Vice President – Project Development

About the organization

This semi-government organization plays a major role in shaping large-scale real estate and infrastructure initiatives across Saudi Arabia. Its work centers on planning, developing, and delivering mixed-use projects that support economic expansion and urban growth.

Role overview

The Vice President of Project Development will own the full lifecycle of strategic real estate and infrastructure developments. This includes concept shaping, feasibility assessment, design leadership, procurement, construction, handover, and asset optimization. The position calls for a senior executive who can convert business goals into commercially sound, well-governed developments that create long-term value.

The selected leader will coordinate multidisciplinary teams, consultants, developers, contractors, and partners to ensure delivery is timely, budget-conscious, and aligned with governance standards and organizational priorities.

Strategic leadership

• Shape and implement the organization’s project development direction in line with broader corporate goals.
• Assess new development opportunities, joint ventures, partnerships, and investment possibilities.
• Create development roadmaps and organize project portfolios.
• Advise leadership on project ranking, risk levels, and investment choices.

Development management

• Direct the full project development journey from initial idea to final completion.
• Oversee feasibility analysis, market research, business case preparation, and financial modeling.
• Lead master planning, design coordination, and development strategy for major projects.
• Ensure commercial, operational, and regulatory requirements are fully met.

Financial and commercial oversight

• Manage budgets, cash flow projections, investment appraisals, and overall financial performance.
• Promote value engineering to improve returns and make better use of capital.
• Review procurement approaches, tendering activities, and commercial agreements.
• Track profitability and safeguard target investment returns.

Stakeholder and governance management

• Maintain effective relationships with government bodies, investors, consultants, operators, and development partners.
• Deliver project updates, investment recommendations, and strategic reports to senior leadership and boards.
• Ensure all work follows governance structures, regulatory obligations, and internal policies.

Project delivery oversight

• Monitor design progress, procurement activity, construction performance, and overall execution.
• Apply strong risk management and mitigation practices throughout each project phase.
• Oversee project controls, schedules, quality assurance, and cost discipline.
• Resolve high-priority project issues and support successful delivery.

Team leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team across development and project management functions.
• Set performance expectations and succession plans for the function.
• Build a culture focused on innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications and experience

A bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, Real Estate Development, or a related subject is required. A master’s degree in Business Administration, Real Estate Development, Engineering Management, or a similar discipline is preferred.

Applicants should bring at least 20 years of progressive experience in real estate development, project development, engineering, or construction management, including a minimum of 10 years in executive leadership roles overseeing major development portfolios. A strong background in mixed-use, hospitality, commercial, residential, and infrastructure developments is essential, along with proven exposure to feasibility studies, project financing, development economics, and investment analysis. Experience managing billion-scale projects and leading multidisciplinary teams is also required.

Core competencies

• Real estate and project development
• Strategic planning and portfolio management
• Feasibility studies and investment analysis
• Financial modeling and project economics
• Value engineering and capital optimization
• Risk management and governance
• Stakeholder engagement and partnership building
• Contract negotiation and commercial acumen
• Leadership, change management, and team development
• Public-private partnerships
• Commercial and operational excellence

Success measures

• Projects delivered within approved budgets and timelines.
• Target returns and profitability goals achieved.
• Strong governance and effective risk management maintained.
• Productive stakeholder engagement and partnership development delivered.
• Project portfolio value and organizational growth improved.

Ideal candidate profile

The preferred candidate is a seasoned executive with deep expertise in real estate development and project delivery, capable of guiding complex, high-value developments from concept through operation. Strong commercial judgment, strategic leadership, and a track record of delivering transformational projects across the GCC are highly desirable. The source profile also notes experience leading development portfolios above SAR 20 billion and managing the complete project development lifecycle across multiple sectors.