Lead/ Senior Urban Planner / Designer

Company Overview:

Dar, the founding member of the Sidara group, is an international multidisciplinary consulting organization specializing in engineering, architecture, planning, environment, project management, facilities management, and economics. Sidara operates in 60 countries with 20,500 professionals, Dar connects people, places, and communities through innovative solutions to the world's most complex challenges. We deliver projects from inception through completion, embracing challenges to empower communities worldwide. Learn more at www.dar.co m

Our Vision and Values:

We aspire to be the chosen home of those with a gift for crafting solutions that empower people and an unwavering passion for learning and innovation. Our core values shape our culture and guide our decision-making. We are committed to:

• Excellence
• Responsibility
• Empowerment
• Connectivity
• Courage

The role will involve:

• Working on large international projects, predominately within the Gulf Area and MENA Region.
• Acting as Project Manager or Group Leader on projects.
• Interacting with the Client representatives through meetings and presentations to represent the company’s interests;
• Preparing, writing and contributing to Design Stage Reports;
• Preparing weekly design progress presentations;
• Attending Client’s workshops;
• Involvement in preparation of the tender documents;
• Reviewing urban planning / design materials;
• Working together with the Company’s other planning and urban design offices overseas;
• Working collaboratively with internal design departments and external consultants including urban designers, architects, planners, economists, transportation, lighting and infrastructure engineers etc;
• Contributing to deliverables and ensuring that they are submitted on time and to the highest quality;
• Ensuring the Company’s QA system is applied at all times;
• Monitoring of work produced by others within and external to the Planning and Urban Design Department in the process of preparing reports and documentation for issue;
• Supervising, managing, and mentoring junior staff, including urban planners, urban designers, and interns.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage large international projects, primarily within the Gulf Area and MENA Region.
• Act as Project Manager or Group Leader on key projects.
• Represent the company’s interests through client meetings and presentations.
• Prepare, write, and contribute to Design Stage Reports.
• Prepare weekly design progress presentations.
• Attend client workshops and actively participate in project discussions.
• Assist in the preparation of tender documents.
• Review urban planning and design materials.
• Collaborate with international offices and external consultants (urban designers, architects, planners, engineers, etc.).
• Ensure timely delivery of high-quality project deliverables.
• Apply the company’s QA system to all work outputs.
• Supervise and mentor junior staff, including urban planners, designers, and interns.

Requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree in urban planning or architecture and a postgraduate degree/diploma in Urban Design / Planning;
• Depending on the grade, 8-12 years of relevant work experience in a multi-disciplinary design environment, with a focus on large and complex urban planning and master planning projects;
• A sound understanding of design process and a good technical knowledge;
• A good knowledge of the Adobe Suite
• Knowledge of some of the following common software types is important:
• Autodesk products such as Civil3d and AutoCAD or similar CAD packages.
• ESRI products including City Engine and ArcGIS.
• Sketchup.
• Twin motion or Lumion;
• Strong sketching skills is a bonus;
• Capability to provide innovative design solutions and ability to think out of the box;
• Excellent writing, communication and presentation skills;
• Fluent written and spoken English; knowledge of a second language is a bonus -especially Arabic;
• Attention to detail and organization skills;
• Flexibility, adaptability and the ability to work well under pressure to meet deadlines;
• Initiative, motivation and be a team player.

Candidates with strong presentation skills and client facing experience will be particularly favored.

Selected candidates who satisfy the job requirements will be invited for an interview.

Presentation of a portfolio and a description of past key projects and career milestones is a requirement for the interview.

Kind Note:

* While we carefully review all applications, only candidates meeting the specified requirements will be contacted for further consideration. We appreciate your understanding and thank all applicants for their interest.