Civil Project Director - Residential Projects | Saudi Arabia

Leverage your expertise and join the dynamic team of a leading Saudi contractor focused on high-quality large-scale residential projects in Saudi Arabia.

As the Civil Project Director, you will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and executive oversight of large-scale residential construction projects across their full lifecycle. You will ensure projects are delivered safely, on time, within budget, and in accordance with the highest quality standards while aligning project execution with the organization's business objectives. The role requires leading multidisciplinary teams, managing key stakeholder relationships, and driving operational excellence across multiple projects.

Key Accountabilities

The position involves:

• Lead the overall planning, execution, and successful delivery of large-scale residential construction projects across multiple sites.
• Develop project execution strategies, governance frameworks, and delivery plans aligned with organizational objectives.
• Provide executive oversight of project schedules, budgets, resource allocation, quality, and risk management.
• Direct project managers, construction managers, consultants, contractors, and multidisciplinary project teams to ensure successful project execution.
• Ensure all construction activities comply with approved designs, contractual requirements, Saudi regulations, quality standards, and HSE policies.
• Monitor project performance against key milestones, budgets, and strategic objectives, implementing corrective actions where required.
• Oversee contract administration, commercial matters, change management, claims, and dispute resolution.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, consultants, contractors, government authorities, and executive stakeholders.
• Lead project governance meetings, executive progress reviews, and strategic decision-making sessions.
• Drive value engineering, cost optimization, and continuous improvement initiatives throughout the project lifecycle.
• Ensure effective coordination between Civil, Architectural, MEP, Planning, Procurement, Commercial, and QA/QC teams.
• Review and approve project execution plans, recovery plans, procurement strategies, and major technical decisions.
• Identify and mitigate project risks while ensuring proactive issue resolution and business continuity.
• Oversee project reporting, executive dashboards, financial performance, and portfolio status updates for senior management.
• Lead project close-out activities, including final inspections, client handover, contractual closeout, and lessons learned.
• Mentor and develop project leadership teams while promoting a culture of accountability, collaboration, and operational excellence.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

We are Looking for:

• Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering or a related discipline.
• Master's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or Business Administration (MBA) is preferred.
• Minimum 20 years of experience in civil construction and project delivery within large-scale residential developments.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in a senior leadership role such as Project Director, Senior Project Manager, or Construction Director.
• Mandatory experience delivering residential construction projects in Saudi Arabia.
• Proven experience managing high-value residential developments, including residential compounds, villa communities, apartment towers, and mixed-use developments with a significant residential component.
• Strong background working with leading real estate developers, main contractors, or project management consultants (PMC) in Saudi Arabia.
• Extensive knowledge of project governance, construction methodologies, contract management, budgeting, cost control, scheduling, risk management, and project controls.
• Strong understanding of Saudi Building Code, local authority regulations, and construction industry best practices.
• Proficiency in Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, AutoCAD, and Microsoft Office applications.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience managing project financial performance, contractual matters, and claims.
• PMP certification is highly preferred; additional certifications such as PMI-RMP, CCM, or MRICS are considered an advantage.
• Exceptional leadership, strategic planning, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent communication, executive presentation, and decision-making abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multiple large-scale residential projects and deliver successful outcomes within schedule, budget, and quality objectives.
• Ability to manage complex project portfolios and lead high-performing multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced environment.