Landscape Manager - Heritage and Horticulture

Parsons; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Parsons is seeking a Landscape Manager - Heritage and Horticulture in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to lead green-space initiatives within a major development. The role focuses on horticulture, softscape, forestry, and cultural landscape conservation, with emphasis on heritage-sensitive planting, soil preparation, irrigation interfaces, and BIM coordination to support long-term establishment of public realm assets.

Ideal candidates hold a relevant degree and have extensive experience (18+ years) in

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree in a relevant discipline with strong heritage landscape knowledge.
• Minimum 18 years of horticulture, forestry, softscape, or landscape maintenance experience.
• Experience managing large public realm or heritage-sensitive landscape projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead horticulture, softscape, forestry, and landscape establishment across project areas.
• Review planting plans, drawings, specs, and contractor documentation for heritage sensitivity.
• Coordinate landscape BIM and supervise planting, irrigation, and establishment activities.
• Protect historic topography and open spaces while ensuring sustainable practices.

Skills

Landscape Management

Horticulture

Softscape

Forestry

Planting

Landscape Establishment

Plant Health

Tree Management

Arboriculture

Tree Protection

Education

Bachelor's degree in Horticulture, Forestry, Agriculture, Arboriculture, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Science, or related

Tools

BIM

Job description

Landscape Manager - Heritage and Horticulture Job Snapshot Role: Landscape Manager - Heritage and Horticulture Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Industry: Architecture and Planning Function: Design Experience: Minimum 18 years of relevant horticulture, forestry, softscape, landscape establishment, or maintenance experience Job Type: Full-time Position Overview Landscape Manager - Heritage and Horticulture in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is an Architecture and Planning opportunity focused on horticulture, softscape, forestry, cultural landscape conservation, BIM coordination, and landscape establishment across a major development program. Parsons is hiring an experienced landscape professional to manage planting, tree health, soil preparation, irrigation interfaces, heritage-sensitive landscape interventions, digital model coordination, and long-term establishment of high-quality public realm and cultural landscape assets.

Country: Saudi Arabia City: Riyadh Industry: Architecture and Planning Function: Design Salary: 35000-50000 Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer. Gender: Any Candidate Nationality: Any Job Type: Full-time

The Landscape Manager will provide senior technical leadership across horticulture, forestry, softscape, heritage conservation, and landscape digital coordination. The role will ensure that new planting and public realm improvements are established successfully while protecting historic topography, open spaces, architectural heritage, and cultural landscapes. By integrating horticultural science, conservation principles, BIM information, quality control, and construction supervision, the position will help create resilient landscapes that complement Riyadh 's heritage character while meeting modern sustainability and operational requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage horticultural, softscape, forestry, planting, and landscape establishment activities across assigned project areas.
• Provide technical oversight of plant selection, species suitability, nursery stock, soil preparation, planting methodology, irrigation requirements, fertilization, pruning, pest management, and long-term plant health.
• Review planting plans, landscape drawings, technical specifications, Method Statements, Material Submittals, Inspection Requests, and contractor documentation.
• Monitor planting, tree works, soil improvement, irrigation interfaces, and landscape establishment activities against approved designs and contract requirements.
• Inspect trees, palms, shrubs, groundcovers, turf, and other plant material before installation.
• Verify nursery stock quality, root condition, size, species, maturity, health, and suitability for project conditions.
• Support tree surveys, tree protection, relocation, replacement, establishment, and long-term maintenance planning.
• Evaluate plant performance during establishment periods and recommend corrective horticultural measures where required.
• Promote species selection appropriate to Riyadh 's arid climate and demanding environmental conditions.
• Encourage water-efficient planting strategies and sustainable horticultural practices.
• Protect topography and open-space character within heritage zones.
• Ensure landscape interventions respect the setting, identity, visual character, and cultural significance of historic areas.
• Coordinate landscape works affecting architectural heritage and ensure new interventions complement existing cultural assets.
• Review heritage-sensitive landscape designs to prevent inappropriate scale, form, materials, or planting from diminishing heritage values.
• Support conservation of historic settlement patterns, cultural landscapes, open-space networks, and visual relationships.
• Ensure future landscape phases account for identified heritage sites and protected cultural features.
• Work with the Client, consultants, contractors, and heritage specialists to establish appropriate design criteria for conservation-sensitive landscape works.
• Apply cautious and proportionate conservation principles when changes affect existing heritage landscapes.
• Preserve traditional settings, aesthetic significance, historic value, authenticity, and landscape integrity.
• Promote reversible interventions where practicable and avoid unnecessary alteration of original heritage fabric.
• Challenge landscape proposals that could detract from significant heritage elements or disrupt established compositions.
• Require interventions to be informed by a clear understanding of deterioration, environmental stress, or previous damage.
• Apply an incremental approach to conservation, beginning with the minimum intervention needed to achieve the intended result.
• Encourage use of restoration materials compatible with historic materials in structural, functional, and aesthetic terms.
• Support compliance with applicable Saudi heritage legislation and project sustainability requirements.
• Apply relevant UNESCO and ICOMOS conservation principles where required by the project.
• Represent the landscape discipline within the project BIM environment.
• Coordinate landscape information with architectural, civil, structural, infrastructure, utility, geographical, and specialist models.
• Work with the PMC BIM team, consultants, and contractors to maintain accurate landscape BIM information.
• Ensure landscape models follow approved Work Breakdown Structure codification and BIM Execution Plan requirements.
• Monitor required Level of Development for landscape model elements through design and construction stages.
• Support development and maintenance of landscape BIM models for procurement, coordination, construction, and handover.
• Perform or support QA-QC reviews of modelled landscape information.
• Verify digital data integrity, coding, classification, and consistency with approved project documentation.
• Participate in BIM coordination meetings and review clashes involving planting, irrigation, utilities, structures, landscape features, and other infrastructure.
• Support sustainability assessments and technical analyses dependent on coordinated landscape data.
• Coordinate with BIM coordinators, landscape consultants, contractors, heritage specialists, supervision teams, and Client representatives.
• Resolve technical issues involving horticulture, tree works, planting, heritage landscapes, irrigation, and digital coordination.
• Prepare technical reports, site observations, progress updates, conservation inputs, and recommendations for senior leadership.
• Support preparation of procedures and guidelines for landscape works in heritage-sensitive areas.
• Develop practical controls for tree protection, heritage buffers, visual impact, planting establishment, and landscape access.
• Provide landscape input into project risk assessments and constraints registers.
• Participate in design and constructability reviews where proposed works could affect cultural landscapes or heritage assets.
• Monitor contractor compliance with Quality, HSE, sustainability, conservation, and landscape requirements.
• Track corrective and preventive actions arising from landscape inspections and technical reviews.
• Support project handover by confirming landscape documentation, establishment requirements, BIM information, and maintenance obligations are complete.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor 's degree in Horticulture, Forestry, Agriculture, Arboriculture, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Science, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 18 years of relevant experience in horticulture, forestry, softscape, planting, landscape establishment, or landscape maintenance.
• Strong technical knowledge of plant health, tree management, soil science, irrigation requirements, nursery stock, pest control, fertilization, and pruning.
• Proven experience managing horticultural or forestry works across large public realm, parks, infrastructure, mixed-use, urban development, or open-space projects.
• Ability to review planting plans, landscape drawings, technical specifications, Method Statements, Material Submittals, and Inspection Requests.
• Practical experience managing tree protection, relocation, establishment, or arboricultural activities.
• Understanding of cultural landscape conservation and heritage-sensitive development principles.
• Familiarity with the protection of historic topography, open spaces, landscape settings, and visual relationships.
• Knowledge of UNESCO or ICOMOS conservation principles is advantageous.
• Experience working with Saudi heritage requirements or comparable regional conservation frameworks would add value.
• Familiarity with BIM-enabled project delivery and multidisciplinary model coordination.
• Understanding of Level of Development, model codification, digital information integrity, and BIM Execution Plans.
• Experience working in Saudi Arabia, the GCC, or another arid climate environment is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of native, adaptive, and drought-tolerant plant species is beneficial.
• Experience with water-efficient landscape practices and sustainable irrigation is advantageous.
• Nursery management, plant procurement, and plant material inspection experience would strengthen the candidate profile.
• Experience working on heritage assets, cultural landscapes, or historic environments is highly desirable.
• Professional membership or certification in horticulture, forestry, arboriculture, agriculture, irrigation, or a related discipline is advantageous.
• Previous experience in a PMC, supervision consultant, client representative, or major contractor environment would be valuable.
• Strong leadership, coordination, reporting, and technical decision‑making capability.

Skills Set

• Landscape Management
• Horticulture
• Softscape
• Forestry
• Planting
• Landscape Establishment
• Plant Health
• Tree Management
• Arboriculture
• Tree Protection
• Tree Relocation
• Tree Replacement
• Nursery Stock Inspection
• Nursery Management
• Plant Procurement
• Soil Science
• Soil Preparation
• Irrigation Requirements
• Fertilization
• Pruning
• Pest Control
• Plant Establishment
• Arid Climate Landscaping
• Native Planting
• Adaptive Species
• Water‑Efficient Landscaping
• Sustainable Horticulture
• Cultural Landscape Management
• Heritage Landscape Conservation
• Heritage Protection
• Cultural Heritage
• Historic Landscape
• Open‑Space Conservation
• Visual Impact Control
• Heritage Buffers
• UNESCO Guidelines
• ICOMOS Guidelines
• Conservation Principles
• Landscape Design Review
• Planting Plan Review
• Landscape Specifications
• Method Statement Review
• Material Submittals
• Inspection Requests
• Landscape Quality Control
• Landscape BIM
• BIM Coordination
• BIM Execution Plan
• Level of Development
• Model Codification
• Landscape Model QA‑QC
• Digital Coordination
• Clash Detection
• Work Breakdown Structure
• Landscape Data Integrity
• Public Realm
• Parks
• Urban Development
• Landscape Constructability
• Sustainability
• Technical Reporting
• Contractor Coordination
• Heritage Compliance
• Landscape Handover

Why Join Us

This role offers the opportunity to influence landscape quality across a major Riyadh development where horticulture, heritage conservation, public realm design, and digital project delivery converge. The position provides substantial responsibility for protecting cultural landscapes while establishing resilient planting systems suited to demanding local environmental conditions. For a senior landscape professional, it offers exposure to heritage-sensitive design, advanced BIM coordination, large-scale horticulture, tree management, sustainability, and long‑term landscape stewardship within one of Saudi Arabia 's most active development markets.

About the Company

Parsons Corporation delivers engineering, infrastructure, program management, construction management, and technology solutions for major projects worldwide. In Saudi Arabia, Parsons supports significant urban development, heritage, transportation, public realm, and infrastructure programs through multidisciplinary design, technical supervision, digital coordination, landscape management, and project delivery expertise.