Senior Urban Planner

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WSP seeks a Senior Urban Planner to provide technical and professional leadership in the execution of urban planning projects across the GCC and the wider region, with a particular expertise in strategic planning, spatial development strategy and development management.

Job Summary

• To be a key member of the Development, Planning and Urban Design (DPUD) team in Saudi Arabia and provide urban planning services to external and internal clients as part of the WSP Middle East DPUD team.
• To be involved in strategic planning studies, regional and city plans, master planning and urban design projects in the wider Middle East region.
• To provide a key client facing role for WSP's DPUD team, within Advisory Services and a key point of contact for current and prospective clients. Work closely with the Head of DPUD and leadership team to support business development activities and help develop a pipeline of work that will support the growth of the in-country and broader DPUD team.
• Work with the wider multidisciplinary team developing bids and proposals to secure new work for the team and WSP more broadly.

Your new role, what's involved

Responsibilities:

• Participate in the production of high-quality urban planning, design and master planning project submissions in KSA and the wider Middle East region.
• Coordinate with and supervise projects teams of Urban Planners, Urban Designers, Graphic Designers, GIS specialists and multiple other technical disciplines on a day-to-day basis to achieve excellent design quality and documentation, and match or better WSP's QA standards.
• Report to the Head of DPUD and KSA Lead DPUD on a regular basis regarding progress, design, quality, resources, changes, site issues, planning issues etc.
• Will be required to travel within the Middle East region to projects in a variety of geographical locations.
• Participate in the preparation of technical and fee proposals for urban planning and other major projects where appropriate.
• Play a key client facing role in the bidding and negotiation process to secure further work.
• Developing and maintaining relationships with clients, attending meetings, workshops and seminars.
• Responsible for the management of teams and meeting agreed budgets.
• Support the Department Head, Country MD and Operations Director in raising WSP's profile across the Region.

We'd love to hear from you if you have:

Technical Competencies

Essential

• Degree or postgraduate qualification in urban planning.
• Planning certification such as Certified Practicing Planner (CPP) or AICP or CIP.
• Minimum 15 years post qualification experience in urban and regional planning and master planning projects with a focus on large scale strategic planning studies.
• Strong English language report writing and analytical skills.
• Relevant experience in the GCC and an understanding of the cultural norms and requirements of the region.
• Strong presentation skills and ability to clearly and articulately convey ideas, proposals and concepts in front of large, high-profile audiences.
• Experience of leading large, multi-disciplinary project teams across different geographies.
• Ability to lead the preparation of commercial and technical proposals within the framework of an established business governance framework.

Preferable

• Knowledge of all necessary software programmes including as a minimum CAD, Adobe Design Suites, Sketch up and MS Office. Knowledge of other necessary software programmes including GIS, CAD, SketchUp, 3D Max etc.
• Previous KSA urban planning/design experience on urban planning/design projects.
• Arabic reading and speaking ability.
• Project Management experience.

Behavioural Competencies

Essential

• Must have excellent interpersonal skills, be a team player and have a customer focus.
• Previous consultancy experience and be looking to broaden their planning and urban design skill set within a Middle East context.
• Ability to solve problems by thinking laterally and able to understand the needs and requirements of clients to provide planning and design solutions in a rapidly developing country.
• Must be able to work in a large, multidisciplinary, multicultural team and manage challenging multicultural client relationships across a range of geographies.
• Must also be a self-starter who can work without direct supervision from senior management and/or peers.
• Able to be flexible and adapt to working in a demanding Middle East environment including the need to travel when required.

What's in it for you

WSP recognizes that work is only one part of our lives and making time for the other things in our life is important be that our families, our friends or ourselves. So, if working from home, working part-time or having flexible start and finish time will help with this let us know as part of your application.

As well as rewarding you with competitive pay, WSP offers standard benefits including first class medical cover, generous days annual leave, and paid professional subscriptions.

Apply now and be the future of WSP! Join our close-knit community of talented individuals who share your passion for making a positive impact. Our global team includes more than 69,000 employees, working together to make a difference in communities both close to home and around the world.