Executive Director, Hospitality Development

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 a portfolio of hospitality assets across the full development lifecycle, from concept and business case through to delivery and operational readiness. You will set development strategy at a portfolio level, guide critical decisions and ensure assets collectively deliver differentiated guest experiences, strong commercial performance and long-term value for both the assets and the wider destination.

Working across multiple stakeholders and interfaces, you will drive alignment, governance and performance across the portfolio, managing complexity at scale to ensure delivery remains consistent, commercially robust and aligned with Qiddiya’s vision and development objectives.

Key Responsibilities

· Lead the strategic development and performance of a portfolio of hospitality assets from early-stage planning through to delivery and operational readiness

· Define and drive portfolio-level strategy, including asset positioning, feasibility, phasing and value creation across the portfolio

· Ensure alignment across strategy, asset management, design, delivery and operators to enable seamless progression from development through to operations

· Provide executive oversight of key decisions across the portfolio, including positioning, room mix, amenities, guest experience and operational models

· Balance portfolio-wide priorities, risks and interdependencies to optimise overall value and delivery outcomes

· Lead governance, reporting and decision-making processes at portfolio level, clearly articulating priorities, risks and recommendations to executive leadership

· Ensure consistency in quality, design standards and guest experience across assets, while enabling appropriate flexibility based on asset strategy

· Oversee critical validation milestones, ensuring alignment between operator requirements, design intent, commercial objectives and delivery constraints

· Proactively manage risks, dependencies and interfaces across assets and workstreams to maintain delivery momentum

Build and lead high-performing teams, embedding strong development capability and best-practice approaches across the portfolio

Requirements

· Proven track record leading portfolios of complex assets (e.g. luxury hospitality, mixed-use or destination developments)

· Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate Development, Architecture, Engineering or related discipline

· Professional membership or recognised certification preferred (e.g. RICS, RIBA, PMP or equivalent)

· 25+ years’ experience in real estate or hospitality development

· Experience across full development lifecycle from feasibility through delivery and operational readiness

· Strong experience working with hotel operators (selection, negotiation, alignment and onboarding)

· Experience within large-scale, multi-stakeholder or master-planned environments

· GCC experience preferred

· Strong experience leading portfolio-level development strategy and asset positioning

· Deep commercial acumen with a clear understanding of value optimisation across multiple assets

· Proven ability to manage complexity across multiple stakeholders, workstreams and development stages

· Strong strategic judgement in high-value, large-scale development environments

· Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive decision-making through clear, structured communication

· Leadership capability to develop teams and build scalable development capability

· Comfortable operating in fast-paced environments with ambiguity and evolving priorities