Executive Director - Design Excellence - 20013062 CM5

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

• 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

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

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

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