Senior Design Manager - Saudi National

Mace; Riyadh; Hybrid; SAR 446,000 - 714,000; Full time

Job summary

Mace is seeking a Senior Design Manager in Riyadh to lead design management across multiple buildings and infrastructure packages for a prestigious private estate project.

You will coordinate multidisciplinary consultants from concept through construction, ensuring buildability, compliance, and alignment with programme and budget, while mentoring junior team members and driving design quality on high-value developments in the Middle East.

Qualifications

• Degree qualified in architecture or related discipline.
• Extensive experience in design management within PMC or consultancy environments.
• Experience delivering high-end residential, hospitality, or landmark developments.
• Experience managing international design consultants.
• Professional membership (RIBA, CIOB, PMI, ICE, IStructE, or equivalent) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design management process across multiple concurrent buildings and infrastructure packages.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary design consultants through concept to construction stages.
• Ensure designs are fully coordinated, buildable, and compliant with requirements.
• Review proposals to optimise quality, programme, and value.
• Facilitate design workshops, technical reviews, and stakeholder meetings.
• Monitor design progress against deliverables and milestones.
• Manage design risks, interfaces, and change control.
• Support procurement activities including consultant and contractor evaluations.
• Provide mentorship to junior design management team members.

Skills

Design management

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Multidisciplinary coordination

Communication skills

Education

Architecture degree

Job description

The ProjectA landmark programme involving the delivery of premium buildings and supporting infrastructure for a prestigious private estate. The project encompasses a diverse portfolio of high-value developments, requiring exceptional standards of design, planning, and execution.

The ProjectA landmark programme involving the delivery of premium buildings and supporting infrastructure for a prestigious private estate. The project encompasses a diverse portfolio of high-value developments, requiring exceptional standards of design, planning, and execution.

Working as part of the PMC team, the Senior Design Manager will be responsible for driving design excellence across all project stages, coordinating multidisciplinary consultants, managing stakeholder expectations, and ensuring the design aligns with the overall programme objectives, budget, quality standards, and delivery requirements.

Your Responsibilities Will Include

• Lead the design management process across multiple concurrent buildings and infrastructure packages.
• Manage and coordinate multidisciplinary design consultants throughout concept, schematic, detailed design, and construction stages.
• Ensure designs are fully coordinated, buildable, compliant, and aligned with project requirements.
• Review and challenge design proposals to optimise quality, functionality, programme, and value.
• Facilitate design workshops, technical reviews, and stakeholder meetings.
• Monitor design progress against agreed deliverables and programme milestones.
• Identify and manage design risks, issues, and interfaces across the project.
• Coordinate with project management, commercial, procurement, construction, and client teams to ensure effective project delivery.
• Manage change control related to design development and scope amendments.
• Review consultant deliverables, technical submissions, specifications, and design reports.
• Support procurement activities including consultant and contractor technical evaluations.
• Provide leadership and mentoring to junior design management team members.
• Ensure compliance with relevant codes, standards, governance requirements, and industry best practices.

You’ll Need To Have

• Degree qualified in architecture or a related discipline.
• Extensive experience in design management within PMC, consultancy, developer, or client organisations.
• Demonstrable experience delivering high-end residential, hospitality, mixed-use, estate, or landmark developments.
• Strong understanding of multidisciplinary building design and infrastructure interfaces.
• Experience managing international design consultants and specialist designers.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Proven ability to lead design teams through challenging and fast-paced project environments.
• Sound knowledge of design governance, design assurance, and quality management processes.
• Experience working on major projects in the Middle East is highly desirable.
• Professional membership (RIBA, CIOB, PMI, ICE, IStructE, or equivalent) preferred.
• Necessary visa criteria for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and relevant work experience working on high-value projects/programmes for a project management consultancy business, which are required for immigration and client approval.

Our values

Safety first - Going home safe and well:

We champion a safe, diverse, and inclusive working environment, understanding the importance of well-being in every team.

Client focus - Deliver on our promise:

We own the quality of deliverables and strategic outcomes and build long-term relationships with our clients.

Integrity - Always do the right thing:

We influence positive outcomes within our industry while always aligning with our compliance obligations.

Create opportunity - For our people to excel:

We champion a continuous improvement culture throughout all activities, inspiring our people and teams to develop.

Mace is an inclusive employer and welcomes interest from a diverse range of candidates. Even if you feel you do not fulfill all the criteria, please apply, as you may still be the best candidate for this role or another role within our organisation.

We are also open to discussing part-time, flexible, and hybrid working options if suitable within the role.