Manager (Urban and Real Estate Economist)

Atkins Realis Group; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 350,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

Atkins Realis Group is seeking an experienced Senior Urban and Real Estate Economist to join its Advisory team in the Middle East. You will provide economic, demographic and real estate market analysis to support development advisory, urban planning, master planning and infrastructure planning assignments.

You will translate population, household, employment and sector growth forecasts into spatial and real estate requirements, including land-use, development demand, housing and social

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Economics or related field; Master's preferred.
• Strong analytical and forecasting skills; experience in urban/real estate economics.
• Experience translating forecasts into spatial and development requirements.
• Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint; GIS experience desirable.

Responsibilities

• Undertake economic, demographic and socio-economic analysis for regional strategies and master plans.
• Prepare population, household, employment and economic forecasts at multiple levels.
• Translate growth forecasts into land-use, housing and infrastructure requirements.
• Develop alternative growth scenarios and assess spatial implications.
• Lead defined workstreams in advisory assignments.
• Contribute to market insights and client-facing reports.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem-solving

Communications skills

English proficiency

Education

Bachelor's in Economics or Urban/Real Estate related

Master's preferred in Urban/Real Estate/Economics

Tools

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

GIS

Data visualization tools

Job description

Overview

AtkinsR alis is seeking an experienced Senior Urban and Real Estate Economist to join its Advisory team in the Middle East The role will provide economic demographic and real estate market analysis to support development advisory urban planning master planning and infrastructure planning assignments The successful candidate will translate population household employment and sector growth forecasts into spatial and real estate requirements including Land-use and development demand Real estate asset mix and scale Housing and employment requirements Social infrastructure needs Development capacity and absorption Development and infrastructure phasing Investment priorities

Urban and Spatial Economics

• Undertake economic demographic and socio-economic analysis for regional strategies city plans master plans and major development programmes
• Prepare population household employment and economic forecasts at regional city district and development levels
• Translate growth forecasts into spatial requirements for residential commercial retail hospitality industrial and mixed-use and community development
• Assess relationships between economic activity population distribution employment accessibility land use and infrastructure provision
• Develop and test alternative growth and development scenarios and assess their spatial implications
• Prepare socio-economic baselines city and regional benchmarks economic impact assessments and wider-benefits analysis
• Translate demographic forecasts into requirements for housing and social infrastructure including education healthcare recreation and community facilities
• Work with planning and GIS teams to spatially represent population employment economic activity and development demand

Real Estate Economics

• Undertake real estate market demand and supply assessments across relevant asset classes
• Analyse market drivers existing and planned supply occupancy take-up pricing absorption and competing developments
• Prepare development demand forecasts for residential office retail hospitality industrial and other real estate uses
• Provide economic and market inputs into development positioning land-use mix scale density and phasing
• Assess the market supportability and absorption of proposed development programmes
• Support highest-and-best-use studies development strategies land strategies and master plans
• Test development scenarios against economic demographic and real estate market conditions
• Work with financial advisors to align market assumptions development programmes and financial feasibility
• Provide evidence to support development land-use and investment decisions

Development and Infrastructure Planning

• Translate population employment and real estate forecasts into high-level infrastructure and service-demand assumptions
• Support infrastructure planners in understanding how development growth affects transport utilities municipal services and social infrastructure
• Identify development dependencies and infrastructure triggers affecting land release development sequencing and phasing
• Support the alignment of real estate absorption development delivery and infrastructure investment
• Provide economic and demand inputs into infrastructure strategies investment plans and business cases

Project Delivery

• Lead defined urban and real estate economics workstreams within multidisciplinary advisory assignments
• Develop clear methodologies analytical frameworks forecast models and evidence bases
• Gather and analyse quantitative and qualitative information from government commercial and client sources
• Prepare high-quality technical reports presentations working papers and executive summaries
• Translate complex analysis into clear findings and practical recommendations for planning development and investment decisions
• Present analysis and recommendations to clients and project stakeholders

Business and Practice Development

• Contribute to technical and commercial proposals across development advisory urban planning real estate and infrastructure planning
• Support client engagement and the identification of new business opportunities
• Develop reusable datasets forecasting tools analytical methodologies and templates
• Contribute to market insights and thought leadership on urban growth real estate development and regional economic trends
• Share knowledge and good practice across Advisory and the wider AtkinsR alis business
• Support the professional development of junior economists and analysts
• Champion collaboration inclusion and high-quality delivery

About you

Education

Bachelor s degree in Economics, Real Estate Economics, Urban Economics, Economic Geography, Regional Science, Urban Planning or a related discipline. Master s degree in Urban Economics, Real Estate, Economics, Development Economics, Economic Geography, Urban Planning or a related field is preferred.

Professional Experience / Qualifications

Typically +8 years of relevant experience; Experience in urban economics, real estate economics, development advisory, socio-economics or a related consulting discipline. Demonstrable ability to translate economic and demographic forecasts into spatial and real estate requirements. Experience supporting master plans, development strategies, regional plans, regeneration programmes or major real estate developments. Experience in real estate market assessment and demand forecasting across one or more asset classes. Good understanding of the relationship between economic growth, population, employment, land use, real estate markets and infrastructure. Strong quantitative, forecasting and analytical capability. Advanced capability in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint. Experience with GIS, statistical analysis or data-visualisation tools is desirable. Experience in the UAE, KSA or wider GCC is strongly preferred. Experience within a consultancy, development authority, planning agency, real estate advisor or government organisation is advantageous.

Behavioral Skills

Strong analytical and problem-solving capability, with the ability to move from data and evidence to practical recommendations. Ability to connect economic and real estate analysis with physical planning, development and investment decisions. Excellent written communication, report-writing and presentation skills. Ability to communicate complex analysis clearly to technical and non-technical audiences. Strong attention to detail and commitment to analytical quality. Commercial awareness and understanding of the factors influencing real estate and development decisions. Ability to manage defined workstreams and deliver high-quality outputs within agreed programmes and budgets. Confidence working within multidisciplinary and multicultural teams. Ability to operate effectively where information or project requirements may be evolving. Proactive, collaborative and willing to take responsibility for assigned deliverables. Ability to prioritise competing tasks and work effectively under pressure. Fluency in written and spoken English; Arabic language capability is advantageous. Willingness to travel within the UAE, KSA and wider GCC. Commitment to delivering sustainable, inclusive and commercially viable development outcomes.