Senior Masterplanning Lead / Senior Urban Designer

Overview

Senior Masterplanning Lead / Senior Urban Designer

1. **Strategic Bidding & Business Development**

• **Bid Leadership:**
• Serve as a primary senior asset in securing major regional masterplanning and urban development projects.
• **RFP Oversight:**
• Lead the technical and strategic review of high-stakes RFPs.
• **Proposal Development:**
• Author comprehensive project methodologies, delivery strategies, and integrated master programmes.
• **Credibility:**
• Leverage your extensive portfolio and industry standing to elevate the studio's credibility and competitive edge during the proposal stage.

1. **Design Leadership & Studio Mentorship**

• **Strategic Direction:**
• Provide day-to-day design direction for the studio's masterplanning teams, operating as an extension of the Principal's leadership.
• **Concept Execution:**
• Translate high-level conceptual visions into robust, executable design strategies.
• **End-to-End Delivery:**
• Guide projects seamlessly through visioning, concept development, schematic design, and detailed design phases.
• **Design Rigour:**
• Lead internal design charrettes and reviews to unblock bottlenecks and ensure all outputs align with the practice's high design standards.

1. **Client Interface & Stakeholder Management**

• **Client Representation:**
• Lead high-level client engagements, design workshops, and milestone presentations.
• **Authoritative Voice:**
• Act as the lead negotiator to defend design methodologies, navigate project complexities, and manage stakeholder expectations.
• **Consultant Coordination:**
• Coordinate seamlessly with external sub-consultants, engineers, and multidisciplinary project teams to maintain design intent.

1. **Regulatory Strategy & Authority Approvals**

• **Regional Expertise:**
• Apply deep knowledge of Middle Eastern regional planning regulations to ensure spatial strategies are both innovative and compliant.
• **Regulatory Navigation:**
• Manage complex zoning laws and strategic development frameworks to secure timely authority approvals.
• **Proactive Planning:**
• Anticipate regulatory hurdles early in the concept phase and integrate mitigation solutions into the master programme.

Qualifications & Expertise

• **Regional Experience:**
• Minimum 15+ years of experience with a proven track record delivering large-scale urban development and masterplanning projects within the Middle East.
• **Lifecycle Management:**
• Demonstrated ability to carry complex masterplans from blank-page visioning through to detailed design and final authority sign-off.
• **Leadership:**
• A strong history of leading and coordinating diverse, multidisciplinary teams of architects, urban designers, and technical consultants.
• **Technical Acumen:**
• Deep understanding of regional urban design principles, strategic development frameworks, and local planning regulations.
• **Commercial Awareness:**
• A sharp ability to align design solutions with commercial realities, client objectives, and stringent project timelines.