Director - Design Governance 20004812

Role Specific Requirements

The Director – Design Governance is in the leadership team of the Design Excellence vertical of the Central Development Unit (CDU). CDU acts as a center of excellence, setting standards and driving consistency across complex development projects by providing tools and processes for best practice delivery.

Design Excellence ensures projects embody “Qiddiya-ness” by creating standardized measures of design quality across the program.

Our Design Governance team is accountable for governance and compliance frameworks, overseeing the monitoring of Board-approved design deliverables, managing the central repository of approved design assets, and conducting systematic audits to safeguard design intent and quality.

A global design leader with broad expertise in building typologies and urban design, who will lead an agile, high impact team—bridging design, project management, and governance to embed standards and resolve compliance challenges, enabling enabling timely, compliant delivery of development outcomes that uphold quality, integrity, and Qiddiya’s vision.

Core responsibilities

1. Champions QIC's "Safety First" value, specifically engage in relevant health/safety/wellbeing standards and behaviors. As a member of Design Excellence, ‘Safety in Design’ always a priority.

2. Upholds Qiddiya aligned behaviors, in line with the Qiddiya Values, at all times.

3. Motivates and inspires a high-performance culture through clear direction, providing continuous feedback, recognizing and rewarding exceptional performance and fostering an environment of collaboration, innovation and accountability.

4. Lead the development and implementation of Qiddiya-wide processes for reviewing and monitoring projects’ adherence to Board-approved CGIs and imagery, including concept and interior designs.

5. Champion the creation of a centralized repository of dated Board-approved CGIs for reference and compliance tracking. Develop processes to ensure it is regularly updated and maintained.

6. Proactively participate in weekly departmental senior management meetings ensuring the relevant parts of the agenda are implemented and resourced with subject matter expertise responsibilities.

7. Drive collaboration with design, project management, and other governance teams targetted at embedding design standards and resolution of compliance issues.

8. Supervise preparation and approval of reports on compliance status, Design Governance audit findings, and recommendations for continuous improvement in design governance procedures.

9. Establish and manage workflows for Design Governance procedures.

10. Coordinate with Design Excellence (DEx) teams across business units to identify discrepancies and enforce corrective actions.

11. Provide input to the development and implementation of the corporate programmes, continuous improvement and lessons learned.

12. Provide quality control reviews and coordinate feedback and comments ensuring the information aligns with all activities.

13. Develop culture of growth by mentoring and guiding team members in project coordination, document preparation and analytical tasks.

Values & Behaviors

Safety:

• Prioritize wellbeing
• Address challenges directly
• Take responsibility for safety
• Correct unsafe practices
• Learn from mistakes to continuously improve
• Hold each other accountable with support and care

Integrity:

• Communicate truthfully and straightforwardly
• Keep commitments and fulfill promises
• Respect others' rights, dignity, and opinions
• Uphold high professional standards

Innovation:

• Encourage innovation with an open, nimble approach
• Maintain a curious mindset
• Eager to learn and improve
• Think creatively beyond conventions
• Continuously seek ways to enhance performance

Collaboration:

• Open, honest engagement with all stakeholders
• Frequent, respectful, transparent communication
• Celebrates successes
• Collaboratively resolve issues

Inclusion:

• Respects diverse cultures
• Listen to different perspectives
• Maintain an open mindset to diverse ideas and information
• Build and engage diverse teams equitably and fairly
• Treat everyone with respect and equality

Quality:

• Ask direct, rational questions
• Speak relevantly for the audience
• Be a team player, share knowledge
• Uncompromising quality standards

Key Relationships

Internal Stakeholders:

• Design Governance Lead
• Design Excellence Senior Management Team
• CDU

- Counterparts in other Business Units - sectors

External Stakeholders:

• Business partners
• Consultants
• Relevant authorities

Qualifications

Master’s degree in architecture, interior design, urban design, project management or another related design field – if supported by relevant working experience.

Professional Certifications

Professionally registered with an internationally recognized professional body or authority relevant to their discipline, is an advantage (if required)

Experience

• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience in project coordination and governance, preferably within large-scale projects and/or multidisciplinary environments.
• Experience in the Middle East is essential.
• Previous experience of working on client side within real estate sector is a distinct advantage.
• Holistic experience within the full lifecycle of the project allowing for identification of opportunities for improvement and developing new processes.
• Demonstrates real-world problem-solving skills with innovative and lateral thinking, identifying and resolving risks through effective management.
• Knowledge of existing KSA regulatory environment, relevant governing agencies and codes applicable to various design typologies.
• Previous experience in tracking the progress of projects and adherence of the design to established vision and KPIs as well as its compliance with established delivery quality targets.
• Familiarity with design management procedures, manuals and guidelines obtained while working with other giga-projects in the region.
• Excellence driven and constantly seeking to streamline processes and procedures to increase quality and efficiency.
• Exceptional organizational, analytical, time management and communication skills.
• Proficient in MS Office suite with advanced Excel skills.
• Confident in stakeholder engagement at all organizational levels.
• Fluent in English; Arabic proficiency is an advantage.
• Accomplished leadership and technical experience.
• Proactive, self-driven, and solution-oriented.
• Previous background in creating a culture of empowerment and where others share knowledge, insights and learning.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to lead in complex and matrixed organizations.
• Comfortable working under pressure and managing multiple deadlines.

Comprehensive benefits package

Applications closing on 5th March 2026