Hotel Design 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 and manage the design of complex hospitality assets from initial briefs through to delivery. You will translate Qiddiya’s vision into distinctive, commercially viable and buildable design outcomes, driving quality, guiding key decisions and ensuring alignment with guest experience, positioning and Operator requirements. Working across consultants and internal stakeholders, you will oversee design interfaces and ensure coordination and compliance and drive projects towards fully integrated and executable solutions.  

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design management of hospitality assets from early-stage briefs through to delivery, ensuring alignment with guest experience, asset positioning and Qiddiya’s vision and objectives
• Direct and coordinate design decision-making across projects, guiding key decisions to ensure high-quality outcomes aligned with operational functionality, guest experience requirements and long-term asset value
• Lead and manage consultant teams and Operator design coordination, delivering integrated, buildable, operational and commercially viable design solutions
• Oversee design development across all project stages, ensuring adherence to scope, deliverables, programme and approval requirements 
• Drive design quality and integrity across architecture, interiors, landscape and guest touchpoints, including mock-up rooms, materials, FF&E and OS&E
• Ensure compliance with Operator standards, technical requirements, authority regulations and Qiddiya design standards 
• Lead and manage design risks and governance, influencing decisions through senior forums and clear recommendations
• Champion innovation and continuous design improvement, benchmarking designs against global best-in-class hospitality standards
• Mentor and develop internal design management teams, fostering collaboration, accountability and high standards of delivery
• Lead the development and refinement of design management processes, systems, standards and best practices across the hospitality portfolio
• Drive knowledge sharing across assets and contribute to building institutional capability

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Interior Design or related discipline
• Professional membership or recognised certification preferred (e.g. RIBA, AIA, RICS or equivalent) 
• 15+ years’ experience in design management, architecture or interior design
• Proven track record delivering projects from concept through construction, with strong understanding of technical design and execution
• Strong experience on hospitality, complex, luxury or mixed-use developments
• Experience managing multi-disciplinary consultants across complex projects
• Experience with hotel Operators and brand standards
• Experience in KSA / GCC or similar large-scale development environments preferred

Benefits

• The opportunity to be part of one of Saudi Arabia’s most ambitious city developments.