Director of Cost Planning - Residential

About the Role

Qiddiya is developing a pioneering city centered on play, creativity, and extraordinary experiences. At the core of this vision is the residential program, focusing on villa and townhouse developments. The Director of Cost Planning will guide early design decisions, ensuring budgets actively drive desired outcomes with a standardized cost planning methodology across residential projects. This role involves close collaboration with development teams to question assumptions and simplify technical cost details for non-technical stakeholders.

This position is exclusively dedicated to cost planning and does not involve project controls, procurement activities, or measuring bills of quantities.

Key Responsibilities

• Implement and maintain a unified cost planning approach for all villa and townhouse projects.
• Ensure that budget constraints influence design processes, consistently evaluating cost versus value throughout each stage.
• Deliver early cost insights to guide project feasibility, layouts, and design decisions.
• Provide development teams with clear, organized cost information that facilitates their decision-making.
• Oversee and challenge external cost consultants to produce transparent and dependable cost plans.
• Develop and update benchmarking data to support rapid, well-informed decision-making.
• Prepare concise cost summaries that aid smooth progression through project stage gates.
• Translate complex technical cost issues into understandable terms for non-specialist stakeholders.
• Collaborate closely with design, development, procurement, and finance teams to ensure decision alignment.

Requirements

• Preferably possesses Middle East work experience.
• Professional qualification such as PrQS is highly advantageous.
• Extensive experience in Pre-Contract and Pre-Development phases is critical.
• Over 15 years of experience in cost planning and related positions, emphasizing strategic planning over mere cost measurement.
• Preferably experienced in client-side cost planning; consulting experience is acceptable if acting as a client representative.
• Proven ability to lead budget-informed design discussions and challenge inefficient designs.
• Strong technical proficiency in cost planning, feasibility studies, benchmarking, and value management.
• Capability to convert intricate cost data into straightforward, actionable messages.
• Collaborative, with excellent communication skills and a skill for influencing initial project decisions.
• Professional accreditations such as RICS or AIQS are preferred.