Manager - Design - Dubai Holding Real Estate

The job holder will be responsible for facilitating seamless alignment between the design process and the Company’s vision and objectives across all design stages. This includes oversight of design deliverables from the Consultant team, active participation in Project design meetings as outlined and effective communication with Project team members.

Key Responsibilities:

Design Brief and Guidelines:

• Continually review and validate the Company’s Design Brief Guidelines and Operational Requirements to ensure alignment with the wider project vision and architectural aspirations thereby maintaining design consistency and project cohesiveness.
• Provide design direction/input to Lead Consultant as required; fostering effective collaboration and maintaining a unified design approach throughout the project.

Design Coordination and Management:

• Pro-actively assess the Design brief in detail to ensure project requirements are sufficiently represented thereby establishing a solid foundation for design development.
• Review and validate the design activities with the Consultant team, ensuring deliverables are fully coordinated and 100% complete in line with the scope for every Stage.
• Review and validate interim milestone packages (50%) for each stage ensuring progress in accordance with the programme schedule.

Project Control:

• Review and approve designs in accordance with budget reviews and ensure alignment with financial considerations and project goals.
• Review and Comment on the Project Budget in relation to design items/elements, to ensure the project's financial viability while upholding design quality.
• Actively participate in value engineering exercises, including attending value engineering workshops, to effectively manage project costs without compromising design integrity.

Authorization and Reports:

• Review drawings, designs, and documents for comment and approval, in accordance with the Project Program to ensure that designs align precisely with project objectives.
• Provide timely and constructive comments on reasonable modifications necessitated by the Company following such reviews, seamlessly integrating them into the documents to enhance design accuracy and compliance.
• Provide Design Approval in writing to proceed into the subsequent Stage, facilitating well-documented and validated design advancements for the seamless continuation of the project.
• Submit regular reports to the top management on the progress of the project in relation to design aspects for appropriate decision making.
• Keep abreast of emerging new technology, application software’s and trends for designing drawings in the market to provide inputs and recommendation to implement more user-friendly applications and upgrades for developing designs and to keep up to date with the current market.

Desired Candidate Profile:

• Bachelor's degree in Architecture/Interior Design/Urban Planning, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• Professional certifications or memberships in relevant design associations - preferred.
• Excellent knowledge of real estate design processes, regulations, and industry standards.
• 6-8 years’ experience with at least 4 years’ experience in a senior management role.
• High-end Hospitality Architectural Design experience.
• Proficiency in MS Office suite and AutoCAD software.
• Well versed in design techniques, tools and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Project management skills including design planning, coordinating scheduling, and risk management.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to build relationships and manage stakeholder expectations.
• Attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
• Budget management experience.
• Project documentation skills.
• Negotiation skills with the ability to manage contracts and agreements.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple design projects simultaneously.