Project Director

Project Director

Job Location: Saudi Arabia
Job Title: Project Director
Experience: 20+ Years
Employment Type: Full-Time

Job Overview

Parsons is seeking an experienced Project Director to lead the end-to-end project and construction management of a high-profile mixed-use development in Saudi Arabia. The successful candidate will act as the Client’s representative within the Project Management Consultancy (PMC) organization and provide strategic leadership across project management, design coordination, construction oversight, stakeholder management, and project delivery.

The Project Director will oversee the successful delivery of a complex development incorporating hotel, serviced apartments, offices, retail, food and beverage, and entertainment components, ensuring that project objectives are achieved in accordance with approved time, cost, quality, safety, and operational requirements.

This is a senior leadership position requiring extensive experience in PMC or client-side project management, large-scale mixed-use developments, hospitality projects, design management, construction management, and GCC projects, preferably in Saudi Arabia.

Key Responsibilities

Project Leadership & Governance

• Act as the primary day-to-day project leader within the PMC team, representing the Client’s interests and objectives.
• Establish, implement, and maintain effective project governance frameworks, procedures, controls, and reporting structures.
• Develop and maintain the overall Project Execution Plan (PEP) covering scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk, communication, and project controls.
• Lead internal PMC meetings and Client progress meetings, ensuring effective decision-making, action tracking, accountability, and timely closure.
• Provide strategic direction to multidisciplinary project teams throughout the project lifecycle.
• Ensure project delivery remains aligned with the Client’s business case, development objectives, and operator requirements.

Scope, Schedule & Cost Management

• Lead the development and maintenance of the Integrated Master Programme covering design, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning, and final handover.
• Monitor contractor and consultant programmes, identify schedule variances, and drive corrective and recovery actions.
• Oversee project cost management in coordination with cost consultants, including budget monitoring, cost forecasting, change management, variations, and value engineering.
• Ensure effective project scope management, change control, claims mitigation, and alignment with Client requirements.
• Monitor key project milestones, deliverables, interfaces, and dependencies to ensure timely project completion.
• Identify potential delays, cost impacts, and project risks and implement appropriate mitigation measures.

Design Management & Technical Coordination

• Lead and coordinate the design review process across architectural, structural, MEP, specialist systems, and other technical disciplines.
• Manage design coordination across all project components, including hotel, serviced apartments, offices, retail, F&B, and entertainment facilities.
• Work closely with the LDC and approved specialist designers to finalize hotel package designs and ensure compliance with operator brand standards and technical requirements.
• Coordinate technical reviews of existing designs, including utility tanks, hotel back-of-house facilities, laundry, kitchens, vertical transportation, life safety, IT/ELV systems, and other specialist systems.
• Manage interfaces between hotel, serviced apartments, office, retail, shell & core, and fit-out works.
• Ensure timely resolution of design clashes, technical issues, coordination problems, and interface risks.
• Support design approvals and technical submissions with local authorities and relevant stakeholders.

Construction Management & Site Oversight

• Oversee the main contractor’s construction activities to ensure compliance with contracts, approved drawings, specifications, quality standards, safety requirements, and project programmes.
• Lead and coordinate PMC construction supervision teams, including discipline engineers, inspectors, planners, quantity surveyors, HSE, QA/QC, and other specialists.
• Monitor construction progress across shell & core and fit-out works, with particular focus on hotel and serviced apartment interfaces.
• Ensure effective site logistics, access, sequencing, phasing, and construction coordination to minimize disruption, delays, and rework.
• Review key construction method statements, shop drawings, material submittals, technical queries, and other critical construction documentation.
• Ensure effective coordination between contractors, consultants, designers, specialists, and other project stakeholders.

Quality, Health, Safety & Environment

• Promote and maintain a strong QHSE culture across the project.
• Ensure compliance with approved HSE plans, applicable regulations, Client requirements, and project safety standards.
• Oversee implementation of QA/QC procedures, Inspection and Test Plans (ITPs), material approval processes, and quality management systems.
• Monitor non-conformance reports, corrective actions, and quality trends and ensure timely resolution.
• Ensure project lessons learned are captured, documented, and implemented.
• Support project audits and inspections conducted by the Client, authorities, consultants, and third parties.

Stakeholder & Operator Management

• Act as a key interface between the Client, LDC, contractors, consultants, designers, operators, and regulatory authorities.
• Coordinate with hotel designers and pre-opening teams regarding design reviews, mock-ups, operator standards, operational requirements, and opening activities.
• Work with leasing and asset management teams to accommodate office and retail tenant requirements and fit-out guidelines.
• Maintain effective relationships with utility providers, municipality, civil defense, and other government and regulatory stakeholders.
• Facilitate timely resolution of stakeholder issues and ensure decisions are aligned with project objectives.

Risk, Issues & Project Reporting

• Establish, maintain, and actively manage the project risk register and issues log.
• Identify, assess, prioritize, and mitigate project risks throughout the project lifecycle.
• Prepare and present periodic project progress reports, executive dashboards, and management summaries.
• Report key project KPIs covering schedule, cost, quality, risk, safety, and overall project performance.
• Proactively identify potential claims, delays, disputes, and commercial risks and develop appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Support negotiations and settlement of project issues and claims where required.

Testing, Commissioning & Handover

• Develop and oversee the testing and commissioning strategy for all major project systems.
• Ensure particular focus on hotel and serviced apartment building services, life safety systems, specialist systems, and operator-specific requirements.
• Coordinate with designers, consultants, contractors, and pre-opening teams to ensure systems, documentation, training, and operational requirements are ready for opening.
• Lead snagging, de-snagging, testing, commissioning, and final completion activities.
• Ensure proper handover of as-built drawings, O&M manuals, warranties, statutory approvals, testing records, and other close-out documentation.
• Support transition to operations and management of the defects liability period.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or a related discipline.
• Master’s degree in Project Management, Construction Management, or a related field is preferred.
• 20+ years of total experience in construction and project management.
• Professional certification such as PMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, or equivalent is preferred/required.
• Membership of a recognized professional engineering or construction body is preferred.
• Proven experience working within a PMC or client-side project management environment.
• Demonstrated experience delivering large-scale mixed-use developments or hospitality-led projects.
• Direct experience delivering 4-star or 5-star hotels and serviced apartments, preferably with international hotel operators.
• Proven track record managing major construction and development projects in the GCC, preferably Saudi Arabia.
• Strong experience in design coordination, design review, technical management, and managing LDCs and specialist designers.
• Hands-on experience with shell & core and fit-out projects, including complex MEP systems, vertical transportation, life safety, IT/ELV, and specialist hotel systems.
• Strong understanding of project governance, project controls, construction management, design management, risk management, cost control, and stakeholder management.

Desired Skills & Competencies

• Strong leadership and decision-making skills with the ability to manage complex, multidisciplinary project teams.
• Client-focused mindset with a high degree of accountability, ownership, and commercial awareness.
• Strong understanding of Saudi Arabia and GCC construction and development environments.
• Excellent knowledge of mixed-use development and hospitality project delivery.
• Ability to manage multiple interfaces across design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and operations.
• Strong communication, negotiation, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to operate effectively under pressure in a fast-paced, high-profile project environment.
• Proactive, resilient, structured, and detail-oriented approach to project management.
• Strong commitment to quality, health, safety, and successful project delivery.
• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to build strong relationships with Clients, consultants, contractors, designers, operators, and government stakeholders.