Director - Development (Retail Resort Core) (SPA4-50013065)

Role Overview

Director - Development (Retail Resort Core) at Qiddiya Investment Company. The role manages retail development strategy, planning, and execution across Resort Core developments in a large-scale destination environment.

Role Purpose

Lead end-to-end retail development delivery across Resort Core developments, from strategic planning through activation and operational readiness. Ensure retail offerings integrate seamlessly with adjacent hospitality, attractions, residential, and mixed-use assets to create cohesive destination experiences that meet commercial objectives and customer expectations.

Key Responsibilities

Development Planning and Execution

• Develop implementation approaches, delivery schedules, and execution activities for assigned developments in alignment with approved business objectives, development requirements, and asset positioning.
• Manage development sequencing, integration activities, and delivery planning across assigned developments to maintain implementation timelines and achievement of approved development objectives.
• Present development and commercial input related to market requirements, demand considerations, and asset positioning to inform commercially viable and operationally sustainable development outcomes.

Development Lifecycle Management

• Manage end-to-end development delivery for assigned developments spanning concept development, delivery coordination, handover, and operational readiness.
• Monitor development delivery performance for assigned developments to ensure delivery of approved quality, schedule, cost, and operational readiness targets.
• Ensure continuity and integration between development phases and delivery milestones to promote effective execution and consistent delivery outcomes.

Financial Management and Value Optimization

• Evaluate feasibility assessments, financial evaluations, and business case inputs for assigned developments to inform investment evaluations and development decision-making.
• Contribute to value optimization initiatives through scope alignment, commercial enhancement opportunities, lifecycle considerations, and delivery efficiencies.
• Ensure adherence to approved financial parameters, commercial controls, and investment requirements to maintain disciplined expenditure management.

Development Governance and Assurance

• Ensure compliance with organizational standards, governance requirements, development policies, and regulatory obligations across assigned developments.
• Review governance submissions, approval requirements, and stage-gate activities for assigned developments to ensure adherence to approved priorities and organizational controls.
• Monitor governance compliance, reporting requirements, and development assurance activities to enable transparent decision-making and timely escalation of development risks and issues.

Integrated Development Coordination

• Manage coordination among planning, design, commercial, delivery, and operational workstreams for assigned developments.
• Ensure effective collaboration among business units, central functions, consultants, contractors, operators, and delivery stakeholders.
• Monitor development interdependencies, stakeholder interfaces, and sequencing requirements for assigned developments to enable integrated delivery and operational readiness.

Partner and Operational Integration

• Manage engagement with tenants, operators, partners, brands, service providers, and internal stakeholders to achieve operational integration and activation readiness.
• Contribute development input to operational readiness, activation planning, and integration activities to maintain asset functionality and long-term operational requirements.
• Ensure operator, partner, brand, and service provider requirements are incorporated into development planning, design, and delivery activities.

Development Performance and Risk Management

• Monitor development performance, delivery progress, and execution outcomes across assigned developments to promote achievement of approved development objectives.
• Manage development risks, mitigation actions, issue resolution activities, and recovery measures to minimize disruption and maintain delivery outcomes.
• Consolidate development reporting, performance monitoring information, and governance tracking activities to enable informed decision-making and timely management intervention.

Retail Resort Core Planning and Commercial Positioning

• Develop retail planning approaches, commercial positioning recommendations, and tenant mix recommendations for Resort Core developments to achieve approved retail strategies and customer experience objectives.
• Evaluate customer demand, market trends, retail categories, and commercial opportunities to optimize retail offerings and commercial sustainability.
• Present retail planning and commercial recommendations during development brief, master planning, and precinct planning activities.
• Ensure tenant mix recommendations and commercial positioning approaches contribute to a complementary retail ecosystem and destination objectives.

Resort Core Development Management

• Manage retail development activities across Resort Core developments from strategy and development brief stages through design, delivery coordination, activation, and handover.
• Ensure alignment with host development teams regarding retail requirements, development activities, and customer experience objectives throughout the development lifecycle.
• Review development briefs, design proposals, retail layouts, and development submissions to confirm retail requirements are incorporated into planning and design.
• Monitor retail development activities against approved commercial objectives, retail market requirements, and customer experience expectations.
• Manage integration of retail requirements across hotels, attractions, public realm, transport, residential, and mixed-use developments within Resort Core.
• Evaluate asset relationships, development interfaces, visitor movement patterns, and precinct requirements to inform retail location planning and connectivity.
• Present retail recommendations for adjacent developments and asset interfaces to achieve complementary retail positioning and destination-wide commercial performance.
• Contribute retail requirements and customer experience considerations to precinct planning and asset integration activities.
• Ensure retail offerings, development requirements, and customer experience objectives remain aligned across adjacent developments.

Market Activation and Leasing Readiness

• Develop go-to-market requirements, leasing readiness plans, tenancy delivery requirements, and activation approaches for Resort Core developments.
• Manage coordination with leasing, tenancy delivery, asset management, host development teams, and development stakeholders.
• Review tenant requirements, activation plans, tenancy delivery activities, and operational readiness considerations.
• Ensure retail developments are prepared for leasing, tenant fit-out, activation, and operational commencement in accordance with approved timelines and objectives.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Real Estate Development, Property Development, Urban Planning, Architecture, Construction Management, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field (required).
• Master's degree in Real Estate Development, Property Development, Retail Development, Urban Development, Business Administration (MBA), or a related field (preferred).
• Professional certifications or memberships with recognized real estate, retail, development, construction, or project management institutes such as RICS, ULI, PMI, CIOB, or ICSC (preferred).
• Minimum 14 years of experience in retail development, mixed-use development, commercial real estate development, destination development, or integrated development environments, with relevant exposure in development management or development coordination roles, including relevant years in a managerial role.
• Demonstrated experience leading retail development initiatives, including retail planning, commercial positioning, tenant mix development, development integration, and leasing readiness across complex mixed-use, hospitality, entertainment, or destination development environments.

Skills & Competencies

• Fluency in written and verbal English (required); proficiency in Arabic (preferred).
• Analyze operational data and information to support decision-making, identify issues, and improve processes and outcomes.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders to support effective execution of activities and ensure alignment across teams.
• Manage team activities and ensure accuracy, attention to detail, and quality in deliverables and operational outputs.
• Capability to manage retail development activities across Resort Core developments, including retail planning, commercial positioning, tenant mix integration, and customer experience considerations within mixed-use and destination development environments.
• In-depth knowledge of aligning retail development requirements with commercial objectives, market demand considerations, customer experience expectations, and long-term retail asset performance across integrated destination developments.
• Expertise in coordinating complex stakeholder environments and collaborating with host development teams, leasing and tenancy delivery functions, consultants, operators, commercial teams, and development partners.