Project Development Manager - Architect

About the Role

A prominent real estate development company in Saudi Arabia is looking for a skilled Project Development Manager to oversee the complete design development phases of major real estate projects. This position is essential for guiding project visions from early concept approval through detailed design stages while ensuring alignment with financial goals, regulatory standards, and architectural integrity.

Primary Responsibilities

• Convert approved development concepts into comprehensive design briefs that maintain the project's vision, architectural coherence, and scope consistency across disciplines.
• Create consultant scopes of work, actively engage in consultant selection, and lead external design teams including architectural, engineering, and specialty consultants.
• Critically review and validate design submissions at Concept, Schematic, and Detailed Design phases for technical soundness, constructability, and interdisciplinary coordination involving BIM, MEP, and structural elements.
• Conduct value engineering sessions and collaborate with Finance and Cost teams to ensure design outputs adhere strictly to approved budgets and feasibility studies.
• Supervise acquisition of local municipal permits and regulatory approvals following the Saudi Building Code standards.
• Coordinate with Execution, Procurement, Sales, and Marketing departments to verify sales layouts, approve materials, and guarantee smooth transition into construction stages.
• Provide regular progress reports, identify design risks, and manage change requests to facilitate executive decisions.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Civil Engineering, or a related discipline; a Master’s in Project Management is advantageous.
• At least 8 years of industry experience in real estate development, including a minimum of 2 years in a leadership capacity.
• Demonstrated expertise managing multidisciplinary consulting teams across residential, commercial, mixed-use, or land development projects.
• In-depth knowledge of local approval procedures and comprehensive understanding of the Saudi Building Code requirements.
• PMP certification or professional registration with recognized engineering or architectural institutions is preferred.
• Fluent in English and Arabic with strong command of MS Office, project management software, basic financial modeling, and familiarity with AutoCAD/Revit tools.