Senior Director, Interior Design - Hospitality

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 the creative interior design agenda for the hospitality portfolio, defining narratives, signature elements and material strategies across all asset tiers to unlock distinctive, innovative and commercially effective designs that define each asset’s identity, and ensure this is carried through concept, mock-up and design freeze.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the interior design definition of hotel concepts from development brief to approved design direction, curating distinctive, emotive and commercially viable environments aligned with Qiddiya, district and Operator visions
• Articulate and position design proposals through compelling narratives, visuals and presentations to secure alignment and timely outcomes across governance and investment stages
• Define interior design principles, narratives, material strategies and signature elements for each hotel tier, establishing consistent and distinctive design baselines across the portfolio
• Oversee consultant briefing and scope definition, validating interior design scope, specialist inputs and FF&E requirements to ensure alignment with design intent, Operator standards and governance approvals
• Oversee visualisation and design communication (including CGI strategy), ensuring concepts are clearly articulated and aligned with design narratives and stakeholder expectations
• Lead and govern interior design and specialist consultants, driving strategic approaches on appointment, scope and deliverables and overseeing performance, quality and creative alignment
• Provide functional governance to project-embedded design management teams, reviewing and endorsing interior design deliverables to ensure approved design intent is maintained through delivery
• Lead structured review of design submissions across key milestones, providing clear feedback and endorsement to support design progression
• Lead technical input to development briefs and coordinate across disciplines, embedding experiential intent across layouts, guest journeys, FF&E and key touchpoints
• Oversee FF&E strategies and specifications, ensuring commercial alignment, procurement integration and consistency with design intent and Operator requirements
• Lead mock-up and design validation processes, defining mock-up briefs, guiding inspections and ensuring quality through to design freeze
• Provide creative and technical design oversight through design and construction, resolving interfaces and deviations to maintain quality and design integrity
• Guide value engineering and design optimisation, balancing design intent with guest experience, cost, programme and operational requirements
• Champion innovation in guest experience, materials and sensory design, embedding ESG and Vision 2030 priorities
• Mentor teams and drive continuous improvement of design processes, standards and best practices across the portfolio

Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design, Interior Architecture or related discipline

Professional Certifications

• Professional membership or recognised certification preferred (e.g. RIBA, NCIDQ, BIID or equivalent)

Years of Experience

• 15+ years’ experience in interior design, with strong hospitality focus and senior creative leadership experience

Skills & Attributes Required

• Strong interior design literacy, creative judgement and design review capability across all project stages
• Deep understanding of creative and technical hospitality design, including guest experience, spatial planning, materials, lighting and FF&E specification
• Exceptional storytelling and visual communication, translating design narratives into compelling presentations and concept outputs
• Ability to manage design consultants and influence creative outcomes
• Commercial awareness of cost and programme impacts as well as FF&E budgets, procurement timelines and value engineering trade-offs
• Strong stakeholder management and creative leadership, articulating design intent to secure alignment and drive decision-making
• Proficiency in design and coordination tools (e.g. Adobe Creative Cloud, SketchUp, Revit, BIM, CDE platforms, Aconex, Autodesk Construction Cloud etc.)

Preferred Background & Experience

• Experience in a senior creative leadership role (Design Director, Studio Director or equivalent) within a leading design practice or developer environment
• Proven track record delivering hospitality assets, including luxury and ultra luxury tiers
• Experience managing interior design consultants across multiple projects
• Experience managing FF&E strategies, specification development and mock-up programmes
• Strong experience presenting design concepts and narratives to senior stakeholders
• Experience working with international hotel Operators and brand standards
• Experience in KSA / GCC or similar large-scale development environments preferred