Technical Director – Masterplanning, Urban Planning & Strategic Planning

Role Overview

A leading multidisciplinary consultancy is seeking a highly experienced Technical Director to lead its Masterplanning, Urban Planning, and Strategic Planning team in Riyadh. This is a senior leadership role that combines deep technical expertise with strong managerial capability, requiring an individual who can operate confidently at both strategic and design levels.

The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in shaping large-scale regional and national planning initiatives, including multi-city development frameworks and long-term strategic spatial planning programmes in collaboration with government authorities and major stakeholders.

This is not a purely managerial position; the Technical Director is expected to remain actively engaged in design leadership, technical direction, and planning innovation, while also providing mentorship and driving team performance.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Design Direction

• Lead the technical delivery of complex masterplanning, urban planning, and strategic planning projects.
• Provide high-level design and planning direction on large-scale developments including regional plans, urban expansion strategies, and national spatial frameworks.
• Ensure design excellence, innovation, and compliance with international best practice and local planning regulations.
• Actively contribute to key design decisions and review outputs across multiple projects.

Strategic & Large-Scale Planning

• Lead and oversee planning strategies for regional development programmes and multi-city planning initiatives.
• Engage with national and regional authorities on long-term spatial planning policies and frameworks.
• Translate government visions and development goals into actionable planning strategies.
• Support the consultancy’s involvement in giga-projects and national transformation programmes.

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as a senior representative of the consultancy in engagements with clients, government bodies, developers, and subconsultants.
• Lead high-level presentations, workshops, and design review sessions with key stakeholders.
• Manage relationships across complex stakeholder environments, ensuring alignment between technical outputs and client expectations.
• Provide authoritative input during negotiations and strategic discussions.

Team Leadership & Mentorship

• Lead, mentor, and develop a multidisciplinary planning team, fostering a culture of technical excellence and collaboration.
• Support career development of senior planners and emerging talent within the studio.
• Establish clear technical standards, methodologies, and quality benchmarks across projects.
• Drive knowledge sharing and best practice across the regional and global network.

Business & Practice Development

• Contribute to business development activities, including proposals, bids, and client interviews.
• Identify opportunities for expanding planning services within the region.
• Support the growth and positioning of the consultancy in the Saudi and wider GCC market.

Key Requirements

• Proven track record in senior leadership roles within urban planning, masterplanning, or strategic planning consultancies.
• Extensive experience delivering large-scale regional and national planning projects, including multi-city or cross-jurisdictional frameworks.
• Strong technical background in masterplanning and urban design, with continued hands-on involvement in design and planning decisions.
• Demonstrated experience working with government authorities, ministries, and major institutional stakeholders.
• Excellent leadership and people management skills, with experience mentoring senior professionals.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Experience working in the Middle East (or similar large-scale development contexts) is highly desirable.

Personal Attributes

• Strategic thinker with strong technical grounding
• Confident decision-maker with design sensitivity
• Collaborative and politically astute stakeholder manager
• Passionate about shaping cities and regions at scale
• Inspiring leader and mentor

If you are in Dubai or willing to relocate, with the right skill set, please APPLY NOW.

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Call us on +44 (0)113 850 0111* if you require additional assistance.

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