Director of Development

Job Overview

The Director of Development is a high-level executive responsible for overseeing the initial planning, business case creation, and successful delivery of high-value real estate developments. Serving as the Business Case Owner for assigned projects, this role connects strategic planning with execution to ensure projects are financially sound, contextually appropriate, and operationally effective. This individual owns the development business plans, manages stage-gate governance for project approvals, and leads projects from concept through to handover.

Core Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead preliminary development activities including site analysis, conceptualization, market research, scenario modeling, and highest-and-best-use assessment across residential, hospitality, commercial, and mixed-use developments.
• Guide masterplan scheduling and negotiate commercial agreements with key tenants, operators, and joint venture partners.
• Assess and provide development feedback on sub-developer proposals ensuring alignment with use mix, density rules, phasing, utilities, and masterplan consistency; assist with term sheets and development agreement negotiations.
• Develop and own comprehensive business plans covering concept, product mix, area schedules, cost estimations, timelines, procurement strategies, and risk management; supervise financial model preparation by the Investment Manager and validate outputs presented to the Investment Committee and Board.
• Function as the P&L and Business Case Owner for key assets, including an under-construction hotel and planned residential villas and apartments, responsible for approved scope, budget, timeline, quality, and profitability.
• Manage residential product-related elements such as mix, specifications, pricing, sales absorption alongside sales teams, cost control, phasing, cash flow, and margins throughout project lifecycle.
• Maintain active business cases for each asset, monitor deviations from approved baselines, and initiate re-approval processes if necessary.
• Implement and maintain a stage-gate governance process encompassing all project phases from opportunity identification to post-completion review; define required gate deliverables, decision criteria, and approval authorities.
• Lead gate review meetings, sustain governance documentation, provide status updates to senior leadership and integrate lessons learned into future projects.
• Collaborate with project managers, architects, and construction teams to uphold design intent, manage budget and schedules, control changes within business case and stage-gate limits, and resolve technical or procurement challenges.
• Oversee the transition from development to operations ensuring assets meet lifecycle cost considerations, operator requirements, and are ready for use.
• Serve as principal liaison with regulatory bodies, joint venture partners, sub-developers, consultants, and operators to secure necessary approvals while maintaining design and investment standards.
• Build and lead a goal-oriented development team and represent the company in senior stakeholder meetings and high-level negotiations.

Performance Metrics

• Deliver assets within the defined business case parameters for budget, schedule, and investment returns.
• Advance all projects exclusively through approved stage-gate checkpoints with complete documentation.
• Complete the hotel project on schedule and within budget; successfully launch residential projects meeting sales targets and profitability goals.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, Architecture, Engineering, Urban Planning, or a related discipline; Master’s degree preferred.
• At least 15 years of experience managing large-scale real estate developments with full profit and loss responsibility, especially involving branded hospitality and residential for-sale projects taken from concept to delivery.
• Proven track record in developing and leading business plans, overseeing financial modeling, and preparing presentations for investment committees and boards.
• Familiarity with designing or working within stage-gate project governance processes and experience collaborating with hotel operators during pre-opening stages.
• Strong expertise in feasibility analysis, development economics, investment returns, and value engineering principles.
• Excellent leadership abilities, negotiation skills, and stakeholder engagement; knowledgeable about development approval processes within Oman and the GCC region.