Development Director - Luxury Hospitality

Role overview

Development leadership and delivery

• Lead the development lifecycle of luxury hotel and hospitality projects, from concept and feasibility through design, approvals, procurement, construction, completion, and operational handover.
• Set strategies, programmes, and delivery plans aligned with business objectives; ensure quality, design, luxury positioning, and commercial performance.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams and coordinate design with brand requirements, hotel operations, and commercial objectives.
• Manage programmes and milestones and proactively resolve development, design, and delivery issues.

Commercial and stakeholder management

• Lead feasibility assessments, development appraisals, budgets, and financial modelling with internal finance and commercial teams.
• Monitor costs, budgets, cash flow, and financial performance; optimise development value while maintaining luxury standards and guest experience.
• Manage risks and mitigation; lead relationships and negotiations with hotel operators, luxury brands, investors, consultants, contractors, and stakeholders.
• Provide leadership and investment teams with project, risk, financial, and strategic reporting; represent the company with partners and government authorities as required.

Governance and handover

• Establish governance, reporting, and decision-making processes across the portfolio.
• Ensure compliance with UAE regulations, planning requirements, building codes, and development approvals.
• Monitor construction against programme and approved budgets; lead completion, handover, and operational readiness.

Essential experience and qualifications

• Significant real estate development experience, with a substantial portion focused on luxury hotels and hospitality developments.
• Experience across the full development lifecycle and managing multiple large-scale complex projects simultaneously.
• Strong understanding of hospitality development, operator relationships, brand standards, design coordination, and operational considerations.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including development budgets, feasibility studies, and project financial performance.
• Strong leadership experience managing multidisciplinary internal and external teams.
• Relevant degree in Real Estate, Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or a related discipline.

Regional experience and skills

• Previous UAE development experience is highly preferred; strong experience across other GCC markets will also be considered.
• Understanding of the regional development environment, regulatory landscape, and market stakeholders is advantageous.
• Arabic language skills are beneficial but are not essential.