Director of Design – Project Management

Overview

The Director of Design – Project Management serves as a senior leadership figure within the management team, entrusted with overseeing all project management functions for design-related projects across the company. This role involves leading and coordinating Project Managers and Design Managers, maintaining consistent standards, and ensuring projects meet quality, timeline, and budgetary requirements.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the Project Management Department, aligning goals with corporate strategies and managing the team of Project and Design Managers effectively.
• Conduct supervision, coaching, performance evaluations, and professional growth initiatives for PMs and DMs.
• Plan staffing requirements collaboratively with HR to match project demands with adequate PM/DM expertise.
• Oversee project execution from initiation through final delivery, ensuring compliance with contractual and quality standards while managing schedules and budgets.
• Review project documentation such as plans, resource allocations, and risk assessments; monitor key performance indicators and take preemptive actions to address potential delays.
• Manage escalations of critical risks and propose solutions to senior management.
• Ensure rigorous management of changes, including contractual amendments and claims, maintaining formal documentation.
• Maintain adherence to standardized project management processes, coordinating with Quality Assurance for audits and ISO 9001:2015 compliance.
• Facilitate quality control procedures within project teams.
• Guide the team in maintaining strong client relationships, resolving escalated issues, and engaging in high-level project discussions.
• Collaborate with Business Development for proposal support and project management input on new business opportunities.
• Manage financial aspects such as budgeting, fee utilization, profitability, and billing processes.
• Support contract negotiations regarding scope, fees, and project modifications.
• Establish and enforce company-wide project management standards, tools, governance policies, and practices, ensuring no deviations occur across branches.
• Drive process improvements and knowledge sharing throughout the organization to optimize project management effectiveness.
• Assign resources equitably, balancing workloads based on project demands at the company level.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, or a related field is mandatory; a Master's in Project Management, Construction Management, or Business Administration is advantageous.
• At least 20 years of progressive project management experience within architecture or engineering design consultancies, including 5 to 7 years in senior leadership roles overseeing multiple managers and projects.
• Proven success in delivering large-scale multidisciplinary design projects, ideally within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or GCC markets.
• Experience in managing and developing project management teams effectively.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong leadership qualities with ability to motivate, mentor, and enforce accountability among project management personnel.
• Strategic thinking capacity balanced with technical, commercial, and client-oriented decision-making.
• Comprehensive understanding of design project lifecycles, quality assurance, and project management methodologies.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement at executive levels.
• Solid financial acumen in budgeting, controlling costs, and managing project profitability.
• Familiarity with project management software such as Autodesk Construction Cloud, MS Project, or Primavera.
• Knowledge of quality management systems and ISO 9001:2015 standards.
• Fluent English language skills; Arabic proficiency is preferred.

Performance Metrics

• Adherence to project schedules ensuring timely completion.
• Management of project budgets with focus on cost-efficiency and profitability.
• Achievement of high client satisfaction scores on managed projects.
• Effective resolution and closure of identified project risks, issues, and change control requests.