape leader to shape hospitality environments. This role involves leading the urban design and enhancing guest experiences through creative landscape solutions, drawing on over 15 years of industry expertise.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in landscape architecture and experience working with hospitality operators. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a landmark destination in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• 15+ years experience in design management, architecture or interior design.
• Experience in a senior landscape or urban realm leadership role.
• Proven track record delivering hospitality or resort landscape environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creative urban realm and landscape definition of hospitality environments.
• Articulate and position urban realm and landscape proposals.
• Oversee consultant briefing and scope definition.
• Provide functional governance to project design management teams.
• Drive integration across architecture, interiors and master-planning.

Skills

Strong landscape and urban realm design literacy

Deep understanding of hospitality outdoor design

Strong creative and spatial thinking

Ability to manage landscape consultants

Strong stakeholder management

Commercial awareness of landscape construction

Good understanding of climate-responsive design

Proficiency in design and coordination tools

Education

Bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture, Urban Design or related discipline

Professional membership or recognized certification preferred

Tools

AutoCAD

Rhino

AdobeCC

BIM/CDE platforms

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.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creative urban realm and landscape definition of hospitality environments from development brief to approved design direction, curating distinctive, emotive and commercially viable arrival experiences and external spaces aligned with Qiddiya district and Operator visions.
• Articulate and position urban realm and landscape proposals through compelling narratives, visuals and presentations to secure alignment and timely outcomes across governance stages.
• Define urban realm and landscape principles, narratives, planting strategies, material palettes and signature elements for each hotel tier, establishing consistent and distinctive design baselines across the portfolio.
• Oversee consultant briefing and scope definition, validating design scope and specialist inputs to ensure alignment with development brief, design intent, Operator standards 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 landscape 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 urban realm and landscape deliverables to ensure approved design intent is maintained through delivery.
• Lead structured review of design submissions across key milestones, providing clear feedback and endorsement to support design progression.
• Lead technical input to development briefs and coordinate across disciplines, embedding cohesive external environments across arrival, transition zones and amenities.
• Drive integration across architecture, interiors and master‑planning, ensuring seamless connectivity between ground planes and zones.
• Oversee landscape FF&E and OS&E strategies, ensuring alignment with design intent and commercial requirements.
• Lead mock‑ups and prototyping (e.g. planting, materials, paving), ensuring quality through to landscape freeze.
• Provide creative and technical design oversight through design and construction, resolving interfaces and deviations to maintain quality and design integrity.
• Guide value‑engineering and design optimisation, balancing design intent with external environment performance, guest experience, cost, programme and operational requirements.
• Champion innovation in guest experience, materials and sensory design, embedding ESG and Vision2030 priorities.
• Mentor teams and drive continuous improvement of design processes, standards and best practices across the portfolio.

Skills & Attributes Required

• Strong landscape and urban realm design literacy with ability to operate from masterplan scale to detailed external environments.
• Deep understanding of hospitality outdoor design, including arrival sequences, spatial flow, planting strategies, materials and external guest experience.
• Strong creative and spatial thinking with ability to translate landscape narratives into compelling concepts and coordinated design outputs.
• Ability to manage landscape consultants and influence design outcomes across multiple disciplines.
• Strong stakeholder management, articulating landscape intent to secure alignment and drive decision‑making.
• Commercial awareness of landscape construction, FF&E budgets, programme constraints and value engineering impacts.
• Good understanding of climate‑responsive design, planting, irrigation and environmental systems relevant to KSA/GCC contexts.
• Proficiency in design and coordination tools (e.g. AutoCAD, Rhino, AdobeCC, BIM/CDE platforms).

Preferred Background & Experience

• Experience in a senior landscape or urban realm leadership role (Design Director, Principal or equivalent) within a design practice or developer environment.
• Proven track record delivering hospitality or resort landscape environments across concept through construction.
• Experience managing external landscape consultants and specialist sub‑consultants (e.g. water features, lighting).
• Experience working across multi‑disciplinary teams, integrating architecture, interiors and master‑planning.
• Experience developing and delivering landscape mock‑ups, prototyping and material validation.
• Strong experience presenting landscape concepts and external environment strategies to senior stakeholders.
• Experience working with hospitality Operators and external amenity requirements.
• Experience in KSA/GCC or similar large‑scale development environments preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture, Urban Design or related discipline.
• Professional membership or recognised certification preferred (e.g. CMLI, ASLA or equivalent).
• 15+ years experience in design management, architecture or interior design.