Contract and Commercial Director

About the Company

A landmark, large-scale mixed-use destination development is underway in Qatar — one of the most ambitious leisure, retail, and real estate projects in the region. Spanning entertainment, hospitality, retail, and residential components across a significant land area in the greater Doha area, this project represents a generational investment in Qatar's tourism and economic diversification ambitions.

About the Role

The project is at a pivotal stage of development, and we are seeking an exceptional Contracts & Commercial Director to lead the full commercial and contracts function from the ground up. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the Contracts & Commercial Director will be the most senior commercial authority on the project. This is a leadership role with strategic accountability for all contracts, procurement, cost management, and commercial governance across the entire development programme — spanning design, construction, fit-out, retail leasing infrastructure, and operational commissioning phases. The successful candidate will build and lead a high-performing commercial team, establish robust contract frameworks, protect the project's financial interests, and ensure that all commercial decisions are aligned with the project's master development strategy.

Responsibilities

• Contracts Management
• Own end-to-end contract strategy, administration, and execution across all project workstreams including civil works, MEP, fit-out, retail, leisure, and hospitality packages
• Lead the preparation, negotiation, and award of all major contracts (FIDIC, NEC, bespoke forms), ensuring appropriate risk allocation and commercial protection
• Manage the full claims lifecycle — anticipation, assessment, negotiation, and resolution — minimising exposure and disputes
• Establish and maintain a contract register, variation management system, and claims log with full governance and audit trail
• Interface with legal counsel on contractual disputes, arbitration, and enforcement matters
• Commercial Management
• Develop and implement the project's overarching commercial strategy in alignment with the CEO and development board
• Own the project cost plan, budget, and cost-to-complete reporting, providing accurate and timely commercial reporting to senior leadership and ownership
• Lead value engineering initiatives without compromising design intent or operational quality
• Drive procurement strategy — packaging, market engagement, tendering, evaluation, and award — for all consultants, contractors, and specialist vendors
• Establish commercial governance frameworks including delegation of authority, approval workflows, and commercial risk registers
• Oversee the benchmarking of contract prices against market rates and comparable regional projects
• Retail & Real Estate Commercial
• Provide commercial oversight on retail leasing structures, anchor tenant agreements, and fit-out contribution frameworks
• Advise on commercial terms for real estate sales, land disposal, and development management agreements
• Support the delivery of F&B, hospitality, and entertainment operator agreements from a contracts and commercial perspective
• Leadership & Team Building
• Recruit, build, and mentor a multi-disciplinary commercial team (quantity surveyors, contracts managers, commercial analysts)
• Foster a high-performance, ethical, and collaborative commercial culture across the project
• Act as a trusted commercial advisor to the CEO and executive leadership team
• Represent the project in dealings with government entities, master developers, and regulatory bodies where commercial matters arise

Qualifications

• Essential
• Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in contracts and commercial management, with at least 5 years at Director level
• Proven experience on large-scale retail, real estate, or mixed-use destination development projects (total contract value ≥ QAR 500M)
• Deep expertise in FIDIC (Red, Yellow, Silver Books) and/or NEC contract suites
• Demonstrated track record in claims management, dispute avoidance, and commercial dispute resolution
• Experience building and leading commercial teams in a project delivery environment
• Degree qualified in Quantity Surveying, Commercial Management, Engineering, Law, or a related discipline
• Highly Desirable
• MRICS / FRICS qualification or equivalent professional accreditation
• Prior experience on landmark GCC destination, leisure, or entertainment projects (e.g. Lusail City, Place Vendôme Qatar, Diriyah Gate, NEOM, Yas Island, Expo City)
• Familiarity with Qatari regulatory, procurement, and legal framework
• Experience with retail leasing commercial structures and entertainment/hospitality operator agreements
• Arabic language proficiency (advantageous, not mandatory)
• Master's degree in a relevant discipline