Executive Director

About the role

At Qiddiya Investment Company, we are shaping a landmark destination redefining entertainment, culture and hospitality in the Kingdom. The Hospitality Business Unit is developing a portfolio of hotel assets central to this vision. As these assets progress, we are seeking experienced professionals to help deliver them to the highest standards of design quality, guest experience and commercial performance.

In this role, you will lead the Design Excellence function across the hospitality portfolio, setting the creative and technical design agenda from strategy through to delivery. You will act as the senior design authority, ensuring all assets deliver distinctive, high-quality and commercially robust environments, underpinned by strong design integrity, innovation and alignment with Qiddiya’s vision.

Key responsibilities

Lead the Design Excellence function, across creative disciplines, design standards, BIM and project-embedded design management resources, shaping and endorsing design direction across the portfolio and guiding outcomes through key governance stages

Curate creative design responses, integrating Qiddiya, district and Operator visions to deliver distinctive, emotive and commercially viable assets

Define design principles, typologies and benchmarks for each hotel tier, establishing consistent, validated design baselines

Lead consultant strategy and governance across the portfolio, including scope definition, briefing, selection and performance management

Lead technical input to development briefs and integrated coordination across disciplines, shaping planning, spatial configuration and system integration

Provide technical design oversight through design and construction, resolving interfaces and deviations to maintain quality and design intent

Guide design reviews across key milestones to ensure alignment with design intent and project objectives

Guide value engineering and design optimisation, assessing impact on design intent and asset performance

Oversee consultant performance to ensure quality, coordination and alignment across disciplines

Champion sustainability and low-carbon design, embedding ESG and Vision 2030 priorities

Mentor teams and drive continuous improvement of design processes, standards and best practices

Requirements

Proven track record delivering large-scale hospitality portfolios, including luxury assets

Experience governing external consultants and multi-disciplinary design teams

Experience working with hotel Operators and brand standards

Experience within large-scale or multi-asset development environments

Experience in KSA / GCC or similar large-scale development environments preferred

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Interior Design or related discipline

Professional certifications (if required)

Professional membership or recognised certification preferred (e.g. RIBA, AIA, RICS or equivalent)

Years of experience

18+ years’ experience in design management, architecture or interior design, with senior leadership experience

Benefits

Attractive compensations and benefits package