Director - Financial Planning and Analysis (RES7)

About This Role

We are seeking an experienced Director – Residential FP&A to establish and lead the financial planning and analysis function for a newly established Residential subsidiary within a large-scale Saudi giga‑project.

This role will play a critical part in setting up the financial foundations of a newly formed residential platform while operating within the governance, funding, and reporting architecture of an existing giga‑project.

The role will act as a key financial interface between the Residential Business Unit, Corporate Finance, and regulatory stakeholders.

The Director will be responsible for designing and embedding best-in-class financial planning, forecasting and reporting processes for a large-scale residential portfolio.

The role requires a hands-on leader with deep real estate/development experience, capable of building financial discipline, enabling informed decision-making, and ensuring strong financial governance across complex, multi-year projects.

Key Responsibilities

FP&A leadership

• Lead the FP&A function for the Residential Business Unit and the newly established residential operating subsidiary.
• Enhance and manage the budgeting, forecasting, and management reporting frameworks for residential development projects within a giga‑project environment.
• Develop and embed financial governance frameworks, controls, and reporting standards aligned with Corporate Finance, Board, and investment committee requirements.
• Ensure financial structures, controls, and reporting are fit for purpose for the residential business unit.
• Act as the primary financial counterpart to Corporate Finance, Treasury, Internal Audit, and External Auditors for residential activities.

Financial planning and portfolio oversight

• Prepare and maintain consolidated financial forecasts for the residential portfolio, including capex planning and cash flow projections.
• Monitor financial performance across residential projects and provide variance analysis against approved business plans.
• Manage portfolio‑level cash flow planning, funding requirements, and liquidity forecasts, with specific focus on off‑plan sales and escrow funding dynamics
• Produce regular financial reports and dashboards for senior leadership and investment committees.

Escrow Management, Audit, and Regulatory Compliance (REGA / WAFI)

• Establish, oversee, and govern escrow account structures for off‑plan residential sales in full compliance with REGA and WAFI regulations.
• Coordinate with banks, escrow trustees, legal advisors, and Corporate Treasury on escrow account setup, usage rules, drawdown mechanisms, and reporting.
• Ensure accurate tracking and reconciliation of escrow inflows, permitted outflows, and balances at project and portfolio level.
• Lead the preparation of escrow-related reporting and submissions required by REGA and other relevant authorities.
• Act as the primary finance lead for all internal and external audits related to escrow accounts, residential projects, and the residential subsidiary.
• Ensure robust audit trails, documentation standards, and financial controls are in place to support regulatory reviews and statutory audits.

Business partnering with development teams

• Partner closely with development, commercial, and sales teams to support financial decision‑making across the full residential development lifecycle.
• Provide financial insights on development projects through the development stage gate lifecycle and support feasibility studies
• Align cashflow forecasts to residential projects progress and revised development programs.

Systems and process development

• Lead the implementation of FP&A tools, financial models, and reporting systems to support residential portfolio and subsidiary monitoring.
• Support integration with corporate finance systems, including SAP FICO, ensuring residential and escrow transactions are accurately reflected.
• Contribute to the development of data visualization and performance dashboards (e.g., Power BI) for executive and regulatory reporting.
• Drive continuous improvements in reporting efficiency, automation, data quality, and analytical depth.

Leadership

• Build, lead, and scale a high‑performing FP&A team as the residential platform grows. Establish a high‑accountability culture with strong technical rigor, commercial mindset, and compliance awareness.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field
• CPA or equivalent qualification is essential.
• 12–15+ years of experience in financial planning and analysis, development finance, or project finance within the real estate sector.
• Strong experience working on large-scale real estate developments, ideally with projects exceeding $ 1B in capex.
• Experience working with regional real estate developers in the Middle East is required.
• Proven track record of building financial processes and systems in a new or evolving organization.
• Strong financial modeling skills and advanced Excel proficiency.
• Experience with ERP systems such as SAP FICO; familiarity with Power BI or similar visualization tools is a plus.
• Exposure to feasibility modeling tools such as Estate Master is advantageous.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively with senior stakeholders in an international environment.