Head of Leasing

Qiddiya Investment Company 1; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 350,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

Qiddiya Investment Company is seeking a senior leasing professional to lead leasing strategy across its retail, F&B, entertainment, hospitality, and event assets in Saudi Arabia. You will drive tenant acquisition, lease negotiations, and contract management while reflecting local culture and authentic supply partnerships.

You will monitor occupancy, revenue performance, and leasing KPIs, coordinate with Legal, Finance, and Operations, and build a pipeline of Saudi artisans and traditional

Qualifications

• Minimum of 8-10 years of experience in commercial leasing, real estate, asset management, retail leasing, or business development.
• Saudi market experience with a strong understanding of local leasing dynamics, tenant landscape, commercial practices, and regulatory considerations.
• Experience in mixed-use developments, destinations, retail, hospitality, entertainment, tourism, heritage, or cultural projects, especially with local supplier engagement or traditional concepts.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement leasing strategies for retail, F&B, entertainment, hospitality, event, and other assets.
• Identify opportunities to increase commercial value and asset utilization.
• Lead lease negotiations and contract documentation.
• Monitor occupancy, renewals, and revenue performance.
• Build relationships with local Saudi suppliers and authentic concepts to strengthen the tenant mix.
• Coordinate with Legal, Finance, Marketing, and Operations to ensure viable leasing decisions.
• Prepare leasing reports and forecasts.

Job description

Maximize revenue and occupancy across QIC leasable assets by leading leasing strategy, tenant acquisition, lease administration, and commercial asset optimization, while building relationships with authentic local and traditional Saudi suppliers to ensure the commercial mix reflects QIC cultural identity, visitor experience ambitions, and long‑term financial performance.

Key Responsibilities

Leasing Strategy & Commercialization

• Develop and implement leasing strategies for retail, F&B, entertainment, hospitality, event, and other commercial assets.
• Support annual leasing plans, revenue targets, and occupancy objectives.
• Identify opportunities to increase commercial value and asset utilization.
• Recommend tenant mix strategies aligned with the destination vision, customer experience, Saudi cultural identity, and the inclusion of authentic local and traditional suppliers where relevant.
• Monitor tenant sales performance and commercial health
• Identify underperforming tenants and develop improvement plans
• Support revenue growth through mixed optimization, promotional initiatives, and operational coordination

Tenant Acquisition & Business Development

• Identify, attract, and secure prospective tenants, operators, and commercial partners.
• Identify and develop relationships with Saudi artisans, traditional food operators, heritage retailers, local producers, and culturally relevant SMEs to build an authentic supplier and tenant pipeline.
• Build and maintain a qualified leasing pipeline that balances commercial performance with authentic Saudi concepts, local brands, traditional suppliers, and operators that strengthen QIC positioning.
• Conduct presentations, site visits, market outreach, and negotiations with potential tenants, including local entrepreneurs, traditional suppliers, and Saudi cultural operators.
• Promote available commercial spaces and leasing opportunities.

Lease Negotiation & Contract Management

• Lead lease negotiations and commercial discussions with tenants.
• Coordinate lease structuring, financial terms, and contract documentation.
• Work with Legal and Finance teams during contract review and approval processes.
• Ensure lease agreements comply with organizational policies and regulatory requirements.
• Manage lease renewals, amendments, expansions, and terminations.

Portfolio & Occupancy Management

• Monitor occupancy levels, lease expirations, and renewal schedules.
• Develop strategies to minimize vacancy periods and maximize rental income.
• Track leasing KPIs, rental yields, occupancy rates, and revenue performance.
• Prepare regular leasing and portfolio performance reports.
• Maintain accurate leasing records and documentation.
• Ensure tenant mix and locations supports the overall visitor journey, dwell time, guest satisfaction, and QIC objectives
• Evaluate tenant mix against customer needs and destination positioning
• Develop and manage short‑term leasing opportunities, seasonal activations, kiosks, pop‑up concepts, and event‑related commercial opportunities
• Maintain a pipeline of temporary operators to maximize utilization of vacant or flexible spaces

Tenant Relationship Management

• Act as the primary commercial contact for tenants throughout the lease lifecycle.
• Foster positive relationships with tenants to improve retention and satisfaction.
• Coordinate with Facility Management and Operations teams to address tenant requirements.
• Support tenant onboarding and handover processes, ensuring local and traditional suppliers understand operational requirements, guest experience standards, compliance expectations, and activation timelines.
• Resolve leasing‑related issues and commercial disputes when required.

Market & Leasing Analytics

• Monitor leasing market trends, other Qiddiya destinations, rental benchmarks, and consumer preferences
• Provide recommendations to optimize commercial mix, leasing strategy, and occupancy performance
• Support long‑term leasing forecasts and revenue modelling
• Analyze occupancy scenarios and leasing pipeline impacts on future revenueAnalyze trading performance, occupancy trends, conversion rates, and lease portfolio metrics
• Use data to support tenant mix optimization and leasing decisions

Financial Management

• Support preparation of leasing budgets and revenue forecasts.
• Monitor rental collections and coordinate with Finance regarding outstanding payments.
• Analyze leasing performance and identify opportunities for revenue enhancement.
• Prepare business cases for new leasing initiatives and commercial opportunities

Stakeholder Coordination

• Collaborate with Property Management, Operations, Finance, Legal, Marketing, and relevant cultural or heritage stakeholders to ensure leasing decisions are commercially viable, operationally deliverable.
• Ensure leasing activities align with operational capabilities and destination objectives.
• Support commercial reporting and presentations for senior management.

Key Success Metrics

• Achievement of annual and seasonal leasing revenue targets, occupancy objectives, and rental yield expectations across leasable assets.
• Quality and conversion of the leasing pipeline, including qualified leads, tenant/operator conversion rate, signed agreements, and alignment with QIC commercial and cultural positioning.
• Strength of local and traditional Saudi supplier pipeline, including number of qualified Saudi artisans, traditional food operators, heritage retailers, local producers, and culturally relevant SMEs engaged and onboarded.
• Tenant and operator performance, including occupancy stability, rental collections, compliance, guest experience standards, and issue resolution.
• Accuracy and timeliness of leasing reporting, portfolio performance tracking, revenue forecasting, and corrective actions.

Required Skills & Competencies

• Strong commercial leasing, tenant acquisition, and lease negotiation experience.
• Ability to develop tenant mix strategies that balance revenue generation, occupancy, visitor experience, and cultural authenticity.
• Local market sourcing and supplier development capability, including engagement with Saudi artisans, traditional suppliers, local brands, SMEs, and cultural operators.
• Strong financial, portfolio, and leasing performance management capability.
• Negotiation, contract management, stakeholder coordination, and presentation skills.

Requirements

Experience Profile

• Minimum of 8-10 years of experience in commercial leasing, real estate, asset management, retail leasing, or business development.
• Experience managing leasing transactions, tenant negotiations, commercial terms, lease documentation, renewals, amendments, and terminations.
• Saudi market experience, with a strong understanding of local leasing dynamics, tenant landscape, commercial practices, and relevant regulatory considerations.
• Experience in mixed‑use developments, destinations, retail, hospitality, entertainment, tourism, heritage, or cultural projects is preferred, particularly where the role involved local supplier engagement, traditional retail concepts, or Saudi market partnerships.
• Demonstrated success in achieving occupancy, revenue, leasing pipeline, tenant conversion, and portfolio performance targets.
• Ability to operate in fast‑paced, multi‑stakeholder destination or precinct environments with strong coordination across Legal, Finance, Operations, Marketing, Procurement, and cultural or heritage stakeholders.