Senior Director – Stage Gates Land Planning & Servicing
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Role Introduction
We're supporting a leading giga-project in Riyadh with the search for a Senior Director of Stage Gates, Land Planning Servicing.
Key responsibilities include overseeing governance structures, stage gate frameworks, and reporting mechanisms to enhance decision-making, operational efficiency, and compliance.
The position will champion best practices in land use, master planning, and infrastructure development while fostering consistency, quality, and regulatory adherence. Additionally, the Senior Director will lead stakeholder engagement, facilitating cross-functional collaboration.
A strong background in governance, large-scale mixed-use master planning, development, and infrastructure management is essential, along with expertise in risk assessment, compliance, and operational oversight.
Key Responsibilities
Stage Gate Management – Strategic Land Planning & Development Governance
- Establish strong governance frameworks for master planning, land planning, and reporting templates to guide decision-making and streamline development operations.
- Act as a partner and support the Business Units throughout the Land Planning and Servicing process, providing guidance and compliance on stage gate deliverables and templates.
- Ensure all master-planning and land-planning activities align with stage gate frameworks, processes, and procedures, meeting strategic and regulatory requirements.
- Ensure adherence to processes across all land planning activities, promoting compliance, consistency, and quality.
- Support the Centre of Excellence business plans to implement best practices, streamline stage gate processes, and provide oversight on land use and development.
Governance, Audit, and Policy Development
- Implement and oversee best practice governance policies for master planning, land use, planning, and servicing to ensure alignment with operational goals and regulatory requirements.
- Develop procedures for risk management and compliance, integrating them into all master planning, land planning, and infrastructure delivery activities.
- Collaborate closely with stakeholders to ensure that land servicing and planning activities align with strategic objectives and risk management procedures.
- Contribute to governance committees to monitor progress, enforce accountability, and integrate feedback from stakeholders/lessons learned across all levels of development operations.
- Implement governance structures aligned with the stage gate approval processes to monitor progress, ensure accountability, and enforce transparency across all levels of development.
Stage Gate Management – Infrastructure and Land Servicing Management
- Establish and oversee the governance of infrastructure services (e.g., roads, utilities) and public realm developments, ensuring alignment with strategic and operational goals and master plans.
- Develop operational policies and procedures to govern land servicing across multiple phases of the project.
- Maintain strong coordination with stakeholders, service providers, contractors, and government bodies to ensure compliance with design standards and regulatory frameworks.
Experience
- 15+ years of experience in land planning, infrastructure or construction management, and development management operations on large-scale real estate mixed-use development projects.
- Strong expertise in developing governance frameworks, policies, processes, and land servicing operations in large-scale mixed-use environments.
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to guide cross-functional teams and influence senior stakeholders across multiple stages of land development and servicing.
- Strong knowledge of regulatory compliance, risk management, and infrastructure delivery within large-scale, mixed-use development projects.
- Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and presentation skills.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s / Master’s in Urban Planning, Civil Engineering, Real Estate Development, or related fields.
Competencies
- Innovation and Change Management – Strategic mindset with strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Communication and Influence – Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to manage internal and external stakeholders.
- Process Improvement – Ability to translate complex processes into clear, actionable guidelines and frameworks.
- Technical Proficiency – Proficiency in development and project management methodologies and tools.
- Attention to Detail – High attention to detail and commitment to quality control.
Skills
- Strategic Thinking: Ability to align Development Governance processes with broader development strategy and processes.
- Leadership: Strong team leadership and cross-department collaboration.
- Communication: Clear, persuasive communicator capable of engaging with senior stakeholders.
- Analytical Skills: Adept at data analysis, reporting, and continuous process improvement.
- Problem-Solving: Proactive in identifying process gaps and driving solutions.
Get in touch if this sounds like you – or someone in your network. All conversations will be handled confidentially.