Senior Design Director – Master Planning & Innovation

Arada; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Arada in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is seeking a Design Director to lead the complete design process for major developments. You will coordinate multidisciplinary teams, ensure design excellence, and deliver commercially viable solutions aligned with Arada's development vision and brand standards.

You will work with Development, Commercial, and Delivery teams to drive feasibility, master planning, approvals, and construction support across the KSA portfolio.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Architecture or Architectural Engineering.
• Master's Degree in Architecture/Urban Design is desirable.
• Professional registration or chartered membership is advantageous.
• Project/design management certification (e.g., PMP) or sustainability accreditation (e.g., LEED) desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and delivery of large-scale developments across Saudi Arabia.
• Oversee full project lifecycle from feasibility to handover.
• Drive design excellence, sustainability, and ESG initiatives.
• Coordinate architectural, engineering, landscape, and infrastructure teams.
• Collaborate with Development, Commercial, Procurement, Legal, Infrastructure, and Sales teams to align design with business goals.
• Establish robust design governance, QA, value engineering and compliance processes.
• Ensure compliance with Saudi regulations and international best practices.
• Lead design reviews, stakeholder presentations, and authority approvals.
• Support procurement, tendering, and contractor selection with technical leadership.
• Mentor Design Managers and Architects to promote collaboration and vision.

Skills

Design leadership

Multidisciplinary coordination

Stakeholder management

Regulatory understanding

Sustainability & ESG

Education

Bachelor's in Architecture

Master's in Architecture/Urban Design (desirable)

Tools

Revit

AutoCAD

BIM

MS Office

Job description

Arada in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is seeking a Design Director to lead the complete design process for major developments. You will coordinate multidisciplinary teams, ensure design excellence, and deliver commercially viable solutions aligned with Arada's development vision and brand standards.

You will work with Development, Commercial, and Delivery teams to drive feasibility, master planning, approvals, and construction support across the KSA portfolio.