Senior Manager – Master Planning

Leads the strategic development and spatial planning of large-scale projects, translating the organizational vision into actionable master plans. The role involves coordinating with consultants, internal departments, and regulatory authorities to develop and govern master plans from concept to detailed design, ensuring alignment with feasibility studies, planning regulations, and long-term development goals.

• Responsibilities: Core Responsibilities:
  • Develop integrated development mixes (residential, commercial, industrial, logistics, recreational, etc.) based on the organization's strategic vision and long-term growth objectives.
  • Ensure that proposed land use strategies are not only commercially viable but also aligned with local planning regulations and authorities such as Abu Dhabi DMT or UPC.
  • Translate high-level corporate objectives into functional spatial programs that support investment and economic goals.
  • Prepare early-stage spatial frameworks, diagrams, and planning narratives to guide consultants through the formal master planning process.
  • Create vision-driven design briefs that communicate project goals clearly and assist design teams in developing coherent, feasible layouts during concept and schematic design stages.
  • Identify constraints and opportunities related to topography, infrastructure, adjacent uses, and phasing, and integrate them into the early planning outputs.
  
  • Support the creation and review of technical and financial feasibility studies by offering planning insight, floor area programs, access and connectivity analysis, and infrastructure implications.
  
  • Help define land absorption timelines and development phasing strategies that align with market demands and investment priorities.
  
  • Maintain and monitor the approved AD Ports master plan, ensuring all land use changes, plot reallocations, merges, or deviations are properly tracked and approved.
  
  • Oversee a dynamic land registry or GIS database that records real-time updates to land allocation status.
  
  • Provide strategic input on land optimization and respond to business or market-driven adjustments by recommending alternative layouts or usage.
  
  • Ensure all planning documents meet local authority codes, strategic plans, and zoning regulations, coordinating with municipal and federal authorities for approvals.
  
  • Stay up to date with urban planning policies, sustainability frameworks, smart city principles, and other regulatory changes that may impact planning strategy.
  
  People Management Responsibilites:
  
  • Act as a liaison between planning, commercial, legal, infrastructure, and regulatory teams, ensuring coordination across disciplines throughout the planning process.
  • Lead and coordinate with urban planning, infrastructure, environmental, and architecture consultants to ensure a holistic and integrated master plan is developed.
  • Manage design deliverables from concept through detailed design (DD), ensuring timelines, budget, and quality standards are met.
  • Conduct technical reviews and workshops to ensure the master plan reflects business needs, site conditions, and regulatory guidelines
  • Manage the consultants with planning visuals and quick layout iterations for board presentations, stakeholder approvals, and project marketing materials.
  • Facilitate technical meetings and design charrettes to capture multi-disciplinary input during planning stages.
  
  Strategic Responsibilities:
  • Collaborate with investment, finance, and business development teams to analyze multiple planning scenarios and determine the most viable development approach.
  
  • Provide strategic input on land optimization and respond to business or market-driven adjustments by recommending alternative layouts or usage.
  
  • Present master planning concepts and updates to senior leadership, government entities, investors, and public stakeholders.
  
  • Stay up to date with urban planning policies, sustainability frameworks, smart city principles, and other regulatory changes that may impact planning strategy.

• Qualifications: • Degree in Urban Planning, or associated field. Master’s Degree or equivalent preferred
  • Tools & Visualization Capabilities:
  • Able to use design and spatial analysis tools such as AutoCAD, GIS, SketchUp, Adobe Suite, Test-Fit to prepare land use test fits, visual simulations, and planning diagrams.
  • Evaluate land performance using tools that assess site efficiency, development yield, FARs, and infrastructure feasibility.