The Director of Masterplanning will lead the planning, vision, and design direction for major development programmes across a leading Abu Dhabi developer's portfolio. The role will shape large-scale communities, destinations, mixed-use developments, waterfront projects, and strategic urban initiatives from concept through delivery.
This is a senior leadership role requiring strong masterplanning expertise, commercial awareness, consultant leadership, and the ability to balance design excellence with development viability, infrastructure integration, sustainability, and long-term place value.
MUST HAVE MIN 3 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN UAE
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Lead the planning and design direction for complex masterplanning programmes.
- Establish planning strategies aligned with commercial objectives, market positioning, and placemaking ambitions.
- Advise executive leadership on planning opportunities, risks, and design direction.
- Translate corporate objectives into practical planning frameworks and implementation strategies.
- Champion design excellence while balancing programme, commercial, and delivery requirements.
Project Leadership
- Direct multidisciplinary consultant teams from early visioning and feasibility through authority approvals and implementation.
- Lead the preparation and review of masterplans, planning frameworks, development strategies, and urban design proposals.
- Resolve complex planning, design, infrastructure, and delivery challenges across multiple projects.
- Ensure planning solutions respond to commercial, environmental, operational, and customer requirements.
- Maintain consistency and quality across all planning deliverables.
Development Strategy
- Maximise land value, development efficiency, and long-term project performance.
- Lead land-use optimisation, density studies, phasing strategies, and development scenarios.
- Work closely with Development and Commercial teams to support business cases and investment decisions.
- Ensure planning decisions are informed by market demand, infrastructure capacity, and delivery constraints.
- Identify opportunities to enhance project value while maintaining design quality.
Design Governance
- Establish planning standards, design governance processes, and quality assurance procedures.
- Lead design reviews and provide clear direction to internal teams and external consultants.
- Ensure alignment with approved visions, planning principles, and corporate objectives.
- Drive continuous improvement in planning methodologies, tools, and design standards.
Stakeholder Leadership
- Build strong relationships with executive leadership, government authorities, utility providers, and strategic partners.
- Present planning strategies and recommendations to executive committees, boards, and external stakeholders.
- Lead complex stakeholder discussions and negotiate balanced planning outcomes.
- Represent the developer in senior planning and design forums where required.
Team Leadership
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing masterplanning team.
- Foster a collaborative, accountable, and innovative team culture.
- Support succession planning, capability development, and professional growth.
- Provide coaching and technical leadership across planning disciplines.
Innovation & Best Practice
- Promote innovation in planning methodologies, digital tools, and urban development practices.
- Encourage integration of smart city principles, sustainability, and data-driven planning.
- Monitor global planning trends and apply relevant best practice across the portfolio.
- Support the organisation's reputation as a regional leader in city-making and destination development.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Urban Design, Architecture, or related discipline.
- Master's degree in Urban Design, Urban Planning, Architecture, or related field preferred.
- Minimum 18+ years experience delivering large-scale masterplanning and urban development projects.
- Significant experience leading multidisciplinary consultant teams on complex developments.
- Background with a leading developer, master developer, or internationally recognised planning/design consultancy.
- Proven track record across mixed-use, residential, waterfront, destination, tourism, or city-scale developments.
- Strong understanding of development strategy, land-use planning, infrastructure coordination, and project delivery.
- GCC experience and exposure to government/public-sector stakeholders required.
Skills & Competencies
- Exceptional masterplanning and urban development expertise.
- Strategic leadership with strong commercial judgement.
- Ability to shape compelling development visions and planning strategies.
- Strong understanding of development economics, land-use optimisation, and project viability.
- Ability to influence senior stakeholders and build consensus.
- Strong negotiation, decision-making, and problem-solving capabilities.
- Proven ability to lead multiple complex programmes simultaneously.
- Sound understanding of planning approvals, governance, and regulatory processes.
